| 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 |
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| 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% |
| PopulationEst. - (2007) - Density |
373,363 |
| Website: wilco.org | |
Williamson County (sometimes abbreviated as "Wilco")[1] 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 [2]. Its county seat is Georgetown[3]. The county is named for Robert McAlpin Williamson, a leader and veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto[4].
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Growth
Williamson County has been growing at a fast rate for several years now because of 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
Minor highways
Adjacent counties
- Bell County (north)
- Milam County (northeast)
- Lee County (east)
- Bastrop County (southeast)
- Travis County (south)
- Burnet County (west)
National protected area
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 38,072 |
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| 1910 | 42,228 | 10.9% | |
| 1920 | 42,934 | 1.7% | |
| 1930 | 44,146 | 2.8% | |
| 1940 | 41,698 | −5.5% | |
| 1950 | 38,853 | −6.8% | |
| 1960 | 35,044 | −9.8% | |
| 1970 | 37,305 | 6.5% | |
| 1980 | 76,521 | 105.1% | |
| 1990 | 139,551 | 82.4% | |
| 2000 | 249,967 | 79.1% | |
| Est. 2008 | 394,193 | 57.7% | |
As of the census[6] 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.
Politics
Williamson County is located in Texas's 31st Congressional district which is represented by Republican John Carter.
The 31st District leans strongly Republican and has a Cook PVI of R+14, although Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama made large inroads into the area against John McCain - these inroads did not however, flow through to other races and incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn continues to perform quite well locally.
Williamson County along with other Texas Counties has one of the nation's highest property tax rates. In 2007, it was ranked #25th in the nation for property taxes as percentage of the homes value on owner occupied housing, the list only includes counties with a population of over 65,000 for accuracy . [1] link title. It also ranked ranked in the Top 100 for amount of property taxes paid and for percentage of taxes of income.
High property tax rates can reduce a home's value significantly , leading to less resale value and negative equity upon ownership of the home. Part of this is due to the complex Robin Hood plan school financing laws that exist in Texas [2]
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.[7]
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)
Trivia
Williamson County is depicted in the Coen Brothers movie "Blood Simple."
References
- ^ http://www.wilco.org Williamson County, TX Home Page
- ^ State & County QuickFacts, U.S. Census Bureau
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Robert McAlpin Williamson Handbook of Texas entry
- ^ THE COURTHOUSE OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Georgetown, Texas
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 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
30°39′20″N 97°35′02″W / 30.65551°N 97.58390°W
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Bell County | Milam County | |
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| Burnet County |  |
Lee County | ||
 Williamson County, Texas  |
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| Travis County | Bastrop County |
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