Willacy County is a county A county is a land area of local government within a country. A county may have cities and towns within its area. Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count (conte, comte, conde, Graf) located in the U.S. state A U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of commonwealth rather than state. State citizenship is of Texas Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States, while San Antonio is the second largest in the state and seventh largest in the United States. Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and sixth largest United States metropolitan areas, respectively. Other major cities include El Paso and Austin—the. In of 2000, its population was 20,082. Its county seat A county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there. Parts of the Canadian Maritimes also use the term shire town. In England, Wales and Ireland, the term is Raymondville Raymondville is a city in and the county seat of Willacy County, Texas, United States. The population was 9,733 at the 2000 census[1].
Willacy County is part of the Raymondville Micropolitan Statistical Area United States Micropolitan Statistical Areas , as defined by the Census Bureau and the Office of Management and Budget, are urban areas in the United States based around a core city or town with a population of 10,000 to 49,999. The micropolitan area designation was created in 2003. Like the better-known metropolitan area, a micropolitan area is a as well as the Brownsville Brownsville is a city in and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, United States. Brownsville is the 15th largest city in the state of Texas and the 129th largest in the United States. The population was 139,722 at the 2000 census. Brownsville is also the southernmost city in Texas–Harlingen Harlingen is a city in Cameron County in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, United States, about 30 miles from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than 34 square miles (88 km2), and is the second largest city in Cameron County and the third largest in the Rio Grande Valley, after Brownsville and McAllen. As of the–Raymondville Combined Statistical Area.
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Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as a leading source of data about America's people and economy, the county has a total area of 784 square miles The square mile is an imperial and US unit of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one statute mile. It should not be confused with miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared. For instance, 20 miles square (20 × 20 miles) is equal to 400 square miles (2,031 km² Square kilometre, symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of surface area, the square metre, one of the SI derived units. 1 km2 is equal to:), of which, 597 square miles (1,545 km²) of it is land and 188 square miles (486 km²) of it (23.92%) is water.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Kenedy County Kenedy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Kingsville Micropolitan Statistical Area. In 2000, its population was 414. Its seat is Sarita, and the county is named for Mifflin Kenedy, an early rancher in the area. Kenedy County has the distinction of having the fourth lowest-population of any county in the United (north)
- Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico is the eleventh largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and (east)
- Cameron County Cameron County is the southernmost county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 335,227. Its county seat is Brownsville. Cameron is named for Captain Ewen Cameron , a soldier during the Texas Revolution and in the ill-fated Mier Expedition (south)
- Hidalgo County Hidalgo County is a county located in the southwest of the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 569,463; in 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to have reached 710,514. Hidalgo County is consequently one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, and is the seventh most-populous county in Texas. It is named (west)
National protected areas
- Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge is the largest protected area of natural habitat left in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The 65,096-acre refuge is located almost entirely in Cameron County, Texas (near Harlingen), although a very small part of its northernmost point extends into southern Willacy County. The Peregrine Fund began reintroducing (part)
- Padre Island National Seashore Padre Island National Seashore is a National Seashore located on Padre Island off the coast of South Texas. In contrast to South Padre Island (well known for its beaches and vacationing college students), PINS is located on North Padre Island and consists of a long beach where nature is preserved. Primitive camping is available there and most of (part)
History
Willacy County was formed in 1911 from parts of Cameron Cameron County is the southernmost county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 335,227. Its county seat is Brownsville. Cameron is named for Captain Ewen Cameron , a soldier during the Texas Revolution and in the ill-fated Mier Expedition and Hidalgo Hidalgo County is a county located in the southwest of the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 569,463; in 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to have reached 710,514. Hidalgo County is consequently one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, and is the seventh most-populous county in Texas. It is named counties and originally included what is now Kenedy County Kenedy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Kingsville Micropolitan Statistical Area. In 2000, its population was 414. Its seat is Sarita, and the county is named for Mifflin Kenedy, an early rancher in the area. Kenedy County has the distinction of having the fourth lowest-population of any county in the United; it was named for state senator John G. Willacy. Kenedy was split from Willacy in 1921, when the long-settled ranchers of the northern (Kenedy) part of the county sought to separate from the newly arrived farmers of the southern part.
The Bermuda Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about 1,030 kilometres (640 mi) to the west-northwest. It is about 1,373 kilometres (853 mi) south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and 1,770 kilometres (1,100 mi) northeast of onion Onion is a term used for many plants in the genus Allium. They are known by the common name "onion" but, used without qualifiers, it usually refers to Allium cepa. Allium cepa is also known as the "garden onion" or "bulb" onion. Above ground, the onion shows only a single vertical shoot; the bulb grows underground, was introduced to Willacy County in 1912. It grew well and slowly displaced ranchland in the southern part of the county, becoming the most important crop. For many years the town of Raymondville held an annual Onion Festival, using the tag line, "The Breath of a Nation." In 1940, the first oil wells were sunk in the county's Willamar Oil Field; today oil production is a major part of the local economy. Also in the 1940s, sorghum Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents in addition to the South West Pacific and was introduced to the county, gradually displacing cotton and other crops.
