Tarrant County, Texas
Tarrant County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2010, it had a population of 1,809,034.[2] It is Texas' third-most populous county and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Fort Worth.[3]
Tarrant County | |
---|---|
Tarrant County | |
Sundance Square, Tarrant Courthouse | |
Flag Seal | |
Location within the U.S. state of Texas | |
Texas's location within the U.S. | |
Coordinates: 32°46′N 97°17′W | |
Country | |
State | |
Founded | 1850 |
Named for | Edward H. Tarrant |
Seat | Fort Worth |
Largest city | Fort Worth |
Area | |
• Total | 902 sq mi (2,340 km2) |
• Land | 864 sq mi (2,240 km2) |
• Water | 39 sq mi (100 km2) 4.3%% |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 1,809,034 |
• Estimate (2019) | 2,102,515[1] |
• Density | 2,095/sq mi (809/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
Congressional districts | 6th, 12th, 24th, 25th, 26th, 33rd |
Website | www |
Tarrant County, one of 26 counties created out of the Peters Colony, was established in 1849 and organized the next year.[4] It was named in honor of General Edward H. Tarrant of the Republic of Texas militia.[5]
Tarrant County is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 902 square miles (2,340 km2), of which 864 square miles (2,240 km2) is land and 39 square miles (100 km2) (4.3%) is water.[6]
Adjacent counties
- Denton County (north)
- Dallas County (east)
- Ellis County (southeast)
- Johnson County (south)
- Parker County (west)
- Wise County (northwest)
Demographics
Historical population | |||
---|---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± | |
1850 | 664 | — | |
1860 | 6,020 | 806.6% | |
1870 | 5,788 | −3.9% | |
1880 | 24,671 | 326.2% | |
1890 | 41,142 | 66.8% | |
1900 | 52,376 | 27.3% | |
1910 | 108,572 | 107.3% | |
1920 | 152,800 | 40.7% | |
1930 | 197,553 | 29.3% | |
1940 | 225,521 | 14.2% | |
1950 | 361,253 | 60.2% | |
1960 | 538,495 | 49.1% | |
1970 | 716,317 | 33.0% | |
1980 | 860,880 | 20.2% | |
1990 | 1,170,103 | 35.9% | |
2000 | 1,446,219 | 23.6% | |
2010 | 1,809,034 | 25.1% | |
Est. 2019 | 2,102,515 | [7] | 16.2% |
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1850–2010[9] 2010–2019[2] |
2015 Texas Population Estimate Program
As of the 2015 Texas Population Estimate Program, the population of the county was 1,960,741: 916,941 non-Hispanic whites (46.8%); 299,637 Black Americans (15.3%); 158,299 other non-Hispanic Americans (8.1%); 585,864 Hispanics and Latinos, of any race (29.9%).[10]
2010 Census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,809,034 people. Tarrant County is currently the second most populous county in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metropolitan Statistical Area.
2000 Census
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 1,446,219 people, 533,864 households, and 369,433 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,675 people per square mile (647/km²). There were 565,830 housing units at an average density of 655 per square mile (253/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.2% White, 12.8% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 9.1% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. 19.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 533,864 households out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.22. As of the 2010 census, there were about 5.2 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.[12]
In the county, the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $46,179, and the median income for a family was $54,068. Males had a median income of $38,486 versus $28,672 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,548. About 8.0% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
Government, courts, and politics
Government
Tarrant County, like all Texas counties, is governed by a Commissioners Court, which consists of the county judge, who is elected county-wide and presides over the full court, and four commissioners, who are elected in each of the county's four precincts.[13]
County commissioners
Office | Name[14][15] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
County Judge | B. Glen Whitley | Republican | |
County Commissioner, Precinct 1 | Roy Charles Brooks | Democratic | |
County Commissioner, Precinct 2 | Devan Allen | Democratic | |
County Commissioner, Precinct 3 | Gary Fickes | Republican | |
County Commissioner, Precinct 4 | J.D. Johnson | Republican | |
County officials
Office | Name[14][15] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
County Clerk | Mary Louise Nicholson | Republican | |
Criminal District Attorney | Sharen Wilson | Republican | |
District Clerk | Thomas A. Wilder | Republican | |
Sheriff | Bill E. Waybourn | Republican | |
Tax Assessor-Collector | Wendy Burgess | Republican | |
Constables
Office | Name[14][15] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
Constable, Precinct 1 | Dale Clark | Republican | |
Constable, Precinct 2 | David Woodruff | Republican | |
Constable, Precinct 3 | Darrell Huffman | Republican | |
Constable, Precinct 4 | Joe D. "Jody" Johnson | Republican | |
Constable, Precinct 5 | Ruben Garcia | Democratic | |
Constable, Precinct 6 | Jon H. Siegel | Republican | |
Constable, Precinct 7 | Clint Burgess | Republican | |
Constable, Precinct 8 | Michael R. Campbell | Democratic |
County services
The JPS Health Network (Tarrant County Hospital District) operates the John Peter Smith Hospital and health centers.
