Hays County, Texas

Hays County is located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. Hays County is part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, its official population had reached 157,107.[1] The county seat is San Marcos.[2] Hays, along with Comal and Kendall counties, was listed in 2017 as one of the nation's ten fastest-growing large counties with a population of at least ten thousand. From 2015 to 2016, Hays County, third on the national list, had nearly ten thousand new residents during the year. Comal County, sixth on the list, grew by 5,675 newcomers, or 4.4 percent. Kendall County, the second-fastest-growing county in the nation, grew by 5.16 percent. As a result of this growth, the counties have experienced new home construction, traffic congestion, and greater demand for public services. Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, grew by 1.75 percent during the year, but its sheer number of new residents exceeded 33,000.[3]

"Hays County" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Hayes County, Nebraska.
Hays County
U.S. county
Hays County Courthouse, built in 1908 using the eclectic style of architecture
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°04′N 98°02′W
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1848
Named forJohn Coffee Hays
SeatSan Marcos
Largest citySan Marcos
Area
 • Total680 sq mi (1,800 km2)
 • Land678 sq mi (1,760 km2)
 • Water1.9 sq mi (5 km2)  0.3%%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total157,107
 • Density232/sq mi (90/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts21st, 25th, 35th
Websitehayscountytx.com
Hays County Annex Building across from the courthouse in San Marcos
Hays County Veterans Monument in San Marcos

The county is named for John Coffee Hays, a Texas Ranger and Mexican–American War officer.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 680 square miles (1,800 km2), of which 678 square miles (1,760 km2) are land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2) (0.3%) are covered by water.[4]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Transportation

Major highways

Education

School districts in Hays county include the San Marcos Consolidated, Dripping Springs Independent, Wimberley Independent, and Hays Consolidated Independent school districts. As of 2020, the county has six high schools, ten middle schools, and 24 elementary schools.

Higher education in Hays County includes one four-year institution, Texas State University, in San Marcos. Austin Community College operates three distance learning centers that offer basic and Early College Start classes, along with testing centers for online classes.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1850387—
18602,126449.4%
18704,08892.3%
18807,55584.8%
189011,35250.3%
190014,14224.6%
191015,5189.7%
192015,9202.6%
193014,915−6.3%
194015,3492.9%
195017,84016.2%
196019,93411.7%
197027,64238.7%
198040,59446.9%
199065,61461.6%
200097,58948.7%
2010157,12761.0%
Est. 2019230,191[5]46.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1850–2010[7] 2010–2014[1]

2015 Texas population estimate program

As of the 2015 Texas population estimate program, the county's population was 193,963: non-Hispanic whites, 106,919 (55.1%); non-Hispanic blacks, 5,860 (3.0%); other non-Hispanics, 6,624 (3.4%); and Hispanics and Latinos (of any race), 74,560 (38.4%).[8]

2000 census

As of the census[9] of 2000, 97,589 people, 51,265 households, and 22,150 families resided in the county. The population density was 144 people per square mile (56/km²). The 55,643 housing units averaged 53 per mi2 (20/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 78.92% White, 3.68% Black or African American, 0.69%Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 13.36% from other races, and 2.49% from two or more races. About 29.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 33,410 households, 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.10% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were not families; 21.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.21.

A Williams Institute analysis of 2010 census data found there were about 7.4 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.[10]

The county's population was distributed as 24.50% under the age of 18, 20.50% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 19.10% from 45 to 64, and 7.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.50 males.

The county's median household income was $45,006 and the median family income was $56,287. Males had a median income of $35,209 versus $27,334 for females. The county's per capita income was $19,931. About 6.40% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.30% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over.

