Named for Edward Burleson Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5 Area 1,753 km² Population 17,169 (2013) Largest city Caldwell | Congressional district 17th Website www.co.burleson.tx.us Founded 1846 County seat Caldwell | |
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Cities Caldwell, Somerville, Snook Rivers Brazos River, Yegua Creek, East Yegua Creek | ||
Burleson County (/ˈbɜːrlᵻsən/ BUR-li-sən) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,187. Its county seat is Caldwell. The county is named for Edward Burleson, a general and statesman of the Texas Revolution.
Contents
Map of Burleson County, TX, USA
Burleson County is part of the College Station-Bryan, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From 1975 to 1995, the Burleson county judge, who presides over the commissioner's court, were the son and father team of Mark Steglich Caperton (born 1946), a Caldwell attorney, and Woods Allen Caperton (1920-2009). Mark Caperton was the judge from 1975 to 1983 and was succeeded by his father, a former agent of the United States Soil Conservation Service. Woods Caperton also served seventeen years as a member of the Caldwell Independent School District and was a member too of the Burleson County Hospital District. During his time on each board, a new high school and hospital were begun. Woods Caperton was also chairman of the Brazos Valley Development Council and the Brazos Valley Mental Health Mental Retardation Center. He founded the Caldwell Cub Scouts and was instrumental in the development of the Caldwell Little League. Another son, Kent Caperton, served from 1981 to 1991 as the District 5 state senator. Kent Caperton, formerly of Bryan, is a lobbyist and lawyer in Austin.
The current state representative for Burleson County is the Caldwell attorney Leighton Schubert, a Republican.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 677 square miles (1,750 km2), of which 659 square miles (1,710 km2) is land and 18 square miles (47 km2) (2.6%) is water.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,470 people, 6,363 households, and 4,574 families residing in the county. The population density was 25 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 8,197 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.07% White, 15.06% Black or African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 8.25% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. 14.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.8% were of German, 11.3% American, 10.7% Czech and 6.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 6,363 households out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.90% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 25.80% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 16.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,026, and the median income for a family was $39,385. Males had a median income of $28,795 versus $20,146 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,616. About 13.20% of families and 17.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.90% of those under age 18 and 14.30% of those age 65 or over.