Countywide law enforcement is provided by the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office and Tarrant County Constable's Office. All cities in the county provide their own police services, with three exceptions: Westlake contracts service from the Keller Police Department,[16] and Haslet[17] and Edgecliff Village[18] contract service from the Sheriff's Office. DFW Airport,[19] the Tarrant County Hospital District, and the Tarrant Regional Water District also provide their own police forces.
Since the disbandment of the North Tarrant County Fire Department, no countywide firefighting services exist. All municipalities provide their own fire departments. Most cities also operate their own ambulances, with two notable exceptions: Fort Worth and 14 other Tarrant County cities are served by the Metropolitan Area EMS Authority (MAEMSA), a governmental administrative agency established under an interlocal operating agreement and operating as MedStar Mobile Health,[20] while the city of Arlington contracts paramedic apparatus from private entity American Medical Response.[21]
Fire and EMS protection in unincorporated portions of Tarrant County is governed by the Tarrant County Emergency Services District #1, which administers contracts with 17 fire departments (including 10 with EMS response) and has mutual aid agreements with eight additional fire departments.[22]
CareFlite air ambulance services operate from Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth.
Courts
Justices of the peace
Office | Name[14][15] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1 | Ralph Swearingin Jr. | Republican | |
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2 | Mary Tom Curnutt | Republican | |
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3 | Bill Brandt | Republican | |
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4 | Chris Gregory | Republican | |
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5 | Sergio L. De Leon | Democratic | |
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 6 | Jason M. Charbonnet | Republican | |
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 7 | Matt Hayes | Republican | |
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 8 | Lisa R. Woodard | Democratic |
County criminal courts
Office | Name[14][15] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
County Criminal Court No. 1 | David Cook | Republican | |
County Criminal Court No. 2 | Carey F. Walker | Republican | |
County Criminal Court No. 3 | Bob McCoy | Republican | |
County Criminal Court No. 4 | Deborah Nekhom | Republican | |
County Criminal Court No. 5 | Jamie Cummings | Republican | |
County Criminal Court No. 6 | Molly Jones | Republican | |
County Criminal Court No. 7 | Cheril S. Hardy | Republican | |
County Criminal Court No. 8 | Charles L. "Chuck" Vanover | Republican | |
County Criminal Court No. 9 | Brent A. Carr | Republican | |
County Criminal Court No. 10 | Phil Sorrells | Republican |
County civil courts
Office | Name[14][15] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
County Court at Law No. 1 | Don Pierson | Republican | |
County Court at Law No. 2 | Jennifer Rymell | Republican | |
County Court at Law No. 3 | Mike Hrabal | Republican |
County probate courts
Office | Name[14][15] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
