Willacy County, Texas

Willacy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In of 2000, its population was 20,082. Its county seat is Raymondville^[1].

Willacy County is part of the Raymondville Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Brownsville•Harlingen•Raymondville Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 784 square miles (2,031 km²), of which, 597 square miles (1,545 km²) of it is land and 188 square miles (486 km²) of it (23.92%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 77
• State Highway 186

Adjacent counties

• Kenedy County (north)
• Gulf of Mexico (east)
• Cameron County (south)
• Hidalgo County (west)

National protected areas

• Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Padre Island National Seashore (part)

History

Willacy County was formed in 1911 from parts of Cameron and Hidalgo counties and originally included what is now Kenedy County; it was named for state senator John G. Willacy. Kenedy was split from Willacy in 1921, when the long-settled ranchers of the northern (Kenedy) part of the county sought to separate from the newly arrived farmers of the southern part.

The Bermuda onion was introduced to Willacy County in 1912. It grew well and slowly displaced ranchland in the southern part of the county, becoming the most important crop. For many years the town of Raymondville held an annual Onion Festival, using the tag line, "The Breath of a Nation." In 1940, the first oil wells were sunk in the county's Willamar Oil Field; today oil production is a major part of the local economy. Also in the 1940s, sorghum was introduced to the county, gradually displacing cotton and other crops.

Historic sites

Willacy County has three entries on the National Register of Historic Places:

• Old Lyford High School in Lyford
• King Ranch in Kingsville
• Mansfield Cut Underwater Archeological District in Port Isabel

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 20,082 people, 5,584 households, and 4,584 families residing in the county. The population density was 34 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 6,727 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.37% White, 2.19% Black or African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 24.46% from other races, and 2.34% from two or more races. 85.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,584 households out of which 42.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.10% were married couples living together, 16.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.90% were non-families. 16.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40 and the average family size was 3.85.

In the county, the population was spread out with 31.60% under the age of 18, 11.90% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 18.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 105.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $22,114, and the median income for a family was $25,076. Males had a median income of $19,706 versus $15,514 for females. The per capita income for the county was $9,421. About 29.20% of families and 33.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.00% of those under age 18 and 29.90% of those age 65 or over. The county's per-capita income makes it one of the poorest counties in the United States.

Communities

Cities

• Lyford
• Raymondville
• San Perlita

Unincorporated areas

Education

School districts that serve Willacy County include:

• Lasara Independent School District (K-8)
• Lyford Consolidated Independent School District
• Raymondville Independent School District
• San Perlita Independent School District

In addition, residents are allowed to apply for magnet schools operated by the South Texas Independent School District.

Radio stations

• KFRQ 94.5FM - Official Site
• KKPS 99.5FM - Official Site
• KNVO 101.1FM - Official Site
• KVLY 107.9FM - Official Site

Recent Controversy

The elected officials of the tiny county, recently, have been entangled in a series of political controversies. Amongst other things, the District Attorney has sought the removal of the local sheriff, county clerk, and district clerk. Meanwhile, the Sheriff and the two clerks have petitioned the district court for the removal of the District Attorney. More recently, the District Attorney has gained even more attention for his actions concerning the dismissal of a Capital Murder charge against a confessed assailant because of, he claimed, an appropriate time to prepare. However, he found time to file, the very next day, a petition for the removal of the County Judge.

On November 18, 2008 a Willacy County grand jury indicted a number of political figures, including Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez.

Indictments have not yet been made public and a district judge still has to sign the indictments. Two state district judges were also indicted along with State Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr.^[3]

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. ^ Sherman, Christopher. :State senator wants broad indictments dismissed," The Houston Chronicle. Nov 19, 2008.

External links

• Willacy County from the Handbook of Texas Online.
• Historic Willacy County materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.

Coordinates: 26°29′N 97°36′W / 26.49°N 97.60°W

Categories: Texas counties | Willacy County, Texas | United States counties with Hispanic majority populations