Liberty County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 91,628. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

. The county was created in 1831 as a municipality in Mexico and organized as a county in 1837. It is named for the popular American ideal of

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

. Liberty County is included in the

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

- The Woodlands-

Sugar Land Sugar Land is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located in the southwestern part of the metropolitan area. Located about southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land is a populous suburban municipality centered around ...

, TX

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which (1.5%) are covered by water. The Trinity River flows through this county, dividing the county roughly in half. The river begins on the northern border of Liberty County, forming the San Jacinto - Polk County line through the Liberty County line. The east fork of the San Jacinto River flows through far northeast parts of the county, flowing through

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. Tarkington Bayou begins in the Sam Houston National Forest in San Jacinto County, working its way south through northeast and east Liberty County and joining other feeders, before traveling into Harris County and emptying into Galveston Bay. The highest point in Liberty County is "Davis Hill", the roof of a

salt dome A salt dome is a type of structural dome formed when salt (or other evaporite minerals) intrudes into overlying rocks in a process known as diapirism. Salt domes can have unique surface and subsurface structures, and they can be discovered usin ...

in the northern part of the county.

Adjacent counties

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

(north) * Hardin County (east) * Jefferson County (southeast) * Chambers County (south) * Harris County (southwest) * Montgomery County (west) * San Jacinto County (northwest)

National protected areas

Big Thicket National Preserve The Big Thicket is the name given to a somewhat imprecise region of a heavily-forested area of Southeast Texas in the United States. This area represents a portion of the mixed pine-hardwood forests of southeast US. The National Park Service esta ...

(part) *

Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge was established on January 4, 1994 with an initial purchase of . Since that time, the refuge has acquired additional acreage which now totals . The primary purpose of establishing this refuge is to protect a ...

Communities

Cities

Ames Ames may refer to: Places United States * Ames, Arkansas, a place in Arkansas * Ames, Colorado * Ames, Illinois * Ames, Indiana * Ames, Iowa, the most populous city bearing this name * Ames, Kansas * Ames, Nebraska * Ames, New York * Ames, Ok ...

* Daisetta *

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

* Dayton Lakes * Devers * Hardin *

(county seat) * Mont Belvieu (mostly in Chambers County) * Nome * North Cleveland *

Old River-Winfree Old River-Winfree is a city in Chambers and Liberty counties, Texas, United States. The population was 1,315 at the 2020 census. Geography Old River-Winfree is located in northwestern Chambers County at (29.877309, –94.821571). A small portio ...

(mostly in Chambers County) * Plum Grove

Town

* Kenefick

Census-designated place

* Big Thicket Lake Estates (partly in

) * Hull

Unincorporated communities

* Dolen * Eastgate * Hightower * Hoop and Holler * Macedonia * Moss Bluff * Moss Hill * Rayburn * Raywood * Romayor * Rye * Stilson * Tarkington Prairie

Demographics

''Note: the U.S. Census Bureau treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.'' As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, 70,154 people, 23,242 households, and 17,756 families resided in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 60 people per square mile (23/km²). The 26,359 housing units averaged 23 per square mile (9/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the county was 78.90% White, 12.82% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 6.06% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. About 10.92% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 23,242 households, 38.10% had children under 18 living with them, 60.50% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.60% were not families. About 20.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.23. In the county, the population was distributed as 27.60% under18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 31.60% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $38,361, and for a family was $43,744. Males had a median income of $37,957 versus $22,703 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $15,539. About 11.10% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 15.00% of those age 65 or over. Of Liberty County's residents, 8.8% have a college degree, the lowest percentage of any U.S. county with a population exceeding 50,000.

Government and politics

Liberty County, formerly strongly Democratic like much of the rest of Texas before the mid-20th century, has trended sharply Republican in recent years. As is the case with most rural Texas counties, the Republican margin of victory has largely increased since

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

won the county in the 1990s.

United States Congress

Texas Legislature

Texas Senate

* District 3: Robert Nichols ( R)- first elected in 2006

Texas House of Representatives

District 18:

Ernest Bailes Ernest James Bailes IV (born April 13, 1982), is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 18 in southeastern Texas. Bailes in 2017 succeeded Republican John Otto, who did not seek re-election in 2016. Backgro ...