County Probate Court No. 1 | Steve M. King | Republican | |
County Probate Court No. 2 | Brooke Allen | Republican |
Criminal district courts
Office | Name[14][15] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
Criminal District Court No. 1 | Elizabeth H. Beach | Republican | |
Criminal District Court No. 2 | Wayne Salvant | Republican | |
Criminal District Court No. 3 | Robb Catalano | Republican | |
Criminal District Court No. 4 | Mike Thomas | Republican | |
213th District Court | Chris Wolfe | Republican | |
297th District Court | David C. Hagerman | Republican | |
371st District Court | Mollee Westfall | Republican | |
372nd District Court | Scott Wisch | Republican | |
396th District Court | George Gallagher | Republican | |
432nd District Court | Ruben Gonzalez, Jr. | Republican |
Civil district courts
Office | Name[14][15] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
17th District Court | Melody Wilkinson | Republican | |
48th District Court | David Evans | Republican | |
67th District Court | Don Cosby | Republican | |
96th District Court | R. H. Wallace, Jr. | Republican | |
141st District Court | John P. Chupp | Republican | |
153rd District Court | Susan Heygood McCoy | Republican | |
236th District Court | Tom Lowe | Republican | |
342nd District Court | J. Wade Birdwell | Republican | |
348th District Court | Mike Wallach | Republican | |
352nd District Court | Josh Burgess | Republican |
Family district courts
Office | Name[14][15] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
231st District Court | Jesus "Jesse" Nevarez, Jr. | Republican | |
233rd District Court | William Harris | Republican | |
322nd District Court | Nancy Berger | Republican | |
324th District Court | Jerome S. Hennigan | Republican | |
325th District Court | Judith Wells | Republican | |
360th District Court | Patricia Baca Bennett | Republican |
Politics
Tarrant County is one of the largest Republican-leaning counties in the nation.
In 2019, Democrats have begun to represent a larger portion of the political profile, and are concentrated in several areas throughout the county: eastern Euless, Grand Prairie and eastern and southern Arlington, Northern and West areas of Mansfield, large portions of Fort Worth, particularly the area surrounding the Stockyards and Meacham Airport, southern and eastern Fort Worth, especially in dense metro areas and along I-35W, and Forest Hill.[23]
Republicans are dominant in much of the rural areas of the county, downtown and western Fort Worth and north of Loop 820, and almost all suburban areas including Benbrook, rural Mansfield areas and western Arlington, Haltom City, Mid-Cities (Hurst, Euless, and Bedford), and the northern suburbs.[23]
Since the late 20th century, residents of Tarrant County have supported Republican Party presidential candidates. Since 1952 the majority of voters supported the Republican presidential candidate in every election except 1964, when the county voted for Democrat Lyndon Johnson, a Texas native. In 2016, Donald Trump won the county with 51.7% of the vote, the worst showing for a Republican since Bob Dole in 1996, and by a margin of 8.6%, the lowest since 1976.
The first Republican elected to the State Senate from Tarrant County since Reconstruction was Betty Andujar in 1972.
