Bastrop County, Texas

Bastrop County, Texas

The Bastrop County Courthouse in Bastrop is designed in classical revival style. Built in 1883, the Courthouse and Jail Complex were listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 1975.
Map of Texas highlighting Bastrop County
Location in the state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded 1837
Named for Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop
Seat Bastrop
Largest city Elgin
Area
  Total 896 sq mi (2,321 km2)
  Land 888 sq mi (2,300 km2)
  Water 7.4 sq mi (19 km2), 0.8%
Population
  (2010) 74,141
  Density 84/sq mi (32/km²)
Congressional districts 10th, 17th, 27th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.co.bastrop.tx.us
Closeup view of the Bastrop County Courthouse, located across from the Roman Catholic Church in Bastrop
Obelisk commemorating Bastrop County soldiers in the army of the Confederate States of America is located on the courthouse grounds
Veterans Memorial at Bastrop County Courthouse
The Bastrop County Historical Museum in Bastrop periodically changes its exhibits

Bastrop County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 74,171.[1] Its county seat is Bastrop.[2] The county was created in 1834 as a municipality of Mexico and organized as a county in 1837.[3][4] It is named for Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop, an early Dutch settler who assisted Stephen F. Austin in obtaining land grants in Texas.

Bastrop County is included in the Austin-Round Rock, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In September 2011, Bastrop County suffered the most destructive wildfire in Texas history, which destroyed over 1,600 homes.

Boundary changes

From January 8, 1836 to December 13, 1837, the Municipality and County of Mina consisted of parts of present-day Mason, Kimble, Llano, Burnet, Williamson, Gillespie, Blanco, Comal, Hays, Travis, Caldwell, Bastrop, Lee, Gonzales, Fayette, Washington, and Lavaca counties. On December 14, 1837, the Second Congress of the Republic of Texas passed legislation changing the geographical limits, creating Fayette County, removing Gonzales and Caldwell Counties from the boundaries and, five months later, added parts of Kimble and Comal Counties. On December 18, 1837, Sam Houston signed an act incorporating the town of Mina and, on the same day, changing the name of the county and town of Mina to Bastrop. May 24, 1838 to January 24, 1840, shows the borders of Bastrop County to contain parts of present-day Blanco, Burnet, Williamson, Travis, Hays, Comal, Caldwell, Bastrop, Lee, Gonzales and Fayette counties. From January 25, 1840 to January 25, 1850 the border changed to almost its present size with a small portion of Lee, Williamson, Caldwell, Gonzales and Fayette counties included. TxGenWeb[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 896 square miles (2,320 km2), of which 888 square miles (2,300 km2) is land and 7.4 square miles (19 km2) (0.8%) is water.[6]

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
18503,099
18607,006126.1%
187012,20974.3%
188017,21541.0%
189020,73620.5%
190026,84529.5%
191025,344−5.6%
192026,6495.1%
193023,888−10.4%
194021,610−9.5%
195019,622−9.2%
196016,925−13.7%
197017,2972.2%
198024,72642.9%
199038,26354.7%
200057,73350.9%
201074,17128.5%
Est. 201478,069[7]5.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1850–2010[9] 2010–2014[1]

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 57,733 people, 20,097 households, and 14,771 families residing in the county. The population density was 65 people per square mile (25/km²). There were 22,254 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.24% White, 8.79% Black or African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 7.60% from other races, and 2.15% from two or more races. 23.98% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 20,097 households out of which 35.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.50% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.50% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.23. As of the 2010 census, there were about 7.8 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.[11]

In the county, the population was spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 31.30% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 105.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,578, and the median income for a family was $49,456. Males had a median income of $32,843 versus $25,536 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,146. About 8.40% of families and 11.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.40% of those under age 18 and 13.30% of those age 65 or over.

Historical research

Bastrop County has several societies and associations dedicated to preserving historical information and sites.

Education

The following school districts serve Bastrop County:

Transportation

As of 2010 Central Texas Airport is under development in Bastrop County.[12]

Major highways

Recreational facilities

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

In popular culture

Several Hollywood feature films and notable independent films have used locations in Bastrop County.

Year Film Top Billed Cast Location
1974 Lovin' Molly Anthony Perkins, Blythe Danner Bastrop
1974 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Marilyn Burns, Allen Danzinger Bastrop (Gas Station and BBQ Shack)
1975 The Great Waldo Pepper Robert Redford, Bo Svenson Elgin
1994 Love and a .45 Gil Bellows, Renée Zellweger Bastrop (Gas station)
1995 The Big Green Steve Guttenberg, Olivia d'Abo Elgin
1996 Courage Under Fire Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan Bastrop
1996 The Whole Wide World Vincent D'Onofrio, Renée Zellweger Bastrop
1997 The Only Thrill Diane Keaton, Sam Shepard Bastrop
1998 The Dentist 2 Corbin Bernsen, Jillian McWhirter Smithville
1998 Home Fries Drew Barrymore, Luke Wilson Bastrop
1998 Hope Floats Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr. Smithville
1999 Varsity Blues James Van Der Beek, Amy Smart Elgin
1999 The Soul Collector Bruce Greenwood, Melissa Gilbert Bastrop
2004 Friday Night Lights Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black Elgin
2004 The Alamo Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton Bastrop
Jim Small's Big Thicket (Lake camp scenes)
Steiner Ranch (Bexar & Alamo scenes)
2006 All the Boys Love Mandy Lane Amber Heard, Anson Mount Bastrop
2008 Fireflies in the Garden Julia Roberts, Ryan Reynolds Bastrop (T. A. Hasler House)
Smithville
2009 The Tree of Life Brad Pitt, Sean Penn Smithville
2009 Friday the 13th (2009 film) Jared Padalecki, Derek Mears Camp
2010 Bernie Matthew McConaughey, Jack Black Bastrop
Smithville
2013 Prince Avalanche Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch Bastrop
2014 Boyhood Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke Bastrop

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  4. "Bastrop County". Texas Almanac. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  5. "TxGenWeb". Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  7. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  9. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  10. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  11. Where Same-Sex Couples Live, June 26, 2015, retrieved July 6, 2015
  12. "New corporate center, airport announced." KXAN. Tuesday October 19, 2010. Retrieved on November 5, 2010.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bastrop County, Texas.

Coordinates: 30°06′N 97°19′W / 30.10°N 97.31°W / 30.10; -97.31

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