Burnet County, Texas

Burnet County (/ˈbɜːrnɪt/ BUR-nit) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 49,130.[1][2] Its county seat is Burnet.[3] The county was founded in 1852 and later organized in 1854.[4] It is named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first (provisional) president of the Republic of Texas. The name of the county is pronounced with the emphasis or accent on the first syllable, just as is the case with its namesake.

Burnet County
County
The Burnet County Courthouse in Burnet
The Burnet County Courthouse in Burnet
Map of Texas highlighting Burnet County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°47′N 98°11′W
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1854
Named forDavid Gouverneur Burnet
SeatBurnet
Largest cityMarble Falls
Area
 • Total1,021 sq mi (2,640 km2)
 • Land994 sq mi (2,570 km2)
 • Water27 sq mi (70 km2)  2.6%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total49,130
 • Density48/sq mi (19/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district31st
Websitewww.burnetcountytexas.org
Veterans Memorial at Burnet County courthouse
Rolling highway in Burnet County in Texas Hill Country toward Longhorn Cavern State Park

History

Indigenous peoples inhabited the area as early as 4500 BC. Later known tribes in the area include Tonkawa, Lipan Apache, and Comanche.[5]

During the 1820s-1830s, Stephen F. Austin and Green DeWitt conducted surveying and Indian-fighting explorations.[5] In 1849, the United States established Fort Croghan,[6] and in 1848, the first settlers arrived in the county, Samuel Eli Holland, Logan Vandeveer, Peter Kerr, William Harrison Magill, Noah Smithwick, Captain Jesse B. Burnham, R. H. Hall, Adam Rankin "Stovepipe" Johnson, and Captain Christian Dorbandt.[7] In 1851, 20 Mormon families under the leadership of Lyman Wight establish a colony at Hamilton Creek, later to be known as Morman Mill.

In 1852, the Fourth Texas Legislature created Burnet County from Bell, Travis, and Williamson Counties.[5] The first post office was established at Hamilton in 1853.[5]

In 1860, 235 slaves were in Burnet County.[5] After the war, some former slaves left the county, but many stayed. A group of them settled on land in the eastern part of Oatmeal. In 1870, the black population of the county had increased to 358, keeping pace with the growth of the total number of residents; the number of blacks had fallen to 248 by 1880, however, and the number of new white residents was such that after 1890, blacks represented less than 3% of the total population. Some found work on farms and ranches, but by the turn of the century, many had moved into the Marble Falls area to work in town.

During 1882–1903, railroad tracks connected Burnet, Granite Mountain, Marble Falls, and Lampasas. Lake Victor and Bertram became shipping-point communities. Other communities lost population as the railroad offered employment.[5] During the Great Depression, county farmers suffered financially, but found work with government-sponsored public-works projects. The Lower Colorado River Authority employed hundreds of people for the construction of the Hamilton (Buchanan) Dam and Roy B. Inks Dam.[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,021 sq mi (2,640 km2), of which 27 sq mi (70 km2) (2.6%) are covered by water.[8]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18602,487—
18703,68848.3%
18806,85585.9%
189010,74756.8%
190010,528−2.0%
191010,7552.2%
19209,499−11.7%
193010,3559.0%
194010,7714.0%
195010,356−3.9%
19609,265−10.5%
197011,42023.3%
198017,80355.9%
199022,67727.4%
200034,14750.6%
201042,75025.2%
202049,13014.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1850–2010[10] 2010[11] 2020[12]
Burnet County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[11] Pop 2020[12] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 32,530 34,810 76.09% 70.85%
Black or African American alone (NH) 700 579 1.64% 1.18%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 169 183 0.40% 0.37%
Asian alone (NH) 198 424 0.46% 0.86%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 13 14 0.03% 0.03%
Some other race alone (NH) 44 147 0.10% 0.30%
Mixed/multiracial (NH) 444 1,774 1.04% 3.61%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 8,652 11,199 20.24% 22.79%
Total 42,750 49,130 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

