Webb County, Texas
Webb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 193,117. In 2006[1] its population had been estimated to have reached to 231,470. Its county seat is Laredo.[2] Webb County was named after James Webb [3], who served as secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of State, and Attorney General of the Republic of Texas, and later United States District Judge in the State of Texas. Webb County is the largest county in South Texas by area.
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Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,376 square miles (8,743 km²), of which, 3,357 square miles (8,694 km²) of it is land and 19 square miles (48 km²) of it (0.55%) is water.
Major highways
Complete List of Highways in Webb County, Texas
Adjacent counties and municipios
- Dimmit County (north)
- La Salle County (north)
- Duval County (east)
- Jim Hogg County (southeast)
- Zapata County (south)
- Maverick County (northwest)
- Guerrero, Coahuila, Mexico (west)
- Hidalgo, Coahuila, Mexico (west)
- Anáhuac, Nuevo León, Mexico (west)
- Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico (southwest)
- Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Mexico (southwest)
History
Webb County was split into two counties in 1856. Encinal County was established on 1 February 1856 and was to consist of the eastern portion of Webb County, Texas. The county was never organized and was finally dissolved on 12 March 1899. The Encinal territory was absorbed into Webb County.
Demographics
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 193,117 people, 50,740 households, and 43,433 families residing in the county. The population density was 58 people per square mile (22/km²). There were 55,206 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.16% White, 0.37% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 14.00% from other races, and 2.54% from two or more races. 94.28% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 50,740 households out of which 53.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.60% were married couples living together, 18.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.40% were non-families. 12.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.75 and the average family size was 4.10.
In the county, the population was spread out with 36.20% under the age of 18, 11.40% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 15.60% from 45 to 64, and 7.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 92.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,100, and the median income for a family was $29,394. Males had a median income of $23,618 versus $19,018 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,759. About 26.70% of families and 31.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.40% of those under age 18 and 26.90% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Webb County is overwhelmingly Democratic and has voted for that party's electors since 1912. Although Texas as a whole voted for Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama won 33,435 votes (71 percent) of the ballots in Webb County. McCain was a distant second with 13,111 votes (28 percent). Other candidates secured a combined 1 percent of the ballots. Obama fared better than Democrat John Kerry had done in 2004. Latinos in Texas gave Obama 63 percent of their ballots, whereas Kerry had polled 50 percent of that group's votes. In Webb County, Kerry received 23,654 (57 percent) to George W. Bush's 17,753 (42 percent). Nearly 57,000 registered voters in Webb County did not cast ballots in the 2008 presidential election.
Webb County also voted for the Democratic candidate for the United States Senate, State Representative Rick Noriega of Houston, who failed to unseat Republican incumbent John Cornyn.
Communities
Cities
Census-designated places
Unincorporated areas
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Education
Three school districts serve Webb County:
- Laredo Independent School District
- United Independent School District
- Webb Consolidated Independent School District
Prior to 1994 Webb CISD served only Bruni and Oilton. Mirando City Independent School District served the community of Mirando City from 1923 to 2005. Prior to 1994 all Mirando City children attended Mirando City ISD schools. After spring 1994, Mirando High School closed.[5] Therefore, from Fall 1994 to July 1, 2005, WCISD served high schoolers from Mirando City while Mirando Elementary School in the Mirando City ISD served students from kindergarten through 8th grade. On May 9, 2005 the Texas Education Agency ordered the closure of Mirando City ISD. The district closed on July 1, 2005, and all students were rezoned to Webb CISD schools.[6]
The private Holding Institute is a former United Methodist boarding school now operating as a downtown Laredo community center.
References
- ^ http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/48479.html quickfacts.census.gov
- ^ . National Association of Counties. . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Find A Grave, James Webb [1]
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Mirando City, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
- ^ Bogan, Jesse. "A school district counts its final days." San Antonio Express-News. May 9, 2005. 01A. Retrieved on April 11, 2009.
Further reading
- Lambert, R.B. (2004). Hydrogeology of Webb County, Texas [Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5022]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
External links
- Webb County government's website
- Webb County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas
- Webb County Heritage Foundation
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Coordinates: 27°46′N 99°20′W / 27.77°N 99.33°W
Categories: Texas counties | Webb County, Texas | United States counties with Hispanic majority populations | Laredo • Nuevo Laredo metropolitan area
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