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| Williamson County, Texas | |
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| 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 13, 1848 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Georgetown |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,135 sq mi (2,940 km²) 1,123 sq mi (2,909 km²) 12 sq mi (31 km²), 1.05% |
| Population - (2007) - Density |
373,363 |
| Website: wilco.org | |
Williamson County (known colloquially as "Willco") is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. In 2000, the population was 249,967 and by the 2007 Census estimated it had grown to 373,363, a 49.4% increase 1. Its county seat is Georgetown2. The county is named for Robert McAlpin Williamson, a leader and veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto3.
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Growth
Williamson County has been growing at a fast rate for several years now due to its location just north of Austin. In fact, parts of Austin's city limits extend into southern Williamson County. Most of the growth has been residential but large companies, such as Dell have become a part of the area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,135 square miles (2,939 km²), of which, 1,123 square miles (2,908 km²) of it is land and 12 square miles (31 km²) of it (1.05%) is water. Western parts of the county are considered to be within the eastern fringes of Texas Hill Country and offer residents and visitors with rolling, open lands and an abundance of Texas Live Oak, Prickly Pear Cactus and Karst topography. Eastern parts of the county consist of flatter, more fertile lands for agriculture but are quickly being developed as the county's population continues to increase and expand out.
Major Highways
Interstate 35
U.S. Highway 79
U.S. Highway 183
State Highway 29
State Highway 45
State Highway 95
State Highway 130
183A Toll Road
State Highway 195
Adjacent counties
- Bell County (north)
- Milam County (northeast)
- Lee County (east)
- Bastrop County (southeast)
- Travis County (south)
- Burnet County (west)
Demographics
As of the census4 of 2000, there were 249,967 people, 86,766 households, and 66,983 families residing in the county. The population density was 223 people per square mile (86/km²). There were 90,325 housing units at an average density of 80 per square mile (31/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.41% White, 5.12% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 2.64% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 7.19% from other races, and 2.11% from two or more races. 17.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.9% were of German, 9.8% English, 8.8% American and 8.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 86,766 households out of which 43.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.00% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.80% were non-families. 17.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the county, the population was spread out with 30.00% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 35.60% from 25 to 44, 19.10% from 45 to 64, and 7.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 99.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $60,642, and the median income for a family was $66,208. Males had a median income of $43,471 versus $30,558 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,547. About 3.40% of families and 4.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.40% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.
Williamson County Flag
The stars on the flag surrounding the state of Texas represent the thirty-three viable communities identified by Clara Stearns Scarbrough in her 1973 book, Land of Good Water. In 1970, these communities ranged in population from twenty people in Norman's Crossing to more than 10,000 residents in Taylor. It is difficult to establish how many communities exist in Williamson County today, because the determination of "community" is subjective and without set criteria. However, in Williamson County in 2004, there were 11 towns with populations of over 1,000 people and seven towns with populations above 5,000.
Courtesy of the Williamson County Commissioner's Court
Communities
*unincorporated community
Austin is primarily in Travis County and Thorndale is primarily in Milam County. Bartlett lies on the line between Williamson and Bell counties. Cedar Park, Leander, and Round Rock extend into Travis County. Jollyville, Brushy Creek and Serenada are not communities as such but were census-designated places in 2000.
Newspapers
The newspapers that serve Williamson County include the Round Rock Leader, Williamson County Sun, Taylor Daily Press, Hutto News, Hill Country News, Liberty Hill Independent, Tribune-Progress and Community Impact Newspaper.5
Education
The following school districts serve Williamson County:
- Bartlett ISD (partly in Bell County, small portion in Milam County)
- Burnet Consolidated ISD (mostly in Burnet County, small portion in Llano County)
- Coupland ISD (very small portion in Travis County)
- Florence ISD (small portion in Bell County)
- Georgetown ISD
- Granger ISD
- Hutto ISD
- Jarrell ISD
- Leander ISD (partly in Travis County)
- Lexington ISD (mostly in Lee County, very small portion in Milam County)
- Liberty Hill ISD
- Round Rock ISD (small portion in Travis County)
- Taylor ISD
- Thrall ISD
- Thorndale ISD (mostly in Milam County)
References
- ^ State & County QuickFacts, U.S. Census Bureau
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Robert McAlpin Williamson Handbook of Texas entry
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Ben Trollinger. (2006) Cox to purchase Round Rock Leader, The Williamson County Sun, October 18, 2006
External links
Government & Non-Profit Sites
- Williamson County government's website
- Williamson Central Appraisal District web site
- Williamson County Historical Commisssion
- Williamson County Historical Commission Photos
- Robert Williamson Father of County
- Read Robert M. Williamson's entry in the Biographical Encyclopedia of Texas hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
- Williamson County from the Handbook of Texas Online
Blogs and other sites
- Eye on Williamson - Liberal political blog
- Williamson Republic conservative political blog
- Williamson County chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas
- Williamson County Weather and Climate Data
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 30 October 2008, at 23:01.
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