As of the census[13] of 2020, 49,130 people and 16,743 households resided in the county. (The remaining data that follow in this section are outdated. The Census 2020 data for the following demographics have not yet been released.) The population density was 34 people/sq mi (13 people/km2). The 15,933 housing units averaged 16 per square mile (6.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.64% White, 1.52% African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 6.30% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. About 14.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 16,743 households, 30.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.50% were married couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were not families. About 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53, and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the age distribution was 24.50% under 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,921, and for a family was $43,871. Males had a median income of $30,255 versus $20,908 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,850. About 7.90% of families and 10.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.50% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Notable people
  • Adam R. "Stovepipe" Johnson, Confederate general and the 1887 founder of Marble Falls, despite being blinded during the war.
  • Gerald Lyda (1923–2005), general contractor and cattle rancher, born and raised in Burnet County.
  • Stephen McGee (born September 27, 1985), former American football quarterback. Played college football for Texas A&M. Drafted and played NFL football for the Dallas Cowboys.
  • James Oakley, former County Commissioner (1998–2005) and County Judge (2015–Present)
  • Logan Vandeveer, early Texas soldier, ranger, cattleman and civic leader. Vandeveer was a leader in presenting the petition to the legislature in 1852 to establish Burnet County and was instrumental in having the town of Burnet named the county seat.
  • Al Witcher (born 1936), American football player

Politics
United States presidential election results for Burnet County, Texas[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 18,767 75.93% 5,639 22.81% 311 1.26%
2016 14,638 76.22% 3,797 19.77% 769 4.00%
2012 12,843 76.46% 3,674 21.87% 279 1.66%
2008 12,059 71.38% 4,608 27.28% 226 1.34%
2004 11,456 72.77% 4,147 26.34% 139 0.88%
2000 9,286 70.18% 3,557 26.88% 389 2.94%
1996 5,744 51.99% 4,123 37.32% 1,182 10.70%
1992 4,272 39.53% 3,638 33.66% 2,897 26.81%
1988 5,120 53.85% 4,343 45.68% 45 0.47%
1984 5,895 66.18% 2,983 33.49% 29 0.33%
1980 4,033 50.84% 3,711 46.78% 189 2.38%
1976 2,777 41.85% 3,818 57.53% 41 0.62%
1972 3,438 73.34% 1,227 26.17% 23 0.49%
1968 1,459 36.68% 1,876 47.16% 643 16.16%
1964 821 24.08% 2,585 75.81% 4 0.12%
1960 1,189 39.95% 1,770 59.48% 17 0.57%
1956 1,163 44.90% 1,422 54.90% 5 0.19%
1952 1,270 46.98% 1,431 52.94% 2 0.07%
1948 287 12.35% 1,955 84.12% 82 3.53%
1944 228 10.80% 1,697 80.35% 187 8.85%
1940 233 9.66% 2,177 90.26% 2 0.08%
1936 111 6.54% 1,583 93.34% 2 0.12%
1932 144 7.02% 1,904 92.88% 2 0.10%
1928 936 66.67% 467 33.26% 1 0.07%
1924 277 13.45% 1,725 83.74% 58 2.82%
1920 241 18.98% 795 62.60% 234 18.43%
1916 115 10.87% 913 86.29% 30 2.84%
1912 85 10.87% 623 79.67% 74 9.46%

See also

References
  1. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Burnet County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  2. "Burnet County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  5. Smyrl, Vivian Elizabeth (June 12, 2010). "Burnet County, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  6. "Fort Croghan". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. June 12, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  7. Goble, Carole A (2009). "Fort Croghan and the First Settlers". Burnet (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. pp. 9–30. ISBN 978-0-7385-7121-8.
  8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  9. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". US Census Bureau.
  10. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  11. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Burnet County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  12. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Burnet County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  14. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
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