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Burnet County, Texas
Burnet courthouse 2010
The Burnet County Courthouse in Burnet
Map of Texas highlighting Burnet County
Location in the state of Texas
Map of the U.S
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded 1854
Named for David Gouverneur Burnet
Seat Burnet
Largest city Marble Falls
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

1,021 sq mi (2,644 km²)
994 sq mi (2,574 km²)
27 sq mi (70 km²), 2.6
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

49,130
Congressional district 25th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website http://www.burnetcountytexas.org/
Veterans Monument, Burnet, TX IMG 1982

Veterans Memorial at Burnet County courthouse

Rolling highway west of Burnet County, TX IMG 2010

Rolling highway in Burnet County in Texas Hill Country toward Longhorn Cavern State Park

Burnet County ( /ˈbɜːrnt/ BUR-nit) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,130.[1][2] Its county seat is Burnet.[3] The county was founded in 1852 and later organized in 1854.[4] It is named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first (provisional) president of the Republic of Texas. The name of the county is pronounced with the emphasis or accent on the first syllable, just as is the case with its namesake.

History[]

Indigenous peoples inhabited the area as early as 4500 BC. Later known tribes in the area include Tonkawa, Lipan Apache, and Comanche.[5]

During the 1820s-1830s, Stephen F. Austin and Green DeWitt conducted surveying and Indian-fighting explorations.[5] In 1849, the United States established Fort Croghan,[6] and in 1848, the first settlers arrived in the county, Samuel Eli Holland, Logan Vandeveer, Peter Kerr, William Harrison Magill, Noah Smithwick, Captain Jesse B. Burnham, R. H. Hall, Adam Rankin "Stovepipe" Johnson, and Captain Christian Dorbandt.[7] In 1851, 20 Mormon families under the leadership of Lyman Wight establish a colony at Hamilton Creek, later to be known as Morman Mill.

In 1852, the Fourth Texas Legislature created Burnet County from Bell, Travis, and Williamson Counties.[5] The first post office was established at Hamilton in 1853.[5]

In 1860, 235 slaves were in Burnet County.[5] After the war, some former slaves left the county, but many stayed. A group of them settled on land in the eastern part of Oatmeal. In 1870, the black population of the county had increased to 358, keeping pace with the growth of the total number of residents; the number of blacks had fallen to 248 by 1880, however, and the number of new white residents was such that after 1890, blacks represented less than 3% of the total population. Some found work on farms and ranches, but by the turn of the century, many had moved into the Marble Falls area to work in town.

During 1882–1903, railroad tracks connected Burnet, Granite Mountain, Marble Falls, and Lampasas. Lake Victor and Bertram became shipping-point communities. Other communities lost population as the railroad offered employment.[5] During the Great Depression, county farmers suffered financially, but found work with government-sponsored public-works projects. The Lower Colorado River Authority employed hundreds of people for the construction of the Hamilton (Buchanan) Dam and Roy B. Inks Dam.[5]

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,021 sq mi (2,640 km2), of which 994 sq mi (2,570 km2) are land and 27 sq mi (70 km2) (2.6%) are covered by water.[8]

Major highways[]

  • US 183 U.S. Highway 183
  • US 281 U.S. Highway 281
  • Texas 29 State Highway 29

Adjacent counties[]

National protected area[]

  • Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1860 2,487
1870 3,688 48.3%
1880 6,855 85.9%
1890 10,747 56.8%
1900 10,528 −2.0%
1910 10,755 2.2%
1920 9,499 −11.7%
1930 10,355 9.0%
1940 10,771 4.0%
1950 10,356 −3.9%
1960 9,265 −10.5%
1970 11,420 23.3%
1980 17,803 55.9%
1990 22,677 27.4%
2000 34,147 50.6%
2010 42,750 25.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1850–2010[10] 2010[11] 2020[12]

2020 census[]

Burnet County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[11] Pop 2020[12] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 32,530 34,810 76.09% 70.85%
Black or African American alone (NH) 700 579 1.64% 1.18%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 169 183 0.40% 0.37%
Asian alone (NH) 198 424 0.46% 0.86%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 13 14 0.03% 0.03%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 44 147 0.10% 0.30%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 444 1,774 1.04% 3.61%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 8,652 11,199 20.24% 22.79%
Total 42,750 49,130 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

As of the census[13] of 2020, there were 49,130 people and 16,743 households residing in the county. (The remaining data that follows in this section is outdated. The Census 2020 data for the following demographics have not yet been released.) The population density was 34 people/sq mi (13/km2). The 15,933 housing units averaged 16/sq mi (6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.64% White, 1.52% African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 6.30% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. About 14.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 16,743 households, 30.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.50% were married couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were not families. About 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53, and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the age distribution was 24.50% under 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,921, and for a family was $43,871. Males had a median income of $30,255 versus $20,908 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,850. About 7.90% of families and 10.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.50% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communities[]

