Henderson County, Texas

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File:"Courthouse under the Oaks" historical marker, Athens, TX IMG 0577.JPG

"Courts Under the Oaks" in Athens

File:Henderson County, TX, Peace Officers Assn. monument IMG 0585.JPG

Henderson County Peace Officers Association monument

Henderson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 82,150.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Athens.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county is named in honor of James Pinckney Henderson, the first attorney general of the Republic of Texas, and secretary of state for the republic.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He later served as the first governor of Texas. Henderson County was established in 1846, the year after Texas gained statehood. Its first town was Buffalo, laid out in 1847.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Henderson County comprises the Athens micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Dallas-Fort Worth combined statistical area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (7.9%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

Lakes

Adjacent counties

Kaufman County (north)
Van Zandt County (north)
Smith County (east)
Cherokee County (southeast)
Anderson County (south)
Freestone County (southwest)
Navarro County (west)
Ellis County (northwest)

Communities

Ghost towns

Demographics

Template:US Census population

**Henderson County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name="2020CensusP2">Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	62,214	63,494	61,854	84.78%	80.85%	75.29%
Black or African American alone (NH)	4,811	4,813	4,705	6.57%	6.13%	5.73%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	334	349	414	0.46%	0.44%	0.50%
Asian alone (NH)	220	318	510	0.30%	0.40%	0.62%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	19	27	31	0.03%	0.03%	0.04%
Other Race alone (NH)	24	76	211	0.03%	0.10%	0.26%
Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH)	674	965	3,183	0.92%	1.23%	3.87%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5,071	8,490	11,242	6.92%	10.81%	13.68%
Total	73,277	78,532	82,150	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, 73,277 people, 28,804 households, and 20,969 families were residing in the county. Its population density was Template:Convert. The 35,935 housing units averaged Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 88.50% White, 6.61% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 2.75% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. About 6.92% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. At the 2020 census, its population increased to 82,150 with a predominantly non-Hispanic white population; the Hispanic or Latino population of any race increased to 13.68% reflecting nationwide demographic trends.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Government

County Judge: Wade McKinney
Commissioner Pct. 1: Wendy Spivey
Commissioner Pct. 2: Scott Tuley
Commissioner Pct. 3: Charles "Chuck" McHam
Commissioner Pct. 4: Mark Richardson
County Clerk: Mary Margret Wright
District Clerk: Betty Herriage
County Attorney: Clint Davis
District Attorney: Jenny Palmer
County Auditor: Ann Marie Lee
County Treasurer: Michael Bynum
County Court at Law #1 Judge: Scott Williams
County Court at Law #2 Judge: Nancy Perryman
3rd District Court Judge: Mark Calhoon
173rd District Court Judge: Dan Moore
392nd District Court Judge: R. Scott McKee
Justice of the Peace Pct. 1: Randy Daniel
Constable Pct. 1: Thomas Goodell
Justice of the Peace Pct. 2: Kevin Pollock
Constable Pct. 2: Jason Ramsey
Justice of the Peace Pct. 3: James "Tony" Duncan
Constable Pct. 3: David Grubbs
Justice of the Peace Pct. 4: Milton Adams
Constable Pct. 4: John Floyd
Justice of the Peace Pct. 5: Tanya Norris
Constable Pct. 5: Brad Miers
Sheriff: Botie Hillhouse
Tax Assessor/Collector: Peggy Goodall
Elections Administrator: Paula Ludtke
Fire Marshal/Emergency Management Coordinator: Shane Renburg

Politics

Media

Henderson County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth DMA. Local media outlets are: KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, and KFWD-TV. Other nearby stations that provide coverage for Henderson County come from the Tyler/Longview/Jacksonville market and they include: KLTV, KTRE-TV, KYTX-TV, KFXK-TV, KCEB-TV, and KETK-TV.

Newspaper coverage of the area can be found in the Athens Daily Review, based in Athens; The Monitor is published in Mabank, which is primarily in Kaufman County, but also covers news in parts of Henderson County, as well.

Crime

Paul Knight of the Houston Press said in a 2009 article that some people blamed the development of the artificial Cedar Creek Lake, which opened in 1965, and development of the area surrounding the lake for the initial influx of crime and recreational drugs into the county and the East Texas region. Carroll Dyson, a retired pilot and Henderson County resident interviewed by the Houston Press, said in 2009 that the lake attracted "white flight" from metropolitan areas.<ref name="Superthief1">Knight, Paul. "Superthief." September 22, 2009. 1. Retrieved on September 28, 2009.</ref> Dyson added, "When all your rich people from Dallas and Houston move out here, the thieves are just drawn to them." Ray Nutt, the sheriff of Henderson County, said that the area around the lake has "a lot of good people," yet it was also where "a lot of criminals tend to flow."<ref name="Superthief2">Knight, Paul. "Superthief." September 22, 2009. 2. Retrieved on September 28, 2009.</ref>

References

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External links

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