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Victoria County, Texas

Coordinates: 28°48′N 96°58′W / 28.80°N 96.97°W / 28.80; -96.97
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Victoria County
County
The Victoria County Courthouse of Romanesque revival design in Victoria
The Victoria County Courthouse of Romanesque revival design in Victoria
Map of Texas highlighting Victoria County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 28°48′N 96°58′W / 28.8°N 96.97°W / 28.8; -96.97
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1836
Named forGuadalupe Victoria
SeatVictoria
Largest cityVictoria
Area
 • Total
889 sq mi (2,300 km2)
 • Land882 sq mi (2,280 km2)
 • Water6.7 sq mi (17 km2)  0.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
91,319
 • Density100/sq mi (40/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district27th
Websitewww.victoriacountytx.org

Victoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 91,319.[1] Its county seat is also named Victoria.[2] Victoria County is included in the Victoria metropolitan statistical area, and comprises the entirety of the Victoria media market in Texas.

History

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Main article: De León's Colony (Texas)

Through colonial times

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Paleo-Indian hunter-gatherers, and later Tonkawa, Aranamas, Tamiques, and Karankawa, inhabited the area before the time of European contact. Tawakoni, Lipan Apache, and Comanche were later inhabitants of modern-day Victoria County.[3]

In 1685, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle established Fort St. Louis.[4]

In 1689, Alonso de Leon named the Guadalupe River in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.[5]

In 1722, Nuestra Señora de Loreto Presidio[6] and Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga became the first Spanish settlement in Victoria County.[7]

In 1824, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Jesús Victoria (the future city of Victoria) was established by Martín De León, who started his colony with 5,000 branded cattle and established the county's claim as the "Cradle of the Texas Cattle Industry." It was the only primarily Mexican colony in Texas.[8]

In 1835, Victoria's settlers supported the revolution against Antonio López de Santa Anna, but were ostracized by new incoming Americans, many of whom were adventurous soldiers or fortune hunters, who wrongly profiled them as Mexican sympathizers and forced them to flee after the revolution in 1836.[9] Anglo-Americans resettled the area.[10]

In 1836, Victory County was formed by the Republic of Texas. It is named after Guadalupe Victoria, the first President of Mexico.[3] About 3000 troops of the Texas Army encamped near Spring Creek, Victoria County, under the command of Gen. Thomas J. Rusk, as the main defense against a threatened attack by Mexican General José de Urrea.[11]

In 1842, Rafael Vásquez and Adrián Woll led Mexican forces in an invasion into the county.[12]

After the Revolution through the Civil War

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In 1850, Coletoville was established by German immigrant Carl Steiner.[13] The next year, Victoria County's first toll bridge was erected across the river, built by Richard Owens and Sylvester Sutton.[14]

As of 1860, 1,413 slaves were in the county.[3] In 1861m county residents voted 318–88 in favor of secession from the Union. Victoria County sent 300 men to fight for the Confederate States Army.[3] Confederate General John B. Magruder destroyed the railroad from Port Lavaca to Victoria in 1863 to keep it out of Union hands. He also sank trees and boats into the Guadalupe River.[3]

From 1867-1869, the county was occupied by federal troops. Mob violence by those same troops resulted in the axing death and corpse mutilation of local official Benjamin F. Hill, who at the time was incarcerated for an alleged self-defense killing of a discharged Union soldier.[15]

The Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific Railway connect Victoria with Cuero and the coast in 1873.[3] The New York, Texas and Mexican Railway provided the first cross-country route to Rosenberg Junction in Fort Bend County in 1882.[3]

That next year, the Texas Continental Meat Company was erected in the county and was the largest meat packing plant in Texas.[3] Bray's Ferry was established in 1886 at the San Antonio River by G. B. Amery and John Bray.[3] Twenty years later, the Guadalupe River Navigation Company was established.[3]

By 1930, when oil was discovered at the McFaddin Oil Field, Victoria County held more cattle than any other county in Texas.[3] Foster Air Force Base was established as Victoria Army Air Field as a training air field in 1941.[16] The Victoria Barge Canal was completed in 1967, connecting Victoria County with the Intracoastal Waterway.[3]

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18502,019—
18604,171106.6%
18704,86016.5%
18806,28929.4%
18908,73738.9%
190013,67856.6%
191014,9909.6%
192018,27121.9%
193020,0489.7%
194023,74118.4%
195031,24131.6%
196046,47548.8%
197053,76615.7%
198068,80728.0%
199074,3618.1%
200084,08813.1%
201086,7933.2%
202091,3195.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]
1850–2010[18] 2010–2014[19]

2020 census

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Victoria County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
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 may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[20] Pop 2010[21] Pop 2020[22] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 44,490 41,564 39,330 52.91% 47.89% 43.07%
Black or African American alone (NH) 5,137 5,190 5,230 6.11% 5.98% 5.73%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 197 199 425 0.23% 0.23% 0.23%
Asian alone (NH) 635 860 2,404 0.76% 0.99% 1.52%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 9 16 46 0.01% 0.02% 0.04%
Other race alone (NH) 39 109 698 0.05% 0.13% 0.25%
Mixed or multiracial alone (NH) 622 742 7,961 0.74% 0.85% 2.14%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 32,959 38,113 42,931 39.20% 43.91% 47.01%
Total 84,088 86,793 91,319 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, 91,319 people, 32,520 households, and 22,172 families resided in the county.