(R) - first elected in 2016

Liberty County elected officials

Economy

Around 1995, the economy of Liberty County was mainly focused on agriculture and oil. As of that year, the economy of Liberty County was struggling. At that time, the

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails, ...

had established four correctional facilities (

, Henley, Hightower, and

Plane Plane(s) most often refers to: * Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft * Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface Plane or planes may also refer to: Biology * Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant * ''Planes' ...

) in the county within a six-year span. As of 1995, the facilities employed 1,045 employees and contributed $22 million in the county's annual payroll. Since Cleveland is a privately operated facility, the county receives tax revenue from the prison's operation.Horswell, Cindy.
For hard-hit economy of Liberty County, crime officially pays
" ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

''. Thursday June 29, 1995. A30. Retrieved on July 23, 2010.

Education

School districts include: * Cleveland ISD (portions of the district extends into other counties) * Dayton Independent School District (ISD) (portions of the district extends into another county) * Devers ISD * Hardin ISD * Hull-Daisetta ISD * Liberty ISD *

Tarkington ISD Tarkington Independent School District is a public school district in north central Liberty County, Texas ( USA). All 4 campuses are located on the same plot of land, with the High School facing County Road 2268, and the other three campus are al ...

Sections in Dayton, Devers, Hardin, Hull-Daisetta, and Liberty school districts are assigned to

Lee College Lee College is a public community college in Baytown, Texas. Lee College's main campus occupies near downtown Baytown and extension campuses throughout its service area. The school has an enrollment of over 7,773 total students as of Fall 2018. ...

. Sections in the Cleveland and Tarkington school districts are assigned to

Lone Star College Lone Star College (LSC) is a public community college system serving the northern portions of the Greater Houston, Texas, area. In 2017 it enrolled about 95,000 students. The headquarters of the Lone Star College System are located in The Wood ...

. The

Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center is located in unincorporated Liberty County, Texas. The facility is located north of Liberty, east of Downtown Austin and northeast of Downtown Houston. It is owned and operated by the Texas ...

, operated by the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) refers to the agency in the state of Texas that assists the people of Texas to effectively use information, archival resources, public records and library materials to improve their lives, th ...

, is located north of Liberty in an unincorporated area. Judge and Mrs.

Price Daniel Marion Price Daniel Sr. (October 10, 1910August 25, 1988), was an American jurist and politician who served as a Democratic U.S. Senator and the 38th governor of Texas. He was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to be a member of the Na ...

donated of land for the purpose of establishing a library on September 27, 1973. Construction began in the fall of 1975; by then, $700,000 had been raised through private donations. The library opened on May 14, 1977.

Infrastructure

Outside of the city limits, ambulance services are provided by contract through Allegiance EMS. Fire protection is provided mostly through volunteer fire departments, four of which in Liberty County are funded by emergency services districts.

Police services

The headquarters of the Liberty County Sheriff's Office, which serves unincorporated areas and supplements police forces of incorporated areas, is within the city of Liberty. Most incorporated areas operate their own police departments, including Cleveland, Daisetta, Dayton, Kenefick, and Liberty. Liberty County also has a constable for each of its six precincts and deputies assigned to each.

Fire services

Incorporated cities of Cleveland and Liberty operate their own fire departments staffed by a combination of paid and volunteer members. Both departments cover territory outside their respective city limits. Fire departments serving unincorporated areas: * Ames VFD 1 station * Cleveland VFD 2 stations (Covering areas inside the City of Cleveland and North Cleveland, and unincorporated Liberty County) * Cypress Lakes VFD 1 station * Dayton VFD 2 stations (covering areas inside the City of Dayton, and unincorporated Liberty County) * Devers VFD 1 station * Hardin VFD 1 station (covering areas inside the City of Hardin, and unincorporated Liberty County) * Highway 321 VFD 1 station * Hull-Daisetta VFD 1 station (covering areas inside the City of Daisetta, and unincorporated Liberty County) * Kenefick VFD 1 station (covering areas inside the City of Kenefick, and unincorporated Liberty County) * Liberty VFD 1 station (covering areas inside the City of Liberty, and unincorporated Liberty County) * Moss Bluff VFD 1 station * North Liberty County VFD 1 station * Plum Grove VFD 1 station (covering areas inside the City of Plum Grove, and unincorporated Liberty County) * Raywood VFD 1 Station * Tarkington VFD 2 stations * Westlake VFD 1 station * Woodpecker VFD 1 station

