Aransas County, Texas

Aransas County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is Rockport.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

As of the 2020 census, its population was 23,830.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Aransas County comprises the Rockport, Texas micropolitan statistical area.

History

Spanish conquistador and cartographer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda was likely the first European to encounter this land when he sailed along the Texas coast in the summer of 1519 and charted Aransas Bay. This name is derived from an outpost established during the Viceroyalty of New Spain called "Río de Nuestra Señora de Aránzazu", which was itself named for the Sanctuary of Aránzazu, a Franciscan sanctuary in Oñate, Gipuzkoa, Spain, whose name originates from the Basque language.

In 1871, the Texas Legislature established Aransas County from portions of Refugio County, and it organized the following year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey inflicted tremendous damage on the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (52%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

• Calhoun County (northeast)
• Gulf of Mexico (east)
• Nueces County (south)
• San Patricio County (southwest)
• Refugio County (northwest)

National protected area

• Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

2020 census

Aransas 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)	16,596	16,350	15,816	73.77%	70.59%	66.37%
Black or African American alone (NH)	303	258	241	1.35%	1.11%	1.01%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	104	118	142	0.46%	0.51%	0.60%
Asian alone (NH)	614	443	480	2.73%	1.91%	2.01%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	7	5	15	0.03%	0.02%	0.06%
Other race alone (NH)	23	21	78	0.10%	0.09%	0.33%
Mixed or multiracial alone (NH)	279	273	900	1.24%	1.18%	3.78%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4,571	5,690	6,158	20.32%	24.58%	25.84%
Total	22,497	23,158	23,830	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, 23,830 people, 9,917 households, and 6,303 families resided in the county.

As of the 2000 census,<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> 22,497 people, 9,132 households, and 6,401 families lived in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. The 12,848 housing units had an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 87.44% White, 1.43% Black or African American], 0.58% Native American, 2.77% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 5.33% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races. About 20.32% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Of the 9,132 households, 27.0% had children under 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were not families. About 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.90. As of the 2010 census, about 5.9 same-sex couples per 1,000 households lived in the county.<ref name=newyorktimes>Template:Citation</ref>

In the county, the age distribution was 23.8% under 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,702, and for a family was $34,915. Males had a median income of $31,597 versus $20,289 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,560. About 15.5% of families and 19.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.0% of those under 18 and 10.2% of those 65 or over.

Education

Most county residents, including the cities of Rockport and Fulton, are served by the Rockport-Fulton Independent School District. Some residents (including the city of Aransas Pass, which is actually outside of the county) are served by the Aransas Pass Independent School District. Del Mar College is the designated community college for the county.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Transportation

Major highways

• File:Texas 35.svg State Highway 35
• File:Texas 188.svg State Highway 188

Airport

Aransas County Airport is located in Fulton, north of Rockport.

Communities

Cities

• Aransas Pass (partly in San Patricio and Nueces counties)
• Corpus Christi (mostly in Nueces County with small parts also in Kleberg and San Patricio Counties)
• Rockport (county seat)

Towns

• Fulton

Census-designated places

• Holiday Beach
• Lamar

Unincorporated communities

• Estes
• Palm Harbor

Ghost towns

• Aransas City

See also

• List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Aransas County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Aransas County

References

<references /> Template:Notelist

External links

• Aransas County government
• Template:Handbook of Texas
• Aransas County from the Texas Almanac
• Aransas County from the TXGenWeb Project
• Historic Photographs of Aransas County
• RockportFulton.com Local Area Guide