McLennan County, Texas

McLennan County is a located in the  of. In 2000, its population was 213,517; in 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to be 223,567. Its is. The county is named for, an early settler.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 2,746 (1,060 ). 2,698 km² (1,042 sq mi) of it is land and 48 km² (18 sq mi) of it (1.73%) is water.

Major Highways

 * [[Image:I-35.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 77.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 84.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Texas 6.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Texas 164.svg|20px]]

Adjacent counties

 * (north)
 * (east)
 * (southeast)
 * (south)
 * (southwest)
 * (northwest)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 213,517 people, 78,859 households, and 52,914 families residing in the county. The was 79/km² (205/sq mi). There were 84,795 housing units at an average density of 31/km² (81/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 72.17%, 15.19% or , 0.49% , 1.07% , 0.05% , 9.21% from , and 1.83% from two or more races. 17.91% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 78,859 households out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.70% were living together, 13.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 26.00% 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 2.59 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.60% under the age of 18, 14.60% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 19.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,560, and the median income for a family was $41,414. Males had a median income of $30,906 versus $21,978 for females. The for the county was $17,174. About 12.40% of families and 17.60% of the population were below the, including 20.70% of those under age 18 and 11.30% of those age 65 or over.

History
McLennan County was created by the in  out of. The county seat,, had been founded originally as an outpost of the , laid out by , and was known by 1850 as "Waco Village." According to local lore, the first sustained flight did not occur in, , but just outside (a small community in McLennan County) by a man flying a. During, McLennan County was home to at least one military airfield,. In the aftermath of World War I, racial violence disrupted county life, culminating in two major marches (one in Waco and another in ) and the public lynching of numerous Black citizens. (One such public lynching is the catalyst behind a "Lynching Resolution" being discussed by both the and the .)  McLennan County's contributions to  include the reopening of Rich Field,  (awarded the Navy Cross for his heroicism at, also the first African American to earn such distinction), and  (a locally famous World War II fighter pilot).

Institutions of Higher Education
In, relocated from , to Waco and merged with. During the early, McLennan County was home to as many as five colleges; in addition to Baylor, the other colleges included the predecessor to what is now known as (now in ),  (relocated since to ), and two other short-lived colleges. In the, the Texas Legislature created the first to use those words in the name,. Around the same time, what is now the flagship institution of was founded as, as a member of the. Today, Baylor, McLennan Community College, and Texas State Technical College remain in McLennan County and absorb a large portion of the college-bound high school graduates from the County and the surrounding areas.

Crash at Crush
, was a short-lived town in McLennan County, about 15 miles north of Waco. It was established to stage a publicity stunt concocted by and the. The stunt involved the collision of two 35-ton steam s. After heavy promotion, over 40,000 people showed up at the site for the event on. The two trains traveled a four mile track and thunderously crashed into one another. The boilers not unexpectedly exploded and sent steam and flying debris into the crowd. Three people were killed and about six were injured. A few years later ragtime composer commemorated the event with "The Great Crush Collision." Texas composer and singer,, wrote and recorded a song about the collision, The Crash at Crush in.

Cities and towns


† Partly in Falls County †† Mostly in Falls County ††† Mostly in Bosque County