Brazos County, Texas

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Brazos County, Texas
The Brazos County Courthouse in Bryan
Seal
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1843
Named for	Brazos River
Seat	Bryan
Largest city	College Station
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	591 sq mi (1,531 km²) 585 sq mi (1,515 km²) 5.8 sq mi (15 km²), 1.0%
Population  - (2020)  - Density	233,849 333/sq mi (129/km²)
Congressional district	17th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.brazoscountytx.gov

Brazos County ( /ˈbræzəs/ BRAZ-əs) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 233,849. Along with Brazoria County, the county is named for the Brazos River, which forms its western border. The county was formed in 1841 and organized in 1843.

Brazos County is part of the Bryan-College Station Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Bryan, College Station, and smaller cities and towns in Brazos, Burleson, and Robertson counties.

History

In 1837 most of the area of present-day Brazos County was included in Washington County. The Brazos River, which bisected the latter, proved a serious obstacle to county government, and a new county, Navasota, was formed in January 1841. The first court, with Judge R. E. B. Baylor presiding, was held later that year in the home of Joseph Ferguson, fourteen miles west of the site of present Bryan. The county seat, named Boonville for Mordecai Boon, was located on John Austin's league and was surveyed by Hiram Hanover in 1841. In January of the following year Navasota County was renamed Brazos County.

Originally one of the state's poorer counties, the county donated 2,416 acres of land in the 1870s to create Texas A&M University, which has enabled the county to be among the state's most financially successful.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 591 square miles (1,530 km²), of which 585 square miles (1,520 km²) is land and 5.8 square miles (15 km²) (1.0%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Robertson County (northwest)
• Leon County (north)
• Madison County (northeast)
• Grimes County (east)
• Washington County (south)
• Burleson County (southwest)

The northwest boundary follows the Old Spanish Trail.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	614		—
1860	3,096		404.2%
1870	9,205		197.3%
1880	13,576		47.5%
1890	16,650		22.6%
1900	18,859		13.3%
1910	18,919		0.3%
1920	21,975		16.2%
1930	21,835		−0.6%
1940	26,997		23.6%
1950	38,390		42.2%
1960	44,895		16.9%
1970	57,978		29.1%
1980	94,492		63.0%
1990	121,862		29.0%
2000	152,415		25.1%
2010	194,851		27.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010–2020

As of the census of 2000, there were 152,415 people, 55,202 households, and 30,416 families residing in the county. The population density was 260 people per square mile (100/km²). There were 59,023 housing units at an average density of 101 per square mile (39/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.45% White, 10.72% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 4.01% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 8.42% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. 17.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.3% were of German, 8.4% English, 7.3% Irish and 7.2% American ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 55,202 households, out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.30% were married couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.90% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.50% under the age of 18, 32.00% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 13.80% from 45 to 64, and 6.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,104, and the median income for a family was $46,530. Males had a median income of $32,864 versus $24,179 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,212. About 14.00% of families and 26.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Public Transportation

The Brazos Transit District operates a fixed route bus service and paratransit throughout Bryan and College Station.

Major highways

Main article: List of highways in Brazos County, Texas

• U.S. Highway 190
• State Highway 6
• State Highway 21

Airport

Easterwood Airport, owned by Texas A&M, is the local commercial airport, with flights to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

Politics

Unlike most counties that are home to a large university, Brazos County is a Republican stronghold, perhaps reflecting the political views of influential Texas A&M alumni and families of the student body. No Democratic presidential nominee has carried it since Texas native Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 landslide.

United States presidential election results for Brazos County, Texas

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	47,530	55.71%	35,349	41.43%	2,434	2.85%
2016	38,738	57.64%	23,121	34.40%	5,352	7.96%
2012	37,209	66.49%	17,477	31.23%	1,276	2.28%
2008	37,465	63.85%	20,502	34.94%	706	1.20%
2004	37,594	69.22%	16,128	29.70%	587	1.08%
2000	32,864	70.01%	12,359	26.33%	1,718	3.66%
1996	22,082	57.14%	13,968	36.15%	2,594	6.71%
1992	23,943	48.53%	14,819	30.03%	10,578	21.44%
1988	29,369	65.72%	14,885	33.31%	436	0.98%
1984	34,733	73.55%	12,348	26.15%	140	0.30%
1980	17,798	60.25%	9,856	33.37%	1,885	6.38%
1976	15,685	58.75%	10,628	39.81%	387	1.45%
1972	14,243	71.03%	5,692	28.39%	116	0.58%
1968	6,839	43.90%	6,299	40.43%	2,441	15.67%
1964	4,003	33.31%	7,998	66.54%	18	0.15%
1960	4,553	43.46%	5,907	56.38%	17	0.16%
1956	4,942	58.58%	3,463	41.05%	31	0.37%
1952	4,681	52.62%	4,213	47.36%	2	0.02%
1948	1,533	27.72%	3,459	62.55%	538	9.73%
1944	464	10.61%	3,358	76.75%	553	12.64%
1940	617	12.92%	4,151	86.90%	9	0.19%
1936	45	1.69%	2,610	98.16%	4	0.15%
1932	195	6.96%	2,588	92.40%	18	0.64%
1928	738	33.23%	1,480	66.64%	3	0.14%
1924	255	10.43%	2,128	87.07%	61	2.50%
1920	277	12.75%	1,281	58.98%	614	28.27%
1916	273	20.87%	1,027	78.52%	8	0.61%
1912	142	14.90%	762	79.96%	49	5.14%

Communities

Cities

• Bryan (county seat)
• College Station
• Navasota (partial)
• Wixon Valley

Towns

• Kurten
• Millican

Census-designated place

• Lake Bryan

Unincorporated community

• Benchley (partly in Robertson County)
• Mudville
• Wellborn

Ghost Town

• Boonville
• Zack

Education

School districts:

• Bryan Independent School District
• College Station Independent School District
• Navasota Independent School District

Blinn College is the designated community college for all of the county.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Brazos County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Brazos County

External links

• Brazos County government
• Brazos County AgriLife Extension office
• Brazos County Attorney's Office
• Brazos County, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Brazos County from the Texas Almanac
• Brazos County from the TXGenWeb Project
• Historic Brazos County materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History