Cities[]

  • Bertram
  • Burnet (county seat)
  • Cottonwood Shores
  • Double Horn
  • Granite Shoals
  • Highland Haven
  • Horseshoe Bay (mostly in Llano County)
  • Marble Falls
  • Meadowlakes

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Briggs
  • Fairland
  • Gandy
  • Joppa
  • Lake Victor
  • Mahomet
  • Mormon Mill
  • Naruna
  • Oakalla
  • Oatmeal
  • Scobee
  • Sherwood Shores
  • Smithwick
  • Spicewood
  • Sudduth
  • Watson

Notable people[]

  • Adam R. "Stovepipe" Johnson, Confederate general and the 1887 founder of Marble Falls, despite being blinded during the war.
  • Gerald Lyda (1923–2005), general contractor and cattle rancher, born and raised in Burnet County.
  • Stephen McGee (born September 27, 1985), former American football quarterback. Played college football for Texas A&M. Drafted and played NFL football for the Dallas Cowboys.
  • James Oakley, former County Commissioner (1998–2005) and County Judge (2015–Present)
  • Logan Vandeveer, early Texas soldier, ranger, cattleman and civic leader. Vandeveer was a leader in presenting the petition to the legislature in 1852 to establish Burnet County and was instrumental in having the town of Burnet named the county seat.
  • Al Witcher (born 1936), American football player

Politics[]

United States presidential election results for Burnet County, Texas[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 18,767 75.93% 5,639 22.81% 311 1.26%
2016 14,638 76.22% 3,797 19.77% 769 4.00%
2012 12,843 76.46% 3,674 21.87% 279 1.66%
2008 12,059 71.38% 4,608 27.28% 226 1.34%
2004 11,456 72.77% 4,147 26.34% 139 0.88%
2000 9,286 70.18% 3,557 26.88% 389 2.94%
1996 5,744 51.99% 4,123 37.32% 1,182 10.70%
1992 4,272 39.53% 3,638 33.66% 2,897 26.81%
1988 5,120 53.85% 4,343 45.68% 45 0.47%
1984 5,895 66.18% 2,983 33.49% 29 0.33%
1980 4,033 50.84% 3,711 46.78% 189 2.38%
1976 2,777 41.85% 3,818 57.53% 41 0.62%
1972 3,438 73.34% 1,227 26.17% 23 0.49%
1968 1,459 36.68% 1,876 47.16% 643 16.16%
1964 821 24.08% 2,585 75.81% 4 0.12%
1960 1,189 39.95% 1,770 59.48% 17 0.57%
1956 1,163 44.90% 1,422 54.90% 5 0.19%
1952 1,270 46.98% 1,431 52.94% 2 0.07%
1948 287 12.35% 1,955 84.12% 82 3.53%
1944 228 10.80% 1,697 80.35% 187 8.85%
1940 233 9.66% 2,177 90.26% 2 0.08%
1936 111 6.54% 1,583 93.34% 2 0.12%
1932 144 7.02% 1,904 92.88% 2 0.10%
1928 936 66.67% 467 33.26% 1 0.07%
1924 277 13.45% 1,725 83.74% 58 2.82%
1920 241 18.98% 795 62.60% 234 18.43%
1916 115 10.87% 913 86.29% 30 2.84%
1912 85 10.87% 623 79.67% 74 9.46%



See also[]

  • List of museums in Central Texas
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Burnet County, Texas
  • Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Burnet County

References[]

  1. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Burnet County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/burnetcountytexas/PST120221. 
  2. ^ "Burnet County, Texas". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US48053. Retrieved January 30, 2022. 
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  4. ^ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/TX_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Smyrl, Vivian Elizabeth (2010-06-12). "Burnet County, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcb19. 
  6. ^ "Fort Croghan". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. 2010-06-12. https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qbf13. 
  7. ^ Goble, Carole A (2009). "Fort Croghan and the First Settlers". Burnet (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. pp. 9–30. ISBN 978-0-7385-7121-8. 
  8. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_48.txt. 
  9. ^ "Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". US Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html. 
  10. ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010". Texas Almanac. http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/topics/ctypophistweb2010.pdf. 
  11. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Burnet County, Texas". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US48053&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2. 
  12. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Burnet County, Texas". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US48053&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2. 
  13. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/burnetcitytexas,burnetcountytexas/www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/burnetcitytexas,burnetcountytexas/www.census.gov. 
  14. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

External links[]

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Template:Burnet County, Texas

Coordinates: 30°47′N 98°11′W / 30.78, -98.18

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Burnet County, Texas. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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