Baylor County, Texas

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Baylor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,465.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Seymour.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

In 1858, the Texas Legislature established Baylor County, naming it for Henry Weidner Baylor, a surgeon in the Texas Rangers during the Mexican–American War. It organized in 1879.<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 (3.7%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

Adjacent counties

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Wilbarger County (north)
Wichita County (northeast)
Archer County (east)
Young County (southeast)
Throckmorton County (south)
Haskell County (southwest)
Knox County (west)
Foard County (northwest)

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Geology

Template:See also Baylor County is part of the Texas Red Beds, which are strata of red-colored sedimentary rock from the Early Permian. The fossils of Permian period vertebrates in the Texas Red Beds were first discovered by Edward Drinker Cope in 1877.<ref>Cope, E. D. Descriptions of extinct vertebrata from the Permian and Triassic formations of the United States. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 1877. Volume 17:182–195. JSTOR. Accessed on August 28, 2017.</ref><ref>Case, E.C. The Red Beds between Wichita Falls, Texas, and Las Vegas, New Mexico, in Relation to Their Vertebrate Fauna. The Journal of Geology, vol. 22, no. 3, 1914, pp. 243–259. JSTOR. Accessed on August 28, 2017.</ref> Subsequent research has revealed rare fossils of Permian amphibians like Trimerorhachis,<ref>Henry,

Randy. NRCS and Landowner Team Up With Houston Museum after Rare Species Discovery. Natural Resources Conservation Service. Accessed on August 28, 2017.</ref> as well as rich deposits of other Permian tetrapods such as Dimetrodon and Diadectes.<ref>Caulfield, Dave. Prehistoric Predators: Fossil Findings in Seymour 'Redefining'. Newschannel 6: October 25, 2015. Accessed on August 28, 2017.</ref> Seymouria baylorensis, a species of Seymouria, was first discovered and named after Baylor County and the city of Seymour.<ref>Williston, S. W. Restoration of Seymouria Baylorensis Broili, an American Cotylosaur. The Journal of Geology: 1911, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 232–237. JSTOR. Accessed on August 28, 2017.</ref>

Demographics

Template:US Census population

**Baylor 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)	3,511	3,147	2,797	85.78%	84.46%	80.72%
Black or African American alone (NH)	135	71	52	3.30%	1.91%	1.50%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	22	10	11	0.54%	0.27%	0.32%
Asian alone (NH)	15	4	9	0.37%	0.11%	0.26%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	5	3	0	0.12%	0.08%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	0	1	8	0.00%	0.03%	0.23%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	23	35	149	0.56%	0.94%	4.30%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	382	455	439	9.33%	12.21%	12.67%
Total	4,093	3,726	3,465	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, 4,093 people, 1,791 households, and 1,156 families resided in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. The 2,820 housing units averaged Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 90.96% White, 3.35% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 3.32% from other races and 1.15% from two or more races; 9.33% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 1,791 households, 25.2% had children under the age of 18 residing in them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were not families. In addition, 33.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county, the population was distributed as 23.4% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,627, and for a family was $34,583. Males had a median income of $21,607 versus $19,571 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,384. About 16.1% of the population and 12.9% of families were below the poverty line, and 26.3% of those under the age of 18 and 9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Educational attainment

According to the 2000 census, 21.2% of those aged over 25 did not have a high school diploma, while 32.7% did. Roughly 8.7% of the population had a bachelor's degree, 2.3% had a master's degree, and 0.2% had a doctoral degree. No males had doctoral degrees, while 0.4% of females had one.

Education

Almost all of Baylor County is served by the Seymour Independent School District, which also serves portions of adjacent counties. A small portion is served by the Olney Independent School District.<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref> The OISD portion was served by the Megargel Independent School District,<ref>Texas Education Agency: See map of Baylor County. Retrieved on April 9, 2020.</ref> until MISD closed after May 2006.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The county is in the service area of Vernon College.<ref>Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.207. VERNON REGIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.</ref>