Bexar County, Texas
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Template:Infobox U.S. County Bexar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population is 1,392,931. Its county seat is San Antonio6. In Spanish, "Béxar" is pronounced Template:IPA in referring to Bexar County, however, in English it is commonly pronounced Template:IPA (or simply "bear").
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History
Bexar County was created on December 20, 1836, and encompassed almost the entire western portion of the Republic of Texas, including the disputed areas of western New Mexico northward to Wyoming. After statehood, 128 counties were carved out of its area.
The county gets its name from San Antonio de Béxar, one the twenty-three municipalities (administrative divisions) of Texas at the time of its independence. San Antonio de Béxar—originally Villa of San Fernando de Béxar—was the first civil government established in the Spanish province of Texas. Specifically, the municipality was created in 1731 when fifty-five Canary Islanders settled near the system of missions that had been established around the source of the San Antonio River. The new settlement was named after the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, the Spanish military outpost that protected the missions. The presidio, located at the San Pedro Springs, was founded in 1718 and named for Viceroy Balthasar Manuel de Zúñiga y Guzmán Sotomayor y Sarmiento, second son of the Duke of Béxar (a city in Spain).
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,255 km² (1,257 mi²). 3,229 km² (1,247 mi²) of it is land and 25 km² (10 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.78% water.
Adjacent counties
- Kendall County (north)
- Comal County (north)
- Guadalupe County (northeast)
- Wilson County (southeast)
- Atascosa County (south)
- Medina County (west)
- Bandera County (northwest)
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 431/km² (1,117/mi²). There were 521,359 housing units at an average density of 161/km² (418/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.86% White, 7.18% Black or African American, 0.80% Native American, 1.61% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 17.80% from other races, and 3.64% from two or more races. 54.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 488,942 households out of which 36.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.50% were married couples living together, 15.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the county, the population was spread out with 28.50% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,328, and the median income for a family was $43,724. Males had a median income of $30,756 versus $24,920 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,363. 15.90% of the population and 12.70% of families were below the poverty line. 22.40% of those under the age of 18 and 12.20% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Famous People from Bexar County
- Al Freeman, Jr., actor, ABC soap opera One Life to Live, Malcolm X
- Michelle Rodriguez of ABC's Lost
- Ciro D. Rodriguez, former Member of Congress, 28th District, Texas
- Robert Rodríguez, Director of Spy Kids, Desperado, and Sin City.
Cities and towns
* Only a very small portion of Cibolo is located in Bexar County.
** Fair Oaks Ranch has territory in both Bexar County and Kendall County.
*** Selma and Schertz each have territory in both Bexar County and Guadalupe County.
References
- Stephens, A. Ray, and William M. Holmes, Historical Atlas of Texas. University of Oklahoma Press, 1989. ISBN 0806123079
External links
- Bexar County government's website
- Bexar County in the Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas
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