History

Hays County has been inhabited for thousands of years. There is evidence of Paleo-Indians in the region as far back as 6000 BC.[11] By 1200 AD, there is archeological evidence of native agriculture at the Timmeron site by the Tonkawa tribe.[11]

The earliest Europeans to arrive in the area were explorers and missionaries from the Spanish Empire. It is recorded that Father Isidro Félix de Espinosa, Father Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares, and Pedro de Aguirre traveled through the area in 1709.[12] A few years later, the French-Canadian Louis Juchereau de St. Denis was attacked by Comanches in 1714.[13]

More permanent European influence was established in 1755, when the Mission San Francisco Xavier de los Dolores was established among the Apache tribe.[14]

  • In 1831, Coahuila y Tejas[15] issued a land grant to Juan Martín de Veramendi,[16] to Juan Vicente Campos in 1832,[11] and to Thomas Jefferson Chambers in 1834.[11]
  • The Mexican government issued a land grant to the first Anglo-American settler in the county, Thomas G. McGhee of Tennessee in 1835.[11]
  • On March 1, 1848, the legislature formed Hays County from Travis County. The county is named for Tennessee native Captain John Coffee Hays[17] of the Texas Rangers. San Marcos was named as the county seat.[18]
  • The legislature established Blanco from part of Hays in 1858, but incorporated part of Comal into Hays. Risher and Hall Stage Lines controls 16 of 31 passenger and mail lines in Texas.[11]
  • In 1861, voters in the county favored secession from the Union.[11]
  • The legislature transferred more of Comal County to Hays County in 1862.[11]
  • In 1867, the first cattle drive from Hays County to Kansas occurred.[11]
  • International-Great Northern Railroad was completed from Austin to San Marcos in 1880.[11]
  • Camp Ben McCulloch, named after a brigadier general, was organized in 1896 for reunions of United Confederate Veterans.[19]
  • A teacher’s college, Southwest Texas State Normal School, was established in San Marcos in 1899.[20]
  • Wonder Cave opened to the public in 1900.[21]
  • The current Hays County Courthouse in San Marcos was erected in 1908. Beaux-Arts style by Architect C.H. Page & Bros.[22]
  • The Aquarena Springs tourist site opened in 1928 in San Marcos.[23]
  • Lyndon Baines Johnson graduated from Southwest Texas State Teachers College in 1930.[24]
  • In 1942, construction of San Marcos Army Air Field began.[25]
  • San Marcos Army Air Field was renamed Gary Air Force Base in 1953 to honor Second Lieutenant Arthur Edward Gary, the first San Marcos resident killed in World War II.[25]
  • The state legislature resurveyed the Hays and Travis County lines, adding 16,000 acres (65 km2) to Hays County in 1955.[11]
  • In 1964, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson announced the establishment of a Job Corps center based at the deactivated Gary Air Force Base.[26]

Politics

Like the rest of Texas, Hays County was once a strongly Democratic Party leaning county in federal elections. However, like other suburban counties in the state, the county has been trending towards the Republican Party, though tends to lean less Republican than the state as a whole. The last Democrat to carry Hays County in a presidential election was Bill Clinton with a plurality of 39.8% of the vote in 1992. The last Democrat to win a majority of the vote in the county was Jimmy Carter with 54.4% in 1976. Lloyd Bentsen had been the last Democratic Senate candidate to carry the county, winning 69.2% of the vote in 1988, until 2018, when Beto O'Rourke carried the county with 57.1% of the vote.[27]

