Burnet County, Texas

History

Indigenous peoples inhabited the area as early as 4500 BC. Later known tribes in the area include Tonkawa, Lipan Apache, and Comanche.

During the 1820s-1830s, Stephen F. Austin and Green DeWitt conducted surveying and Indian-fighting explorations. In 1849, the United States established Fort Croghan, and in 1848, the first settlers arrived in the county, Samuel Eli Holland, Logan Vandeveer, Peter Kerr, William Harrison Magill, Noah Smithwick, Captain Jesse B. Burnham, R. H. Hall, Adam Rankin "Stovepipe" Johnson, and Captain Christian Dorbandt. In 1851, 20 Mormon families under the leadership of Lyman Wight establish a colony at Hamilton Creek, later to be known as Morman Mill.

In 1852, the Fourth Texas Legislature created Burnet County from Bell, Travis, and Williamson Counties. The first post office was established at Hamilton in 1853.

In 1860, 235 slaves were in Burnet County. After the war, some former slaves left the county, but many stayed. A group of them settled on land in the eastern part of Oatmeal. In 1870, the black population of the county had increased to 358, keeping pace with the growth of the total number of residents; the number of blacks had fallen to 248 by 1880, however, and the number of new white residents was such that after 1890, blacks represented less than 3% of the total population. Some found work on farms and ranches, but by the turn of the century, many had moved into the Marble Falls area to work in town.

During 1882–1903, railroad tracks connected Burnet, Granite Mountain, Marble Falls, and Lampasas. Lake Victor and Bertram became shipping-point communities. Other communities lost population as the railroad offered employment. During the Great Depression, county farmers suffered financially, but found work with government-sponsored public-works projects. The Lower Colorado River Authority employed hundreds of people for the construction of the Hamilton (Buchanan) Dam and Roy B. Inks Dam.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1021 sqmi, of which 27 sqmi (2.6%) are covered by water.

Major highways

• [[Image:US 183.svg|25px]] U.S. Highway 183
• [[Image:US 281.svg|25px]] U.S. Highway 281
• [[Image:Texas 29.svg|20px]] State Highway 29

Adjacent counties

• Lampasas County (north)
• Bell County (northeast)
• Williamson County (east)
• Travis County (southeast)
• Blanco County (south)
• Llano County (west)
• San Saba County (northwest)

National protected area

• Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–2010 2010 2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 49,130 and a median age of 45.9 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.9 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 77.0% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian,

32.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 67.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 19,245 households in the county, of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 55.0% were married-couple households, 16.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 23,436 housing units, of which 17.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.2% were owner-occupied and 24.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.

Communities

Cities

• Bertram
• Burnet (county seat)
• Cottonwood Shores
• Double Horn
• Granite Shoals
• Highland Haven
• Horseshoe Bay (mostly in Llano County)
• Marble Falls
• Meadowlakes

Census-designated place

• Briggs

Unincorporated communities

• Fairland
• Joppa
• Lake Victor
• Mahomet
• Naruna
• Oakalla
• Oatmeal
• Sherwood Shores
• Shovel Mountain
• Silver Creek Village
• Smithwick
• Spicewood
• Watson

Notable people

• Adam R. "Stovepipe" Johnson, Confederate general; the 1887 founder of Marble Falls, despite being blinded during the war
• Gerald Lyda (1923–2005), general contractor and cattle rancher, born and raised in Burnet County
• Stephen McGee (born September 27, 1985), former American football quarterback, played college football for Texas A&M drafted and played NFL football for the Dallas Cowboys
• James Oakley, former County Commissioner (1998–2005) and County Judge (2015–present)
• Logan Vandeveer, early Texas soldier, ranger, cattleman and civic leader; a leader in presenting the petition to the legislature in 1852 to establish Burnet County and was instrumental in having the town of Burnet named the county seat
• Al Witcher (born 1936), American football player

Politics

References

References

1. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Burnet County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
2. "Burnet County, Texas".
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. (2008). "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". [[Newberry Library.
5. Smyrl, Vivian Elizabeth. (June 12, 2010). "Burnet County, Texas". Texas State Historical Association.
6. (June 12, 2010). "Fort Croghan". Texas State Historical Association.
7. Goble, Carole A. (2009). "Burnet (Images of America)". Arcadia Publishing.
8. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". [[US Census Bureau]].
10. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010". Texas Almanac.
11. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Burnet County, Texas".
12. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Burnet County, Texas".
13. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Burnet County, Texas".
14. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
15. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
16. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
17. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
18. (November 5, 2024). "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)".