Brazoria County, Texas
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Brazoria County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas located on the Gulf Coast, due south of Houston. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 241,767. The county seat is Angleton. This county is in the Houston—Sugar Land—Baytown CMSA, or commonly refer to as the Houston Metropolitan Area.
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History
Brazoria is named for the Brazos River, along with Brazos County. Anglo-Texas began in Brazoria County when the first of Stephen F. Austin's authorized 300 American settlers arrived at the mouth of the Brazos River in 1821. Many of the events leading to the Texas Revolution developed in Brazoria County. In 1832, Brazoria was organized as a separate municipal district by the Mexican govenment, and so became one of Texas original counties at independence in 1836.
Brazoria County constitutes the southern tip of the Cancer Coast, so named by doctors at the Texas Medical Center in Houston and members of the local media.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,137 km² (1,597 mi²). 3,591 km² (1,386 mi²) of it is land and 547 km² (211 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 13.21% water.
Adjacent counties
- Harris County (north)
- Galveston County (northeast)
- The Gulf of Mexico (southeast)
- Matagorda County (southwest)
- Wharton County (west)
- Fort Bend County (northwest)
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 241,767 people, 81,954 households, and 63,104 families residing in the county. The population density is 67/km² (174/mi²). There are 90,628 housing units at an average density of 25/km² (65/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 77.09% White, 8.50% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 2.00% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.63% from other races, and 2.22% from two or more races. 22.78% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 81,954 households out of which 40.80% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% are married couples living together, 10.40% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.00% are non-families. 19.10% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.40% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.82 and the average family size is 3.23.
In the county, the population is spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 32.40% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 8.80% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 106.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 107.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $48,632, and the median income for a family is $55,282. Males have a median income of $42,193 versus $27,728 for females. The per capita income for the county is $20,021. 10.20% of the population and 8.10% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 12.60% of those under the age of 18 and 8.70% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Cities and towns
External links
- Brazoria County government's website (http://www.brazoria-county.com/)
- Brazoria County Museum Website (http://www.bchm.org/)
- Brazoria County in Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/BB/hcb12.html) from The University of Texas at Austin.
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| Regions: Arklatex | Big Bend | Central Texas | Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex | East Texas | Edwards Plateau | Houston Metropolitan Area | North Texas | Northeast Texas | Piney Woods | Rio Grande Valley | Texas Hill Country | Texas Panhandle | Llano Estacado | Southeast Texas | South Texas | West Texas | |
| Metropolitan Areas: Abilene | Amarillo | Austin-Round Rock | Beaumont-Port Arthur | Brownsville-Harlingen | College Station-Bryan | Corpus Christi | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | El Paso | Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown | Killeen-Temple | Laredo | Longview-Marshall | Lubbock | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | Midland | Odessa | San Angelo | San Antonio | Sherman-Denison | Texarkana | Tyler | Victoria | Waco | Wichita Falls | |
| See also: List of Texas counties |