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[28]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 46.9% 33,826 46.0% 33,224 7.1% 5,114
2012 53.7% 31,661 43.3% 25,537 3.1% 1,813
2008 50.2% 29,638 48.2% 28,431 1.7% 983
2004 56.5% 27,021 42.1% 20,110 1.5% 692
2000 58.8% 20,170 33.2% 11,387 8.0% 2,760
1996 47.9% 12,865 43.1% 11,580 8.9% 2,395
1992 36.7% 10,008 39.8% 10,842 23.5% 6,417
1988 50.4% 11,716 48.1% 11,187 1.6% 361
1984 65.0% 12,467 34.7% 6,663 0.3% 57
1980 49.0% 6,517 45.3% 6,013 5.7% 759
1976 44.4% 5,714 54.4% 7,005 1.2% 156
1972 56.8% 5,406 42.7% 4,068 0.5% 45
1968 32.2% 1,993 57.4% 3,546 10.4% 644
1964 25.3% 1,279 74.6% 3,780 0.1% 5
1960 35.5% 1,606 64.4% 2,916 0.2% 7
1956 48.0% 1,873 51.7% 2,017 0.4% 14
1952 50.7% 2,135 49.2% 2,070 0.1% 3
1948 18.6% 555 75.0% 2,239 6.5% 193
1944 20.4% 495 69.6% 1,690 10.0% 243
1940 16.0% 453 83.8% 2,371 0.1% 4
1936 12.7% 286 86.9% 1,964 0.4% 9
1932 10.7% 220 88.9% 1,822 0.4% 8
1928 63.7% 1,088 36.3% 620
1924 18.9% 394 77.4% 1,616 3.8% 79
1920 14.6% 242 64.9% 1,075 20.5% 339
1916 10.9% 123 87.8% 995 1.3% 15
1912 5.6% 60 88.2% 939 6.2% 66

The county is no less Republican at the state level. Ann Richards was the last Democratic gubernatorial candidate to win the county with 56.6% of the vote in 1990, until Lupe Valdez won with a 49.6% plurality in 2018.[27]

Democratic strength lies primarily along the I-35 Corridor and communities east of there, while communities west of the highway lean Republican. San Marcos, where Texas State University is located, and the city of Kyle generally vote Democratic, while Buda, Dripping Springs, and Wimberley generally vote Republican.

Communities

Cities (multiple counties)

Cities

Village

Census-designated place

Ghost town
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gollark: The permissions model is crazy.
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gollark: It's these stupid network effects and the fact that their platform does not directly integrate with anything else.
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See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. Zeke MacCormack, "Folks flocking to area counties: Kendall, Comal, and Hays are on the top 10 list", San Antonio Express-News, March 24, 2017, pp. 1, A11.
  4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  5. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  7. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  8. Estimates of the Population by Age, Sex, and Race/Ethnicity for July 1, 2015 for State of Texas (PDF), July 15, 2015, archived from the original (PDF) on May 4, 2017, retrieved June 8, 2017
  9. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  10. Where Same-Sex Couples Live, June 26, 2015, retrieved July 6, 2015
  11. Cecil, Paul F; Greene, Daniel P. "Hays County, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  12. Foster, William C (1995). Spanish Expeditions into Texas, 1689-1768. University of Texas Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-292-72489-1.
  13. Weddle, Robert S (1991). The French Thorn: Rival Explorers in the Spanish Sea, 1682-1762. TAMU Press. p. 200. ISBN 978-0-89096-480-4.
  14. Arias, David (2009). The First Catholics of the United States. lulu.com. pp. 180–181. ISBN 978-0-557-07527-0.
  15. "Coahuila and Tejas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  16. "Juan Martín de Veramendi". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  17. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 153.
  18. "San Marcos, Texas". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  19. Winfrey, Dorman. "Camp Ben Mcculloch". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  20. "San Marcos Campus". Texas State University. Archived from the original on February 12, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  21. "Wonder World Park". Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  22. "Hays County Courthouse". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  23. "Aquarena Springs". Texas State University. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  24. Pietrusza, David (2008). 1960--LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies. Union Square Press. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-4027-6114-0.
  25. Ratisseau, Shirley. "Gary Air Force Base". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  26. "Gary Job Corps Center". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  27. http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/
  28. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  29. "City of Austin Full Purpose Jurisdiction" (PDF). City of Austin. March 9, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 16, 2010. Retrieved May 1, 2010.

Further reading
  • DeCook, K.J. (1963). Geology and ground-water resources of Hays County, Texas [U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 1612]. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

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