Henderson County, Texas

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 948 sqmi, of which 75 sqmi (7.9%) are covered by water.

Major highways

• [[Image:US 175.svg|25px]] U.S. Highway 175
• [[Image:Texas 19.svg|20px]] State Highway 19
• [[Image:Texas 31.svg|20px]] State Highway 31
• [[Image:Texas 155.svg|20px]] State Highway 155
• [[Image:Texas 198.svg|20px]] State Highway 198
• [[Image:Texas 274.svg|20px]] State Highway 274
• [[Image:Texas 334.svg|20px]] State Highway 334

Lakes

• Cedar Creek Reservoir
• Lake Palestine

Adjacent counties

• Kaufman County (north)
• Van Zandt County (north)
• Smith County (east)
• Cherokee County (southeast)
• Anderson County (south)
• Freestone County (southwest)
• Navarro County (west)
• Ellis County (northwest)

Communities

Cities

• Athens (county seat)
• Brownsboro
• Chandler
• Eustace
• Gun Barrel City
• Log Cabin
• Malakoff
• Moore Station
• Murchison
• Seven Points (small part in Kaufman County)
• Star Harbor
• Tool
• Trinidad

Towns

• Berryville
• Caney City
• Coffee City
• Enchanted Oaks
• Mabank (mostly in Kaufman County)
• Payne Springs
• Poynor

Census-designated place

• Sunrise Shores

Unincorporated communities

• Aley
• Antioch
• Baxter
• Bethel
• Big Rock
• Buffalo
• Crescent Heights
• Cross Roads
• Dauphin
• Evelyn
• Fincastle
• Harmony
• LaRue
• Leagueville
• Mankin
• New Hope
• New York
• Opelika
• Pauline
• Pickens
• Pine Grove
• Ruth Springs
• Shady Oaks
• Stockard
• Summer Hill
• Union Hill
• Virginia Hill

Ghost towns

• Centreville
• Corinth

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–2010 2010–2020

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 82,150 and a median age of 45.0 years; 21.0% of residents were under 18 and 22.7% were 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 96.7 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 78.5% White, 5.8% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian,

34.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 65.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 32,748 households in the county, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.4% were married-couple households, 18.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 26.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 40,643 housing units, of which 19.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.4% were owner-occupied and 25.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.9%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, 73,277 people, 28,804 households, and 20,969 families were residing in the county. Its population density was 84 /mi2. The 35,935 housing units averaged 41 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 88.50% White, 6.61% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 2.75% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. About 6.92% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Government

• County Judge: Wade McKinney
• Commissioner Pct. 1: Wendy Spivey
• Commissioner Pct. 2: Scott Tuley
• Commissioner Pct. 3: Charles "Chuck" McHam
• Commissioner Pct. 4: Mark Richardson
• County Clerk: Mary Margret Wright
• District Clerk: Betty Herriage
• County Attorney: Clint Davis
• District Attorney: Jenny Palmer
• County Auditor: Ann Marie Lee
• County Treasurer: Michael Bynum
• County Court at Law #1 Judge: Scott Williams
• County Court at Law #2 Judge: Nancy Perryman
• 3rd District Court Judge: Mark Calhoon
• 173rd District Court Judge: Dan Moore
• 392nd District Court Judge: R. Scott McKee
• Justice of the Peace Pct. 1: Randy Daniel
• Constable Pct. 1: Thomas Goodell
• Justice of the Peace Pct. 2: Kevin Pollock
• Constable Pct. 2: Jason Ramsey
• Justice of the Peace Pct. 3: James "Tony" Duncan
• Constable Pct. 3: David Grubbs
• Justice of the Peace Pct. 4: Milton Adams
• Constable Pct. 4: John Floyd
• Justice of the Peace Pct. 5: Tanya Norris
• Constable Pct. 5: Brad Miers
• Sheriff: Botie Hillhouse
• Tax Assessor/Collector: Peggy Goodall
• Elections Administrator: Paula Ludtke
• Fire Marshal/Emergency Management Coordinator: Shane Renburg

Politics

Media

Henderson County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth DMA. Local media outlets are: KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, and KFWD-TV. Other nearby stations that provide coverage for Henderson County come from the Tyler/Longview/Jacksonville market and they include: KLTV, KTRE-TV, KYTX-TV, KFXK-TV, KCEB-TV, and KETK-TV.

Newspaper coverage of the area can be found in the Athens Daily Review, based in Athens; The Monitor is published in Mabank, which is primarily in Kaufman County, but also covers news in parts of Henderson County, as well.

Crime

Paul Knight of the Houston Press said in a 2009 article that some people blamed the development of the artificial Cedar Creek Lake, which opened in 1965, and development of the area surrounding the lake for the initial influx of crime and recreational drugs into the county and the East Texas region. Carroll Dyson, a retired pilot and Henderson County resident interviewed by the Houston Press, said in 2009 that the lake attracted "white flight" from metropolitan areas. Dyson added, "When all your rich people from Dallas and Houston move out here, the thieves are just drawn to them." Ray Nutt, the sheriff of Henderson County, said that the area around the lake has "a lot of good people," yet it was also where "a lot of criminals tend to flow."

References

References

1. "Henderson County, Texas".
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
4. (1893). "A Memorial and Biographical History of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon Counties, Texas". Lewis Publishing Company.
5. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
6. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". [[US Census Bureau]].
7. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010". Texas Almanac.
8. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Henderson County, Texas".
9. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Henderson County, Texas".
10. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Henderson County, Texas".
11. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
13. (February 3, 2022). "U.S. Hispanic population continued its geographic spread in the 2010s".
14. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
15. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
16. "Legislative Reference Library of Texas: James C. Spencer". lrl.state.tx.us.
17. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
18. (November 5, 2024). "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)".
19. Knight, Paul. "Superthief." September 22, 2009. [http://www.houstonpress.com/2009-09-24/news/superthief/ 1]. Retrieved on September 28, 2009.
20. Knight, Paul. "Superthief." September 22, 2009. [http://www.houstonpress.com/2009-09-24/news/superthief/2 2]. Retrieved on September 28, 2009.