Bexar County, Texas
29°27′N 98°31′W / 29.45°N 98.52°W
Bexar County | |
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UTC−5 (CDT) | |
Congressional districts | 20th, 21st, 23rd, 28th, 35th |
Website | www |
Bexar County (/bɛər/ BAIR or /ˈbeɪər/ ⓘ BAY-ər; Spanish: Béxar [ˈbexaɾ])[1][2] is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio.[3]
As of the
History
Bexar County was created on December 20, 1836, and encompassed almost the entire western portion of the Republic of Texas. This included the disputed areas of eastern New Mexico northward to Wyoming. After statehood, 128 counties were carved out of its area.
The county was named for San Antonio de Béxar, one of the 23 Mexican municipalities (administrative divisions) of Texas at the time of its independence. San Antonio de Béxar—originally Villa de San Fernando de Béxar—was the first civil government established by the Spanish in the
Geography
According to the
The
Major highways
Bexar County has a comprehensive "wagon wheel" freeway system, with radial freeways and beltways that encircle Downtown San Antonio, allowing for simplified countywide freeway access, in a manner much like the freeways around Houston or Dallas. San Antonio is unique, however, in that unlike Houston or Dallas, none of these highways is currently tolled.
Adjacent counties
- Kendall County (north)
- Comal County (northeast)
- Guadalupe County (east)
- Wilson County (southeast)
- Atascosa County (south)
- Medina County (west)
- Bandera County (northwest)
National protected area
State parkland
Communities
Cities
Multiple counties
- Cibolo (mostly in Guadalupe County)
- Elmendorf (small part in Wilson County)
- Fair Oaks Ranch (partly in Kendall and Comal counties)
- Lytle (mostly in Atascosa County and a small part in Medina County)
- San Antonio (county seat) (small parts in Comal and Medina counties)
- Schertz (partly in Guadalupe and Comal counties)
- Selma (partly in Guadalupe and Comal counties)
- Universal City (small part in Guadalupe County)
Enclave cities
Bexar County only
Towns
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated communities
Former communities
- Cottage Hill
- Fratt (former)
- Stone Oak
- Wetmore
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 6,052 | — | |
1860 | 14,454 | 138.8% | |
1870 | 16,043 | 11.0% | |
1880 | 30,470 | 89.9% | |
1890 | 49,266 | 61.7% | |
1900 | 69,422 | 40.9% | |
1910 | 119,676 | 72.4% | |
1920 | 202,096 | 68.9% | |
1930 | 292,533 | 44.7% | |
1940 | 338,176 | 15.6% | |
1950 | 500,460 | 48.0% | |
1960 | 687,151 | 37.3% | |
1970 | 830,460 | 20.9% | |
1980 | 988,800 | 19.1% | |
1990 | 1,185,394 | 19.9% | |
2000 | 1,392,931 | 17.5% | |
2010 | 1,714,773 | 23.1% | |
2020 | 2,009,324 | 17.2% | |
2023 (est.) | 2,087,679 | [9] | 3.9% |
U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1850–2010[11] 2010–2020[4][12] |
Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010[13] | Pop 2020[14] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH)
|
519,123 | 535,732 | 30.27% | 26.66% |
Black or African American alone (NH)
|
118,460 | 147,875 | 6.91% | 7.36% |
Alaska Native alone (NH)
|
3,809 | 4,554 | 0.22% | 0.23% |
Asian alone (NH) | 39,561 | 65,127 | 2.31% | 3.25% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 1,806 | 2,726 | 0.05% | 0.14% |
Some Other Race alone (NH) | 2,881 | 8,218 | 0.17% | 0.41% |
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 22,175 | 54,044 | 1.29% | 2.69% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,006,958 | 1,190,958 | 58.72% | 59.27% |
Total | 1,714,773 | 2,009,324 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Note: the U.S. Census Bureau 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
As of the census
Of 488,942 households, 36.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.50% were married couples living together, 15.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were not families. About 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.33.
A
In the county, the population was distributed as 28.50% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males.
The median income for a household was $38,328, and for a family was $43,724. Males had a median income of $30,756 versus $24,920 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,363. About 12.70% of families and 15.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.40% of those under age 18 and 12.20% of those age 65 or over.
