Willacy County, Texas

Willacy County is a located in the  of. In of 2000, its population was 20,082. Its is.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 2,031 (784 ). 1,545 km² (597 sq mi) of it is land and 486 km² (188 sq mi) of it (23.92%) is water.

Major Highways

 * [[Image:US 77.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Texas 186.svg|20px]]

Adjacent counties

 * (north)
 * (east)
 * (south)
 * (west)

History
Willacy County was formed in from parts of  and  counties and originally included what is now ; it was named for state senator. Kenedy was split from Willacy in, when the long-settled ranchers of the northern (Kenedy) part of the county sought to separate from the newly arrived farmers of the southern part.

The  was introduced to Willacy County in. It grew well and slowly displaced ranchland in the southern part of the county, becoming the most important crop. For many years the town of held an annual Onion Festival, using the tag line, "The Breath of a Nation." In, the first oil wells were sunk in the county's Willamar Oil Field; today oil production is a major part of the local economy. Also in the s, was introduced to the county, gradually displacing cotton and other crops.

has three entries on the :

 * in
 * in
 * in

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 20,082 people, 5,584 households, and 4,584 families residing in the county. The was 13/km² (34/sq mi). There were 6,727 housing units at an average density of 4/km² (11/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 70.37%, 2.19% or , 0.50% , 0.11% , 0.03% , 24.46% from , and 2.34% from two or more races. 85.69% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 5,584 households out of which 42.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.10% were living together, 16.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.90% were non-families. 16.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40 and the average family size was 3.85.

In the county, the population was spread out with 31.60% under the age of 18, 11.90% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 18.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 105.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $22,114, and the median income for a family was $25,076. Males had a median income of $19,706 versus $15,514 for females. The for the county was $9,421. About 29.20% of families and 33.20% of the population were below the, including 42.00% of those under age 18 and 29.90% of those age 65 or over. The county's makes it one of the.

Education
School districts that serve Willacy County include:
 * (K-8)

In addition, residents are allowed to apply for magnet schools operated by the.

Radio Stations

 * KFRQ 94.5FM - Official Site
 * KKPS 99.5FM - Official Site
 * KNVO 101.1FM - Official Site
 * KVLY 107.9FM - Official Site

Recent Controversy
The elected officials of the tiny county, recently, have been entangled in a series of political controversies. Amongst other things, the District Attorney has sought the removal of the local sheriff, county clerk, and district clerk. Meanwhile, the Sheriff and the two clerks have petitioned the district court for the removal of the District Attorney. In recent weeks, the District Attorney has gained even more attention for his actions concerning the dismissal of a Capital Murder charge against a confessed assailant because of, he claimed, an appropriate time to prepare. However, he found time to file, the very next day, a petition for the removal of the County Judge.

External link

 * Historic Willacy County materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
 * Historic Willacy County materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.