Blanco County, Texas

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Blanco County (Spanish: "white", Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a United States county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located in Central Texas and its county seat is Johnson City.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,374.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The county is named for the Blanco River that traverses the county.

History

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1150 AD Indigenous peoples first inhabitants, possible ancestors of the Lipan Apache.<ref name="Blanco County">Template:Cite web</ref>
1721 José de Azlor y Virto de Vera names the Blanco River.
1826 Benjamin Milam is given a contract to settle 300 families between the Colorado and Guadalupe rivers.
1836 Comanches claim all land in Blanco County.
1847 Meusebach–Comanche Treaty<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1850s Samuel Ealy Johnson, Sr., grandfather of President Lyndon B. Johnson, and his brother Jesse Thomas Johnson, set up a cattle business in Johnson City. The town is named after their nephew James Polk Johnson. The Johnson family emigrated from Alabama.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1854-1855 Captain James Hughes Callahan and Eli Clemens Hinds become Blanco's first white settlers. Joseph Bird establishes Birdtown, now Round Mountain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> General John D. Pitts, Judge William S. Jones, Andrew M. Lindsay, James Hughes Callahan and F.W. Chandler charter the Pittsburgh Land Company. They purchase the league granted to Horace Eggleston by the government of Coahuila y Tejas in 1835 and lay out the town of Pittsburgh, Texas, named for General Pitts, across the river from the site of future Blanco.<ref name="Blanco County"/>
1858, February 12 - Blanco County is formed from parts of Comal, Hays, Burnet and Gillespie, and is named for the Blanco River. County seat is also named Blanco.<ref name="Blanco County"/>
1860 Population of 1218, includes 98 slaves. Settlers are mostly Anglo-Saxon Protestants hailing from Tennessee and Alabama. Agriculture and livestock are central to the economy.<ref name="Blanco County"/>
1861 County votes against secession from the Union.<ref name="Blanco County"/>
1862 Legislature establishes Kendall from part of Blanco southwestern border. Legislature in turn incorporates parts of Hays and Burnet into Blanco.<ref name="Blanco County"/>
1872 Texas Rangers attacked Comanches cooking stolen meat after a raid at Deer Creek.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
1873 The last Indian raid in the county happens when Thomas Phelps and his wife are killed by Comanches near North Cypress Creek.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1885 Replacement of courthouse by limestone structure now known as “The Old Courthouse”.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1883 Blanco High School is chartered.
1890 Johnson City becomes the new county seat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1910 Cotton becomes one of the county's most important crops.
1900-1930 County farmers diversify into peanuts, peaches, pecans, pears, plums, grapes, and figs.
1915 Samuel Ealy Johnson, Jr. and his wife Rebekah Baines Johnson, parents of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, move into their home in Johnson City with their five children, Lucia, Sam Houston, Josefa, Rebekah, and Lyndon Baines Johnson.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1929 More than 20,000 peach and pecan trees harvested in the county.
1933-1942 Civilian Conservation Corps public work relief program helps improve county parks and infrastructure.<ref name="Blanco County"/>
1934 Blanco State Park opens.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1937 Lyndon Baines Johnson launches his first campaign for Congress from the east porch of the family's Johnson City home.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
1938 LBJ becomes a fierce advocate for rural electrification. First light bulb turned on in rural Blanco County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1960s Lyndon B. Johnson becomes Vice President of the United States and subsequently President of the United States. Tourism becomes an important industry.
1970 Pedernales Falls State Park opens to the public.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

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**Blanco County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
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Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	6,912	8,336	8,707	82.11%	79.14%	76.55%
Black or African American alone (NH)	60	62	68	0.71%	0.59%	0.60%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	27	47	36	0.32%	0.45%	0.32%
Asian alone (NH)	15	49	38	0.18%	0.47%	0.33%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	4	0	0.01%	0.04%	0.00%
Other Race alone (NH)	10	5	70	0.12%	0.05%	0.62%
Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH)	103	85	363	1.22%	0.81%	3.19%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,290	1,909	2,092	15.32%	18.19%	18.39%
Total	8,418	10,497	11,374	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 8,418 people, 3,303 households, and 2,391 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 4,031 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 90.97% White, 0.74% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 5.88% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. 15.32% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,303 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.50% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 27.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,369, and the median income for a family was $45,382. Males had a median income of $31,717 versus $21,879 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,721. About 8.10% of families and 11.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.6%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Blanco County is located in the Hill Country of central Texas, west of Austin and north of San Antonio. Two significant rivers, the Blanco and the Pedernales, flow through the county.

Major highways

Politics

Communities

Cities

Blanco
Johnson City (county seat)

Town

Round Mountain

Unincorporated communities

Education

School districts:<ref>Template:Cite web - List</ref>

Austin Community College is the designated community college for the county.<ref>Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.166. AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA..</ref>

References

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External links

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Blanco County, Texas

Contents

History

Demographics