Dallas County, Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dallas County, Texas | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Texas |
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 Texas's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | March 30, 1846 |
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| Seat | Dallas |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
908 sq mi (2,353 km²) 880 sq mi (2,278 km²) 29 sq mi (75 km²), 3.19% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
2,294,706 2,523/sq mi (974/km²) |
| Website: www.dallascounty.org | |
| Named for: George Mifflin Dallas | |
Dallas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area (colloquially referred to as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex). As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2.2 million (though a 2004 estimate placed the population at 2.3 million) and is now the ninth most populous county in the United States.
Its county seat is Dallas[1], which is also the largest city in the county, the third-largest city in Texas, and the ninth-largest city in the United States. Dallas County is the most populous county within the metropolitan area and contains the largest of its principal cities. The county was named in honor of George Mifflin Dallas, the eleventh vice president of the United States.
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 908 square miles (2,352 km²), of which, 880 square miles (2,279 km²) of it is land and 29 square miles (75 km²) of it (3.19%) is water.
[edit] Major Highways
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Collin County (north)
- Rockwall County (northeast)
- Kaufman County (east)
- Ellis County (south)
- Tarrant County (west)
- Denton County (northwest)
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 2,743 |
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| 1860 | 8,665 | 215.9% | |
| 1870 | 13,814 | 59.4% | |
| 1880 | 33,488 | 142.4% | |
| 1890 | 67,042 | 100.2% | |
| 1900 | 82,726 | 23.4% | |
| 1910 | 135,748 | 64.1% | |
| 1920 | 210,551 | 55.1% | |
| 1930 | 325,691 | 54.7% | |
| 1940 | 398,564 | 22.4% | |
| 1950 | 614,799 | 54.3% | |
| 1960 | 951,527 | 54.8% | |
| 1970 | 1,327,321 | 39.5% | |
| 1980 | 1,556,390 | 17.3% | |
| 1990 | 1,852,810 | 19.0% | |
| 2000 | 2,218,899 | 19.8% | |
| Est. 2006 | 2,345,815 | 5.7% | |
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 2,218,899 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,523 people per square mile (974/km²). There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971/sq mi (375/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.35% White, 20.31% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 3.98% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 14.04% from other races, and 2.70% from two or more races. 29.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 807,621 households out of which 35.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.90% were married couples living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.90% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.34.
In the county, the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 34.40% from 25 to 44, 18.90% from 45 to 64, and 8.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was US$43,324, and the median income for a family was $49,062. Males had a median income of $34,988 versus $29,539 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,603. About 10.60% of families and 13.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.00% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Politics
| Year | Democrat | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 49.0% 336,641 | 50.4% 346,246 |
| 2000 | 44.9% 275,308 | 52.6% 322,345 |
| 1996 | 46.0% 255,766 | 46.8% 260,058 |
| 1992 | 35.0% 231,412 | 38.7% 256,007 |
| 1988 | 40.9% 243,198 | 58.4% 347,094 |
| 1984 | 33.4% 203,592 | 66.4% 405,444 |
| 1980 | 36.8% 190,459 | 59.2% 306,682 |
| 1976 | 42.3% 196,303 | 56.7% 263,081 |
| 1972 | 29.6% 129,662 | 69.5% 305,112 |
| 1968 | 34.1% 123,809 | 50.7% 184,193 |
| 1964 | 54.7% 166,472 | 45.1% 137,065 |
| 1960 | 37.0% 88,876 | 62.2% 149,369 |
[edit] Cities and towns
†Denotes a municipality whose physical boundaries extend beyond Dallas County
[edit] Historical communities
- Bird's Fort
- Buckingham (Annexed by Richardson in 1996)
- Embree (merged into Garland in 1887)
- Fruitdale (annexed by Dallas in 1964)
- Duck Creek (merged into Garland in 1887)
- Long Creek (Merged into Sunnyvale in 1953)
- Hatterville (Merged into Sunnyvale in 1953)
- New Hope (Merged into Sunnyvale in 1953 - not to be confused with the Collin County town of the same name)
- Oak Cliff (Annexed by Dallas in 1903)
- Penn Springs (Annexed by Duncanville in 1947)
- Tripp (Merged into Sunnyvale in 1953)
- Trinity Mills (Annexed by Carrollton)[3]
[edit] Education
The following school districts serve Dallas County:
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[edit] Transportation
Love Field, located in Dallas and in Dallas County, serves many domestic passengers.
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport partially located in the city of Irving in Dallas County and Grapevine and Euless in Tarrant County.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit provides bus and rail service to many cities in Dallas County, with Dallas being the largest.
[edit] Wrongful convictions
As of 2008, Dallas county leads the nation in wrongful convictions later overturned. Unlike many jurisdictions, the crime lab used by Dallas police and prosecutors retains biological evidence, making DNA testing possible even in old crimes. District attorney Craig Watkins also attributes the exonerations to a past culture of overly aggressive prosecutors seeking convictions at any cost.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Trinity Mills, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online. By Matthew Hayes Nall. Retrieved on 31 March 2007.
- ^ DNA clears man in prison for 26 years. AP (2008-01-03).
[edit] External links
- Dallas County Government official site
- Dallas County from the Handbook of Texas Online
- History of Dallas County, Texas: from 1837 to 1887 by John Henry Brown, published 1887, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
- Memorial and biographical history of Dallas County, Texas published 1892, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
- Official directory, taxpayers of Dallas County, Texas published 1896, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
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