The county also leans Republican in races for the United States Senate, but in the 2018 election, Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke won it with a plurality.[24] This was the first time a Democratic candidate won Tarrant County in a federal election since Lloyd Bentsen in his 1988 re-election bid for the Senate.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third parties |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | 51.7% 345,921 | 43.1% 288,392 | 5.1% 34,201 |
2012 | 57.1% 348,920 | 41.4% 253,071 | 1.5% 8,899 |
2008 | 55.4% 348,420 | 43.7% 274,880 | 0.8% 5,253 |
2004 | 62.4% 349,462 | 37.0% 207,286 | 0.6% 3,393 |
2000 | 60.7% 286,921 | 36.8% 173,758 | 2.5% 11,710 |
1996 | 50.9% 208,312 | 41.6% 170,431 | 7.5% 30,901 |
1992 | 38.9% 183,387 | 33.1% 156,230 | 28.0% 131,779 |
1988 | 61.2% 242,660 | 38.2% 151,310 | 0.6% 2,267 |
1984 | 67.3% 248,050 | 32.6% 120,147 | 0.2% 665 |
1980 | 56.9% 173,466 | 39.7% 121,068 | 3.5% 10,532 |
1976 | 50.1% 124,433 | 49.2% 122,287 | 0.8% 1,911 |
1972 | 68.6% 151,596 | 31.3% 69,187 | 0.2% 355 |
1968 | 42.9% 81,786 | 41.8% 79,705 | 15.3% 29,256 |
1964 | 36.7% 56,593 | 63.0% 97,092 | 0.3% 473 |
1960 | 54.8% 72,813 | 44.7% 59,385 | 0.6% 788 |
1956 | 59.7% 66,329 | 39.5% 43,922 | 0.9% 946 |
1952 | 58.0% 63,680 | 41.9% 45,968 | 0.2% 194 |
1948 | 28.3% 17,157 | 59.8% 36,325 | 12.0% 7,257 |
1944 | 8.1% 4,113 | 72.1% 36,791 | 19.9% 10,161 |
1940 | 17.2% 7,474 | 82.7% 36,062 | 0.1% 53 |
1936 | 11.2% 3,781 | 88.2% 29,791 | 0.6% 190 |
1932 | 15.7% 5,251 | 83.1% 27,836 | 1.3% 426 |
1928 | 69.0% 20,481 | 31.0% 9,208 | |
1924 | 26.5% 5,859 | 61.7% 13,673 | 11.8% 2,619 |
1920 | 20.4% 3,486 | 72.7% 12,431 | 7.0% 1,191 |
1916 | 12.7% 1,550 | 84.1% 10,269 | 3.2% 394 |
1912 | 6.1% 548 | 80.8% 7,222 | 13.1% 1,169 |
State Board of Education members
District | Name[26] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
District 11 | Patricia Hardy | Republican | |
District 13 | Erika Beltran | Democratic |
Texas State Representatives
District | Name[26] | Party | Residence | |
---|---|---|---|---|
District 90 | Ramon Romero Jr. | Democratic | Fort Worth | |
District 91 | Stephanie Klick | Republican | Fort Worth | |
District 92 | Jonathan Stickland | Republican | Bedford | |
District 93 | Matt Krause | Republican | Arlington | |
District 94 | Tony Tinderholt | Republican | Arlington | |
District 95 | Nicole Collier | Democratic | Fort Worth | |
District 96 | Bill Zedler | Republican | Arlington | |
District 97 | Craig Goldman | Republican | Fort Worth | |
District 98 | Giovanni Capriglione | Republican | Southlake | |
District 99 | Charlie Geren | Republican | River Oaks | |
District 101 | Chris Turner | Democratic | Grand Prairie |
Texas State Senators
District | Name[26] | Party | Residence | |
---|---|---|---|---|
District 9 | Kelly Hancock | Republican | Fort Worth | |
District 10 | Beverly Powell | Democratic | Burleson | |
District 12 | Jane Nelson | Republican | Flower Mound | |
District 22 | Brian Birdwell | Republican | Granbury |
United States Representatives
District | Name[26] | Party | Residence | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Texas's 6th congressional district | Ron Wright | Republican | Arlington | |
Texas's 12th congressional district | Kay Granger | Republican | Fort Worth | |
Texas's 24th congressional district | Kenny Marchant | Republican | Coppell | |
Texas's 25th congressional district | Roger Williams | Republican | Weatherford | |
Texas's 26th congressional district | Michael Burgess | Republican | Lewisville | |
Texas's 33rd congressional district | Marc Veasey | Democratic | Fort Worth |
Education
Colleges and universities
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools in Texas are organized into independent school districts and charter schools. Tarrant County is also home to dozens of private high schools and nearly 100 lower-level private schools.[27]
Independent school districts
- Arlington Independent School District
- Birdville Independent School District
- Carroll Independent School District
- Castleberry Independent School District
- Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District
- Everman Independent School District
- Fort Worth Independent School District
- Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District
- Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District
- Keller Independent School District
- Kennedale Independent School District
- Lake Worth Independent School District
- White Settlement Independent School District
- Azle Independent School District (partial)
- Burleson Independent School District (partial)
- Crowley Independent School District (partial)
- Godley Independent School District (partial)
- Mansfield Independent School District (partial)
- Northwest Independent School District (partial)
Charter schools
- Arlington Classics Academy
- Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts
- IDEA Public Schools
- Newman International Academy
- Texas School of the Arts
- Treetops School International
- Uplift Education (partial)
- Westlake Academy
Private schools
Transportation
Major highways
Airports
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is partially in the cities of Grapevine and Euless in Tarrant County and Irving in Dallas County.