Historic sites
Willacy County has three entries on the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation. Having a property on the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, could result in its eligibility for tax incentives derived from the:
- Old Lyford High School in Lyford Lyford is a city in Willacy County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,973 at the 2000 census
- King Ranch King Ranch, located in south Texas between Corpus Christi and Brownsville, is one of the world's largest ranches, but only 15% as large as Anna Creek station in South Australia). It is one of the largest ranches in the United States.[citation needed] The 825,000 acres ranch, founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King and Gideon K. Lewis, includes in Kingsville Kingsville is a city in and the county seat of Kleberg County, Texas, United States. The population was 25,575 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Kingsville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Corpus Christi-Kingsville Combined Statistical Area
- Mansfield Cut Underwater Archeological District in Port Isabel Port Isabel is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,865 at the 2000 census
Demographics
As of the census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses include agriculture, business, and traffic. In[2] of 2000, there were 20,082 people, 5,584 households, and 4,584 families residing in the county. The population density Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key geographic term was 34 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 6,727 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.37% White Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin (ethnicity), 2.19% Black Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin (ethnicity) or African American Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin (ethnicity), 0.50% Native American Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin (ethnicity), 0.11% Asian Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin (ethnicity), 0.03% Pacific Islander Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin (ethnicity), 24.46% from other races Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin (ethnicity), and 2.34% from two or more races. 85.69% of the population were Hispanic Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin (ethnicity) or Latino Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin (ethnicity) of any race.
There were 5,584 households out of which 42.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.10% were married couples Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found. Such a union, often formalized via a wedding ceremony, may also be called living together, 16.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.90% were non-families. 16.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40 and the average family size was 3.85.
In the county, the population was spread out with 31.60% under the age of 18, 11.90% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 18.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 105.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $22,114, and the median income for a family was $25,076. Males had a median income of $19,706 versus $15,514 for females. The per capita income Per capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms. It is the measure of the amount of money that each person earns in the country, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported for the county was $9,421. About 29.20% of families and 33.20% of the population were below the poverty line The poverty threshold, or poverty line, is the minimum level of income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate standard of living in a given country. In practice, like the definition of poverty, the official or common understanding of the poverty line is significantly higher in developed countries than in developing countries, including 42.00% of those under age 18 and 29.90% of those age 65 or over. The county's per-capita income Per capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms. It is the measure of the amount of money that each person earns in the country, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported makes it one of the poorest counties in the United States.
Communities
Cities
The Willacy County Courthouse in Raymondville- Lyford Lyford is a city in Willacy County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,973 at the 2000 census
- Raymondville Raymondville is a city in and the county seat of Willacy County, Texas, United States. The population was 9,733 at the 2000 census
- San Perlita San Perlita is a city in Willacy County, Texas, United States. The population was 680 at the 2000 census
Unincorporated areas
Education
School districts that serve Willacy County include:
- Lasara Independent School District (K-8)
- Lyford Consolidated Independent School District
- Raymondville Independent School District
- San Perlita Independent School District
In addition, residents are allowed to apply for magnet schools operated by the South Texas Independent School District.
Radio stations
- KFRQ 94.5FM - Official Site
- KKPS 99.5FM - Official Site
- KNVO 101.1FM - Official Site
- KVLY 107.9FM - Official Site
Recent Controversy
The elected officials of the tiny county, recently, have been entangled in a series of political controversies. Amongst other things, the District Attorney has sought the removal of the local sheriff, county clerk, and district clerk. Meanwhile, the Sheriff and the two clerks have petitioned the district court for the removal of the District Attorney. More recently, the District Attorney has gained even more attention for his actions concerning the dismissal of a Capital Murder charge against a confessed assailant because of, he claimed, an appropriate time to prepare. However, he found time to file, the very next day, a petition for the removal of the County Judge.
On November 18, 2008 a Willacy County grand jury indicted a number of political figures, including Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez.
Indictments have not yet been made public and a district judge still has to sign the indictments. Two state district judges were also indicted along with State Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr.[3]
References
- ^ . National Association of Counties. . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Sherman, Christopher. :State senator wants broad indictments dismissed," The Houston Chronicle. Nov 19, 2008.
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Wed, 02 Jun 2010 01:36:19 GMT+00:00
texascivilrightsreview.org ... GEO Group's South Texas Detention Center in Pearsall. Reports of sexual abuse against detainees have also plagued MTC's Willacy County Detention Center. ...
CouldBeTrue
Fri, 23 Mar 2007 11:40:00 GM
Willacy County. District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra was in the . county. jail Thursday facing three felony indictments. Warrants were out for the arrest of Guerra's longtime secretary Ofelia Guerrero and District Attorney's Office ...
