Matagorda County, Texas

Matagorda County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 37,957. Its county seat is Bay City^[1], not to be confused with the larger Baytown in Harris and Chambers counties. Matagorda County is named for the canebrakes which once grew along the coast (Matagorda is a Spanish word meaning "thick bush").

Matagorda County is part of the Bay City Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Houston•Baytown•Huntsville Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,612 square miles (4,176 km²), of which, 1,114 square miles (2,886 km²) of it is land and 498 square miles (1,290 km²) of it (30.87%) is water, which includes Matagorda Bay.

Major highways

• State Highway 35
• State Highway 60
• State Highway 71
• State Highway 111

Adjacent counties

• Brazoria County (northeast)
• Gulf of Mexico (southeast)
• Calhoun County (southwest)
• Jackson County (west)
• Wharton County (northwest)

National protected areas

• Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuge
• San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 37,957 people, 13,901 households, and 9,925 families residing in the county. The population density was 34 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 18,611 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 67.83% White, 12.72% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 2.38% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 13.98% from other races, and 2.38% from two or more races. 31.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 10.3% were of German, 8.2% American, 5.4% English and 5.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 73.9% spoke English, 24.0% Spanish and 1.6% Vietnamese as their first language.

There were 13,901 households out of which 36.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.80% were married couples living together, 12.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the county, the population was spread out with 30.00% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,174, and the median income for a family was $40,586. Males had a median income of $37,733 versus $21,871 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,709. About 14.90% of families and 18.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.00% of those under age 18 and 13.60% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Rice is grown extensively in Matagorda County. In addition to a wealth of offshore oil rigs and natural gas extraction facilities all over the county, two petro-chemical processing plants (Celanese and Equistar) and the South Texas Project nuclear power plant operate within the county. Matagorda County has secluded, extensive forests, wetlands, prairie and coastal regions. The gulf coast floodplain has several conditions conducive to a variety of ecosystems and recreational activities evident by the highest count of migrating birds in the United States. Fishing (on & offshore), hunting and scuba diving are large parts of the recreation industry due to the Colorado river, the forests and Matagorda bay. As well as having the Rio Colorado Golf Course and a birdwatching park on the Colorado river and hwy 35, there are a significant number of wildlife preserves around the county, a portion of which is land bought for that purpose by the three major plants in the county.

Cities and towns

Cities

• Bay City
• Palacios

Census-designated places

• Blessing
• Markham
• Van Vleck

Other communities

• Allenhurst
• Caney
• Cedar Lake
• Cedar Lane
• Collegeport
• Elmaton
• Hawkinsville
• Matagorda
• Midfield
• Pledger
• Sargent
• Wadsworth

Education

School districts serving Matagorda County include:

• Bay City Independent School District
• Matagorda Independent School District
• Palacios Independent School District (partial)
• Tidehaven Independent School District
• Van Vleck Independent School District
• Boling Independent School District (partial)

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.

External links

• Matagorda County government's website
• Matagorda County from the Handbook of Texas Online

Coordinates: 28°47′N 96°00′W / 28.78°N 96.00°W

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