Emergency medical services

Emergency medical services are provided by Allegiance EMS, with the only exception being inside the City of Liberty, for which service is provided by the City of Liberty Fire and EMS Department.

Corrections

The

operates one women's prison and two women's state jails, all co-located in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

. The L.V. Hightower Unit prison and the

Dempsie Henley Unit Dempsie Henley State Jail is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice state jail for women located in unincorporated Liberty County, Texas. It is located on Texas State Highway 321, north of Dayton. The facility, on an approximately plot of land, ...

and Lucille G. Plane Unit jails are north of

.Hightower Unit
."

. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.Henley Unit
."

. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.Plane Unit
."

. Retrieved on May 10, 2010. The Cleveland Unit, a prison for men privately operated by the GEO Group, Inc. on behalf of the TDCJ, is in

.Cleveland Unit
."

. Retrieved on May 10, 2010. Cleveland opened in September 1989. Hightower opened in March 1990. Henley and Plane opened in May 1995. Also, in 1992

Community Education Centers Community Education Centers, Inc. (abbreviated CEC) was a private corrections company based in West Caldwell, New Jersey that operated residential reentry facilities, jails, and in-prison drug treatment programs in seventeen American states and Berm ...

opened a private detention center under federal contract with the

United States Marshals Service The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforc ...

for 372 beds, co-located at the old decommissioned Liberty County Jail. As of 1995, of all Texas counties, Liberty County had the fourth-largest number of state prisons and jails, after

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People * Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) * Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California ...

, Brazoria, and Coryell Counties.

Transportation

Major highways

U.S. Highway 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA superhighway, NAFTA ...

Interstate 69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of 10 unconnected segments with an original continuous segment from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, at ...

is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 59 in most places. * U.S. Highway 90 * State Highway 61 * State Highway 99 (Grand Parkway) * State Highway 105 * State Highway 146 * State Highway 321

Aviation

Two

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

airports are located in unincorporated sections of the county. * Liberty Municipal Airport is located east of Liberty. * Cleveland Municipal Airport is located east of Cleveland. The

Houston Airport System Houston Airport System (HAS) is a department of the City of Houston, Texas, United States that manages city airports. Its administrative offices are on the property of George Bush Intercontinental Airport.George Bush Intercontinental Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport is an international airport in Houston, Texas, United States, serving the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Located about north of Downtown Houston between Interstate 45 and Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 5 ...

, an international airport in Houston in Harris County.Master Plan Executive Summary
." ''George Bush Intercontinental Airport Master Plan''. Houston Airport System. December 2006. 2-1 (23/130). Retrieved on December 14, 2010.

Toll roads

The Liberty County Toll Road Authority does not operate any toll roads at present. In July, 2007, Liberty County created the Liberty County Toll Road Authority to have a say in any and all future toll-road projects located within the county.

Notable people

* William Fields (1810-1858), American politician *

Bobby Seale Robert George Seale (born October 22, 1936) is an American political activist and author. Seale is widely known for co-founding the Black Panther Party with fellow activist Huey P. Newton. Founded as the "Black Panther Party for Self-Defense", ...

, co-founder of the

Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxist-Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, Califo ...

References

External links

Liberty County government's website

Liberty County in ''Handbook of Texas Online''
from

The University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

The Liberty Courier -- Conservative Twist, Local news
Mainly focuses on politics in Liberty County Texas.
Cleveland Advocate
Cleveland Area Newspaper, covers north east Liberty County.
Liberty County, TXGenWeb
Focuses on genealogical research of Liberty County.
Liberty County Libertarian Party
{{Coord, 30.15, -94.81, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1836 establishments in the Republic of Texas Populated places established in 1836 Greater Houston