As of the census[23] of 2000, 84,088 people, 30,071 households, and 22,192 families lived in the county. The population density was 95 people per square mile (37 people/km2). The 32,945 housing units had an average density of 37 units per square mile (14 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 74.22% White, 6.30% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 15.92% from other races, and 2.22% from two or more races. About 39.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race; 16.2% were of German, 6.2% American, and 5.6% English ancestry according to Census 2000, and 73.3% spoke English and 25.5% Spanish as their first language.

Uf the 30,071 households, 37.2% had children under 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were not families. Around 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the county, the age distribution was 29.1% under 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,732, and for a family was $44,443. Males had a median income of $35,484 versus $21,231 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,379. About 10.50% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.20% of those under 18 and 11.70% of those 65 or over.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 889 square miles (2,300 km2), of which 6.7 square miles (17 km2) (0.8%) are covered by water.[24]

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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Politics

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County government

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Victoria County elected officials

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Position Name Party
  County Judge Ben Zeller Republican
  Commissioner, Precinct 1 Danny Garcia Democratic
  Commissioner, Precinct 2 Kevin M. Janak Republican
  Commissioner, Precinct 3 Gary Burns Republican
  Commissioner, Precinct 4 Clint Ives Republican
United States presidential election results for Victoria County, Texas[25]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 25,010 70.84% 9,998 28.32% 297 0.84%
2020 23,358 68.25% 10,380 30.33% 488 1.43%
2016 21,275 67.92% 8,866 28.30% 1,183 3.78%
2012 19,692 68.25% 8,802 30.51% 359 1.24%
2008 19,878 66.22% 9,832 32.75% 310 1.03%
2004 20,875 70.52% 8,553 28.89% 174 0.59%
2000 18,787 68.55% 8,176 29.83% 445 1.62%
1996 14,457 59.94% 8,238 34.16% 1,424 5.90%
1992 13,086 50.26% 7,604 29.20% 5,347 20.54%
1988 15,056 62.08% 8,923 36.79% 274 1.13%
1984 18,787 72.41% 7,037 27.12% 121 0.47%
1980 13,392 62.96% 7,382 34.71% 495 2.33%
1976 9,594 56.34% 7,326 43.02% 108 0.63%
1972 11,246 72.56% 4,226 27.27% 26 0.17%
1968 6,352 43.12% 6,042 41.02% 2,336 15.86%
1964 4,201 33.97% 8,141 65.83% 25 0.20%
1960 4,591 44.16% 5,779 55.58% 27 0.26%
1956 5,596 62.85% 3,280 36.84% 28 0.31%
1952 4,306 57.89% 3,128 42.05% 4 0.05%
1948 1,262 31.22% 2,435 60.24% 345 8.54%
1944 936 25.41% 2,331 63.27% 417 11.32%
1940 956 27.70% 2,493 72.24% 2 0.06%
1936 352 14.46% 2,081 85.46% 2 0.08%
1932 190 6.39% 2,777 93.44% 5 0.17%
1928 663 27.94% 1,710 72.06% 0 0.00%
1924 459 18.98% 1,653 68.36% 306 12.66%
1920 782 41.62% 686 36.51% 411 21.87%
1916 476 33.66% 897 63.44% 41 2.90%
1912 100 9.90% 687 68.02% 223 22.08%

Communities

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City

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Census-designated places

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Unincorporated communities

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Education

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School districts include:[26]

All of the county is in the service area of Victoria College.[27]

University of Houston-Victoria is in Victoria.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "QuickFacts: Victoria County, Texas". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Roell, Craig H. "Victoria County, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  4. ^ Harrigan, Stephen (January 1979). "In Search of La Salle". Texas Monthly: 88–90, 138, 141–147.
  5. ^ Bencke, Arthur C; Cushing, Colbert E (2005). Rivers of North America. Academic Press. pp. 192–194. ISBN 978-0-12-088253-3.
  6. ^ Heard, J Norman (1987). Handbook of the American Frontier, Volume I: The Southeastern Woodlands. The Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-8108-1931-3.
  7. ^ Walter, Tamra Lynn (2007). Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga: A Frontier Mission in South Texas. University of Texas Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-292-71478-6.
  8. ^ Craig H. Roell, "DE LEON, MARTIN," Handbook of Texas Online [1] Archived March 17, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, accessed September 11, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
  9. ^ Craig H. Roell, "DE LEON'S COLONY," Handbook of Texas Online [2] Archived August 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, accessed September 11, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
  10. ^ Room, Adrian (2005). Placenames Of The World: Origins and Meanings of the Names for 6,600 Countries, Cities, Territories, Natural Features and Historic Sites. McFarland & Company. p. 395. ISBN 978-0-7864-2248-7.
  11. ^ De La Teja, Jesus F (2010). Tejano Leadership in Mexican and Revolutionary Texas. TAMU Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-60344-166-7.
  12. ^ Fowler, Will (2007). Santa Anna of Mexico. University of Nebraska Press. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-8032-1120-9.
  13. ^ "Coletoville, Texas". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  14. ^ Blackburn, Edward A (2005). Wanted: Historic County Jails of Texas. TAMU Press. p. 339. ISBN 978-1-58544-308-6.
  15. ^ Roell, Craig H; Harsdoff-Lee, Linda. "Benjamin F Hill". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  16. ^ "Victoria, Texas-Air Forces". Life. June 1942. pp. 56–59 61.
  17. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  18. ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  19. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 18, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  20. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Victoria County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  21. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Victoria County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  22. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Victoria County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  23. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  24. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  25. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  26. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Victoria County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2024. - Text list
  27. ^ Texas Education Code Sec. 130.208. THE VICTORIA COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
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28°48′N 96°58′W / 28.80°N 96.97°W / 28.80; -96.97

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