Fort Worth Alliance Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located 14 miles (23 km) north of the central business district of Fort Worth on Interstate-35W. Billed as the world's first purely industrial airport, it was developed in a joint venture between the City of Fort Worth, the Federal Aviation Administration and Hillwood Development Company, a real estate development company owned by H. Ross Perot, Jr. Alliance Airport has 9600' and 8200' runways.
Fort Worth Meacham International Airport is located at the intersection of Interstate 820 and U.S. Business Highway 287 in northwest Fort Worth, 5 miles from the downtown business district. Meacham International Airport has two parallel runways and a crosswind runway.
Fort Worth Spinks Airport is located 14 miles south of the downtown business district. The airport is located at the intersection of Interstate-35W and HWY 1187 and serves as a reliever airport for Fort Worth Meacham International Airport and Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport.
Communities
Cities (multiple counties)
- Azle (partly in Parker County)
- Burleson (mostly in Johnson County)
- Crowley (small part in Johnson County)
- Fort Worth (small parts in Denton, Parker and Wise counties)
- Grapevine (small parts in Dallas and Denton counties)
- Grand Prairie (partly in Dallas County and a small part in Ellis County)
- Haslet (small part in Denton County)
- Mansfield (small parts in Ellis and Johnson counties)
- Newark (mostly in Wise County)
- Southlake (small part in Denton County)
Cities
Towns
- Edgecliff Village
- Flower Mound (mostly in Denton County)
- Lakeside
- Pantego
- Trophy Club (mostly in Denton County)
- Westlake (small part in Denton County)
- Westover Hills
Census-designated places
- Briar (partly in Wise and Parker counties)
- Pecan Acres (small part in Wise County)
- Rendon
Historical census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
- Alliance (partly in Denton County)
- Avondale
- Boss
- Eagle Acres
- Lake Crest Estates
- Lake Forest
- Lake Shore Estates
Historical communities
Ghost towns
Notes
- Italics indicate that the city is a principal city of DFW or a county seat.
- The term "town" is used only in reference to relative population. Under Texas law, all incorporated places are officially designated "cities".
See also
References
- "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
- "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
- "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
- W. Kellon Hightower (2010-06-15). "Handbook of Texas Online – Tarrant County". Tshaonline.org. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
- "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- 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
- "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
- Leonhardt, David; Quealy, Kevin (June 26, 2015), "Where Same-Sex Couples Live", The New York Times, retrieved July 6, 2015
- "Commissioners Court". access.tarrantcounty.com. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
- "Tarrant County Republican Party". Tarrant County Republican Party. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
- "Elected County Officials". www.tarrantcounty.com. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
- "Police Services". Westlake, Texas. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- "Police Protection Tarrant County Sheriff's Office". Haslet, Texas. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- "Police Department (Tarrant County)". Town of Edgecliff Village, Texas. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- "DFW Airport Police and Fire". DFW International Airport. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- "About Us". MedStar Mobile Health. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- "On the Clock with the City of Arlington's EMS System & Ambulance Services". City of Arlington, Texas. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- "Tarrant County Emergency Services District No. 1". Tarrant County, Texas. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- "2016 election: Division in a key Texas Republican stronghold?". star-telegram. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
- Kennedy, Bud (6 November 2018). "For Tarrant Democrats, a big state Senate win and a lot of oh-so-close calls". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- "Texas Redistricting". www.tlc.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on 2017-10-19. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
- Texas Private Schools, accessed 2008-08-23