Liberty County, Texas

Liberty County is a county located in Texas within the Houston•Sugar Land•Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2000 United States Census, the population was 70,154. The 2007 Census estimate placed the county population at 75,434. Its county seat is Liberty, Texas^[1].

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,176 square miles (3,046 km²), of which, 1,160 square miles (3,004 km²) of it is land and 16 square miles (42 km²) of it (1.41%) is water.

The Trinity River flows through this county, dividing the county approximately in half. The river begins on the northern border of Liberty County, forming the San Jacinto - Polk County line through the Liberty County line. The east fork of the San Jacinto River flows through far Northeast parts of the county, Flowing through Cleveland. Tarkington Bayou begins in the Sam Houston National Forest in San Jacinto County, working its way south through Northeast and east Liberty County and joining other feeders, before traveling into Harris County and emptying into Galveston Bay. The highest point in Liberty County is "Davis Hill", the roof of a salt dome in the northern part of the county.

Major Highways

• U.S. Highway 59
• U.S. Highway 90
• State Highway 61
• State Highway 105
• State Highway 146
• State Highway 321

• See List of Highways in Liberty County for more roadways in Liberty County.

Adjacent counties

• Polk County (north)
• Hardin County (east)
• Jefferson County (southeast)
• Chambers County (south)
• Harris County (southwest)
• Montgomery County (west)
• San Jacinto County (northwest)

National protected areas

• Big Thicket National Preserve (part)
• Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 70,154 people, 23,242 households, and 17,756 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 people per square mile (23/km²). There were 26,359 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.90% White, 12.82% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.03% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. 10.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 23,242 households out of which 38.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.50% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.60% were non-families. 20.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the county, the population was spread out with 27.60% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 31.60% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,361, and the median income for a family was $43,744. Males had a median income of $37,957 versus $22,703 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,539. About 11.10% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 15.00% of those age 65 or over.

Elected officials

United States Congress

Texas Legislature

Texas Senate

• District 4: Tommy Williams (R)- first elected in 2002

Texas House of Representatives

• District 18: John Otto (R)- first elected in 2004

Liberty County Elected Officials

Cities and towns

^†Mostly in Chambers County

Other Communities

Education

Where "ISD" means "Independent School District".

• Dayton ISD (portions of the district extends into another county)
• Liberty ISD
• Cleveland ISD (portions of the district extends into other counties)
• Tarkington ISD
• Hardin ISD
• Hull-Daisetta ISD
• Devers ISD

The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, operated by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission is located 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Liberty in an unincorporated area. Judge and Mrs. Price Daniel donated 114 114 acres (46 ha) of land for the purpose of establishing a library on September 27, 1973. Construction began in the fall of 1975; by then $700,000 had been raised through private donations. The library opened on May 14, 1977.^[3]

Government and infrastructure

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates one women's prison and two women's state jails, all co-located with one another, in an unincorporated area. The L.V. Hightower Unit prison and the Dempsie Henley Unit and Lucille G. Plane Unit jails are 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Dayton. ^[4][5][6] The Cleveland Unit, a prison for men privately operated by the GEO Group, Inc. on behalf of the TDCJ, is in Cleveland.^[7]

Cleveland opened in September 1989.^[7] Hightower opened in March 1990.^[4] Henley and Plane opened in May 1995.^[5][6]

Transportation

Two general aviation airports are located in unincorporated sections of the county.

• Liberty Municipal Airport is located east of Liberty.
• Cleveland Municipal Airport is located east of Cleveland.

The TTC-69 component (recommended preferred) of the planned Trans-Texas Corridor goes through Liberty County ^[8].

References

1. ^ . National Association of Counties. . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. ^ "Sam Houston Center." Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Retrieved on April 5, 2010.
4. ^ ^{a b} "Hightower Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
5. ^ ^{a b} "Henley Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
6. ^ ^{a b} "Plane Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
7. ^ ^{a b} "Cleveland Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
8. ^ TxDoT, TTC Section N, Detailed Map 2, 2008-01-24

External links

• Liberty County government's website
• Liberty County in Handbook of Texas Online from The University of Texas at Austin
• I-Dineout-- Liberal Twist, Local news Mainly focuses on south Liberty County.
• Liberty Dispatch-- Conservative Twist, Local news Mainly focuses on politics in Liberty County Texas.
• Cleveland Advocate Cleveland Area Newspaper, covers north east Liberty County.
• Liberty County, TXGenWeb Focuses on genealogical research of Liberty County.

Coordinates: 30°09′N 94°49′W / 30.15°N 94.81°W

Categories: Texas counties | Liberty County, Texas | Greater Houston