Kountze, Texas

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Kountze (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Texas, United States.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The population was 1,981 at the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite web</ref> The city is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Kountze was originally established as a railroad town in 1881. The city was named for Herman and Augustus Kountze, financial backers of the Sabine and East Texas Railroad.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The seat of Hardin County, Kountze boasts an area of more than 89% forested lush green terrain. The local area produces over Template:Convert of lumber annually.

Kountze describes itself as "The Gateway to the Big Thicket". The thicket is a vast area of tangled, often impenetrable woods, streams, and marshes that occupies a Template:Convert circle of southeastern Texas, about Template:Convert north of Beaumont. The cradle of the United States' oil industry is found in the region. Now portions of the thicket are nationally protected as the Big Thicket National Preserve.

In 1991, Kountze became the first American city with a Muslim mayor, an African American named Charles Bilal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>[1]</ref>

Sites of interest

Kirby-Hill House: This historic home was built in 1902 by James L. Kirby, brother of timber baron and philanthropist John Henry Kirby. James' daughter, Lucy Kirby Hill, purchased the house from her father in 1907. It is the first Hardin County home listed in the National Register of Historic Places.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Big Thicket National Preserve was established by Congress in 1974. This combination of virgin pine and cypress forest, hardwood forest, meadow, and blackwater swamp is managed by the National Park Service. The preserve was established to protect the remnant of its complex biological diversity.

Geography

Kountze is slightly northeast of the center of Hardin County, north of Cypress Creek, an east-flowing tributary of Village Creek and part of the Neches River watershed. U.S. Route 287 (Pine Street) is the main highway through the city, leading north Template:Convert to Woodville and south Template:Convert to Beaumont. Texas State Highway 326 (W. Monroe Street) leads southwest from Kountze Template:Convert to Sour Lake.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city of Kountze has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert, or 0.20%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Kountze has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

Template:US Census population

**Kountze racial composition as of 2020**<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
(NH = Non-Hispanic)Template:Efn
Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	1,327	66.99%
Black or African American (NH)	443	22.36%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	5	0.25%
Asian (NH)	19	0.96%
Pacific Islander (NH)	1	0.05%
Some Other Race (NH)	8	0.4%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	72	3.63%
Hispanic or Latino	106	5.35%
Total	1,981

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,981 people, 704 households, and 496 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 census, Kountze had a population of 2,123. The ethnic and racial makeup of the population was 70.1% non-Hispanic White, 23.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian Indian, 0.4% Filipino, 0.1% other Asian, 1.3% some other race, and 2.2% reporting two or more races, including 5.0% Hispanic.<ref>[2010 US census report on Kountze]</ref>

As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, 2,115 people, 747 households, and 537 families resided in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. The 897 housing units averaged 225.9 per square mile (87.2/kmTemplate:Sup). The racial makeup of the city was 70.59% White, 26.43% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.71% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.84% of the population.

Of the 747 households, 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were not families; 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the city, the population was distributed as 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,352, and for a family was $34,318. Males had a median income of $30,656 versus $22,083 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,522. About 19.0% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.8% of those under age 18 and 24.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The city is served by the Kountze Independent School District.

The Kountze Lions' varsity basketball team has won state titles in 1970, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2025 in both 2A and 3A of UIL standings. The Kountze Lionette's varsity basketball team has also made four appearances at the Frank Erwin Center at the University of Texas at Austin. The Kountze volleyball team has also brought home several state championship titles, as well as advanced to the final four several times.