Travis County, Texas

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Travis County, Texas
Seal of Travis County, Texas
Map
Map of Texas highlighting Travis County
Location in the state of Texas
Map of the U.S. highlighting Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded 1840
Seat Austin
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

1,022 sq mi (2,647 km²)
989 sq mi (2,561 km²)
33 sq mi (85 km²), 3.21%
Population
 - (2007)
 - Density

974,365
985/sq mi (380.4/km²)

Travis County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. In the 2007, the population was 974,365 and the county has gained almost 400,000 residents since 1990. Its county seat is Austin,[1] the capital of Texas. The county is named in honor of William Barret Travis, the commander of the Republic of Texas forces at the Battle of the Alamo.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Travis County is in Central Texas, about 75 miles northeast of San Antonio and 150 miles west of Houston. The Colorado River flows through Travis County, and three of the Texas Highland Lakes (Lake Travis, Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake) are located there.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,022 square miles (2,647 km²). 989 square miles (2,562 km²) are land and 33 square miles (85 km²) (3.21%) are water.

[edit] Major highways

[edit] Adjacent counties

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 812,280 people, 320,766 households, and 183,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 821 people per square mile (317/km²). There were 335,881 housing units at an average density of 340 per square mile (131/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.21% White, 9.26% Black or African American, 0.58% Native American, 4.47% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 14.56% other races, and 2.85% from two or more races. 28.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 12.0% were of German, 7.7% English, 6.6% Irish and 5.5% American ancestry according to Census 2000. English the sole language spoken at home by 71.42% of the population age 5 or over, while 22.35% speaks Spanish, and a Chinese language (including Mandarin, Taiwanese, and Cantonese) is spoken by 1.05% [1].

The 2005 American Community Survey conducted by the census indicated that 25.1% of Travis County's population spoke Spanish in the home.

In 2000 there were 320,766 households, of which 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.60% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.70% were non-families. 30.10% of all households were composed of individuals and 4.40% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.15.

The population's age distribution was 23.80% under the age of 18, 14.70% from 18 to 24, 36.50% from 25 to 44, 18.20% from 45 to 64, and 6.70% age 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 104.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.50 males.

The median income per household in the county was $46,761, and the median income per family was $58,555. Males had a median income of $37,242 versus $30,452 for females. The per capita income in the county was $25,883. About 7.70% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.90% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Cities and towns

The Travis County Courthouse in Austin.
The Travis County Courthouse in Austin.

(a portion of southern Round Rock also extends into northern Travis county)
(a portion of Elgin extends into Travis County)
*unincorporated community

[edit] Notable Residents

Cedric Benson- NFL Running Back Chicago Bears

Vince Young- NFL Quarterback Tennessee Titans

Ty Detmer- Retired NFL Quarterback, Heisman Trophy Winner in 1990

Lance Armstrong- Tour de France winner 1999-2005


[edit] References

  1. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 30°20′N 97°47′W / 30.33, -97.78