Corrections
The Bexar County jail facilities are at 200 North Comal in downtown San Antonio, operated by the Bexar County Sheriff's Office (Javier Salazar, Sheriff).[17] In late 2012, press reports noted an increase in the number of suicides at the facility. The issue was a topic of debate in the election for sheriff that year. The jail holds an average of about 3,800 prisoners in 2012, with a total capacity of 4,596, making it the fourth-largest in the state.[18][19]
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Dominguez Unit, a state jail for men, in an unincorporated section of Bexar County.[20]
Education
School districts in the county include:[21]
- Alamo Heights Independent School District
- Boerne Independent School District
- Comal Independent School District
- East Central Independent School District
- Edgewood Independent School District
- Floresville Independent School District
- Fort Sam Houston Independent School District
- Harlandale Independent School District
- Judson Independent School District
- Lackland Independent School District
- Medina Valley Independent School District
- North East Independent School District
- Northside Independent School District
- Randolph Field Independent School District
- San Antonio Independent School District
- Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District
- Somerset Independent School District
- South San Antonio Independent School District
- Southside Independent School District
- Southwest Independent School District
All of the county is in the service area of
Libraries
On September 14, 2013, Bexar County opened
Property taxes
In 2016, for the third consecutive year, Bexar County increased the appraised value of businesses and residences. Most will hence find their property taxes will increase for the year, with higher payments for some beginning as early as November 1. The latest 7.5 percent increase in valuation follows an 11 percent rise in 2015, and a 7 percent jump in 2014. The 2016 total value for all property in the county is approximately $163 billion, or $13 billion more than in 2015. County residents express dismay to Mary Kieke, the deputy chief appraiser. "People are very upset. The tax system is absolutely broken," she said.[25]
Military installations
- Brooks City-Base (decommissioned)
- Camp Bullis
- Fort Sam Houston
- Kelly Air Force Base(decommissioned)
- Lackland Air Force Base
- Randolph Air Force Base
- San Antonio Military Medical Center
Notable people
- Carol Burnett, comedian and actress, was born and grew up in San Antonio
- Joan Crawford, actress, was born in San Antonio
- Christopher Cross (born Christopher Charles Geppert), Grammy-winning, Oscar-winning, chart-topping pop music artist of the early 80s
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States; stationed at Fort Sam Houston in 1916[26]
- Al Freeman, Jr., was born in San Antonio; he became an actor, known for ABC soap opera One Life to Live, and Malcolm X
- Rick Galindo, Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 117 in Bexar County
- Mina Myoui, singer in South Korean group Twice
- Cyndi Taylor Krier, first woman and first Republican to be elected to the Texas Senate from Bexar County (1985–1993), and first woman and first Republican to be appointed as a Bexar County administrative judge (1993 to 2001)
- James Robertson Nowlin, United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas; one of the first two Republicans since Reconstruction to represent Bexar County in the Texas House of Representatives
- Ciro D. Rodriguez, member of Congress, previously 28th District, Texas, now 23rd District, Texas
- Michelle Rodriguez, actress, James Cameron's Avatar
- Joe Sage, one of the first two Republicans since Reconstruction, with James Robertson Nowlin, to represent Bexar County in the Texas House of Representatives
- Alan Schoolcraft, former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives
- Manhattan Borough President, and civil rights attorney; clients included Malcolm X, and the owner of the Apollo Theater in Harlemand several radio stations
- Carlos I. Uresti, member of the Texas Senate from the 19th District
- Kevin Patrick Yeary, judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, effective 2015; assistant district attorney for Bexar County, 1998–2014
Climate
|
Politics
Bexar County has generally voted for Democratic candidates in most presidential elections, though from 1932 to 2012 it was a nationwide bellwether, supporting the winner in every election except 1968. Democrats perform well within the Connally Loop, which contains heavily Hispanic neighborhoods on the south and west sides of San Antonio, and African Americans on the east side. In recent years, Democrats have made inroads on the Northwest Side toward the University of Texas at San Antonio, and the Northeast Side toward Kirby. Republicans' strength is concentrated around the military bases plus wealthier enclaves such as Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, and the far northern section of the county.[28]
