Refugio County, Texas

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Refugio County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,741.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Refugio.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county originated as a municipality of Mexico in 1834 and was classified as a county in 1837.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (5.8%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

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2020 census

**Refugio 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 name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	3,703	3,337	2,864	47.30%	45.20%	42.49%
Black or African American alone (NH)	521	445	400	6.66%	6.03%	5.93%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	27	25	18	0.34%	0.34%	0.27%
Asian alone (NH)	20	27	27	0.26%	0.37%	0.40%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	3	0	0	0.04%	0.00%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	11	9	12	0.14%	0.12%	0.18%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	53	53	114	0.68%	0.72%	1.69%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3,490	3,487	3,306	44.58%	47.23%	49.04%
Total	7,828	7,383	6,741	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,741 people, 2,566 households, and 1,730 families residing in the county.

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, 7,828 people, 2,985 households, and 2,176 families resided in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. The 3,669 housing units averaged Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 80.22% White, 6.77% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 10.47% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were about 48.6% of the population.

File:Refugio County Memorial Hospital Texas July 2014.jpg

Refugio County Medical Center (2014)

Of the 2,985 households, 31.60% had children under 18 living with them, 55.10% were married couples living together, 12.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were not families. About 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.59, and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county, the population was distributed as 26.10% under 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.60% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,986, and for a family was $36,162. Males had a median income of $29,667 versus $16,565 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,481. About 14.30% of families and 17.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.20% of those under age 18 and 16.30% of those age 65 or over.

Oil and gas

Commercial gas was first discovered near the town of Refugio in 1920.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref> Oil was first discovered near Refugio in 1928.<ref name=":0" /> The Refugio oil and gas field had produced 32 million barrels and 271 billion cubic feet of gas by the end of 1937.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> A major oil field was discovered at Greta in 1933.<ref name=":0" /> The Greta oilfield's estimated cumulative recovery at abandonment are 152.5 million barrels of oil.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite report</ref> The largest oilfield in Refugio county, the Tom O'Connor oil field, was discovered in 1934.<ref name=":2" /> The Tom O'Connor field's estimated cumulative oil recovery at abandonment is 802.8 million barrels of oil<ref name=":1" /> and over 1 trillion cubic feet of gas.<ref name=":2" /> Other notable oil and gas fields in Refugio county, at least partially, include Anaqua, Bonnie View, Fagan, Huff, La Rosa, Mary Ellen O'Connor, and McFaddin oil and gas fields.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Quintana Tom O'Connor No. 1-A discovery well's location was based on a gravity survey and a trend of other fields in the southwest and northeast between the Vicksburg Fault Zone and the Frio Fault Zone.<ref name=":2">Mills, H.G., 1970, Geology of Tom O'Connor Field, Refugio County, Texas, in Geology of Giant Petroleum Oil Fields, Halbouty, M.T., editor, Tulsa: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, pp. 292 and 299</ref> The field is a structural trap formed by an anticline on the downthrown side of the Vicksburg Fault Zone.<ref name="Mills, H.G. 1970, p. 292">Mills, H.G., 1970, Geology of Tom O'Connor Field, Refugio County, Texas, in Geology of Giant Petroleum Oil Fields, Halbouty, M.T., editor, Tulsa: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, p. 292</ref> The faulting is due to "large-scale gravity slumping",<ref name="Mills, H.G. 1970, p. 292" /> and these types of faults are referred to as growth faults, which are normal faults that occur simultaneously with sedimentation.<ref name="geology dictionary">Template:Cite book</ref> Most of the oil and half the gas is produced at depths between 4500 and 6000 feet, from 15 oil reservoirs and 4 gas reservoirs in the Oligocene Frio Formation sandstones deposited during Marine regression, notably the "5900-foot sand", the "5800-foot sand", the "5500-foot sand" and the "5200-foot sand".<ref>Mills, H.G., 1970, Geology of Tom O'Connor Field, Refugio County, Texas, in Geology of Giant Petroleum Oil Fields, Halbouty, M.T., editor, Tulsa: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, pp. 292-293 and 295-296</ref> Gas with some oil is found above these sandstones in the Oligocene Anahuac Formation, deposited in a Marine transgression, notably the "4400-foot Greta sand".<ref>Mills, H.G., 1970, Geology of Tom O'Connor Field, Refugio County, Texas, in Geology of Giant Petroleum Oil Fields, Halbouty, M.T., editor, Tulsa: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, pp. 292 and 294 and 296</ref> Dry gas is found in the Miocene-Pliocene Fleming sandstones deposited during marine regression, notably the "L-4 sand, which is overlain by 1400 feet of Pleistocene Lissie sandstones.<ref>Mills, H.G., 1970, Geology of Tom O'Connor Field, Refugio County, Texas, in Geology of Giant Petroleum Oil Fields, Halbouty, M.T., editor, Tulsa: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, pp. 295-296</ref>

The last major oil field discovered in Refugio county was the Lake Pasture oil field, discovered in 1953, with an estimated cumulative recovery at abandonment of 104 million barrels of oil.<ref name=":1" />

Healthcare

Medical care is provided to the citizens of Refugio County through a county hospital, several rural health clinics, a wellness clinic, and a specialty clinic. Refugio County Medical Center opened in 1940 due to a surge in the population, and underwent expansions in 1962 and 2009. The hospital was run by religious orders until the 1970s, when Refugio County assumed operations. A hospital district was established in 1977.<ref name=RCMH>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

Cities

Austwell

Towns

Bayside
Refugio (County seat)
Woodsboro

Census-designated place

Tivoli

Ghost towns

Notable residents

Nicholas Fagan - early Refugio county pioneer and active participant in the Texas revolution

James Power - impresario and early settler of Refugio county

Thomas O'Connor - active participant in the Texas revolution and later largest land and cattle owner in the state of Texas

Politics

Education

School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

The portions of the county not in Woodsboro ISD are in the service area of Victoria College. Template:Asof the Texas Education Code does not specify a community college service area for the Woodsboro ISD portion.<ref>Texas Education Code Sec. 130.208. THE VICTORIA COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. Retrieved on November 29, 2024.</ref>

References

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External links

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