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 308,618 | 40.05% | 448,452 | 58.20% | 13,501 | 1.75% |
2016 | 240,333 | 40.42% | 319,550 | 53.74% | 34,691 | 5.83% |
2012 | 241,617 | 46.94% | 264,856 | 51.46% | 8,237 | 1.60% |
2008 | 246,275 | 46.69% | 275,527 | 52.23% | 5,690 | 1.08% |
2004 | 260,698 | 54.85% | 210,976 | 44.39% | 3,640 | 0.77% |
2000 | 215,613 | 52.24% | 185,158 | 44.86% | 11,955 | 2.90% |
1996 | 161,619 | 44.59% | 180,308 | 49.74% | 20,562 | 5.67% |
1992 | 168,816 | 40.65% | 172,513 | 41.54% | 73,947 | 17.81% |
1988 | 193,192 | 52.25% | 174,036 | 47.07% | 2,521 | 0.68% |
1984 | 203,319 | 59.65% | 136,947 | 40.18% | 560 | 0.16% |
1980 | 159,578 | 51.73% | 137,729 | 44.65% | 11,167 | 3.62% |
1976 | 121,176 | 44.64% | 146,581 | 54.00% | 3,673 | 1.35% |
1972 | 137,572 | 59.76% | 91,662 | 39.82% | 959 | 0.42% |
1968 | 72,951 | 39.46% | 95,325 | 51.56% | 16,598 | 8.98% |
1964 | 53,469 | 32.90% | 108,658 | 66.86% | 393 | 0.24% |
1960 | 63,934 | 45.59% | 75,373 | 53.74% | 938 | 0.67% |
1956 | 65,901 | 58.15% | 46,790 | 41.29% | 640 | 0.56% |
1952 | 65,391 | 56.31% | 50,260 | 43.28% | 485 | 0.42% |
1948 | 26,202 | 39.53% | 35,970 | 54.27% | 4,107 | 6.20% |
1944 | 23,588 | 39.04% | 35,024 | 57.96% | 1,815 | 3.00% |
1940 | 18,270 | 32.22% | 38,214 | 67.40% | 212 | 0.37% |
1936 | 12,951 | 26.44% | 35,781 | 73.05% | 250 | 0.51% |
1932 | 7,466 | 16.37% | 37,765 | 82.83% | 363 | 0.80% |
1928 | 16,477 | 49.69% | 16,626 | 50.14% | 57 | 0.17% |
1924 | 9,898 | 40.07% | 10,838 | 43.88% | 3,963 | 16.05% |
1920 | 8,894 | 52.18% | 6,926 | 40.63% | 1,226 | 7.19% |
1916 | 5,483 | 43.13% | 7,008 | 55.12% | 223 | 1.75% |
1912 | 1,021 | 12.13% | 4,864 | 57.77% | 2,534 | 30.10% |
See also
- List of museums in Central Texas
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Bexar County, Texas
- Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Bexar County
References
- Specific
- ^ "Bexar County History | Bexar County, TX - Official Website". www.bexar.org. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
- ^ Borta, Karen (July 24, 2015). "Welcome To Texas: Unusual Pronunciation". CBS DFW. KTVT. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ a b "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Bexar County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ "How much do you know about your county?". County Explorer. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ "Latinos, Blacks Show Strong Growth in San Antonio as White Population Declines". August 13, 2021.
- ^ "P2: HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE". 2020 Census. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- US Census Bureau.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Bexar County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Bexar County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Bexar County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "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
- ^ "BCSO Location and Driving Directions". Bexar County. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
- ^ Why have jail suicides soared under Sheriff Ortiz's watch?, by Michael Barajas, SA Current, 17 October 2012
- ^ "Texas Commission on Jail Standards - Abbreviated Population Report for 3/1/2018" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022.
- ^ "Dominguez (BX)". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
- U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022. - Text district list
- ^ Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.162. ALAMO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA..
- ^ "About Us". bexarbibliotech.org.
- ^ "Nation's first bookless library opens in San Antonio". The Dallas Morning News. January 3, 2014.
- ^ Bruce Selcraig, "Property valuations jump again: Most homeowners' taxes also could rise", San Antonio Express-News, April 29, 2016, pp. 1, A12
- ^ Ambrose, Stephen (1983). Eisenhower: (vol. 1) Soldier, General of the Army, President-Elect (1893–1952). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 56.
- ^ "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- ^ Tedesco, John (November 10, 2016). "Interactive: How Bexar County voted in the 2016 presidential election". San Antonio Express News.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
- General
- Stephens, A. Ray, and William M. Holmes, Historical Atlas of Texas. University of Oklahoma Press, 1989. ISBN 0-8061-2307-9
External links
- Bexar County government
- Bexar County from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Bexar County from the Texas Almanac
- Bexar County from the TXGenWeb Project
- Bexar County Jail Information Archived January 19, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
- Historic Bexar County materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.