Madison County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located 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 so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 13,455. Its

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

is Madisonville. The county was created in 1853 and organized the next year. It is named for

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

, the fourth

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. In 1852, Hillary Mercer Crabb was elected to serve the unexpired term of State Representative F. L. Hatch. Among Crabb's accomplishments as a legislator was the introduction of a bill to create Madison County.

History

The current Madison County Courthouse was built in 1970. It is at least the fifth courthouse to serve Madison County. Hillary Mercer Crabb also served as a justice of the peace and chief justice (county judge). In 1852 he was elected to serve the unexpired term of State Representative F. L. Hatch. Among Crabb's accomplishments as a legislator was the introduction of a bill to create Madison County.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (1.3%) are covered by water. The county has three natural borders; its eastern boundary is defined by the Trinity River, its western boundary is defined by the Navasota River, and the portion of its southern border adjacent to Walker County is defined by Bedias Creek.. By Ann E. Hodges. Retrieved February 5, 2007.

Major highways

Interstate 45 Interstate 45 (I-45) is a major Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. While most primary Interstate routes which have numbers ending in "5" are cross-country north–south routes, I-45 is comparatively short, ...

* U.S. Highway 190 * State Highway 21 * State Highway 75 * State Highway 90 * State Highway OSR * Loop 1853

Notes

# Loop 1853 will be a relief route for SH 21.

Adjacent counties

* Leon County (north) * Houston County (northeast) * Walker County (southeast) * Grimes County (south) * Brazos County (west)

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, 12,940 people, 3,914 households, and 2,837 families were residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . The 4,797 housing units average density . The racial makeup of the county was 66.79% White, 22.87% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 7.93% from other races, and 1.72% from two or more races. About 15.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 3,914 households, 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couples living together, 11.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were not families. About 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57, and the average family size was 3.05. In the county, the age distribution was 21.10% under 18, 13.00% from 18 to 24, 31.90% from 25 to 44, 20.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 142.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 155.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,418, and for a family was $35,779. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $19,777 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $14,056. About 12.30% of families and 15.80% 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 ...

, including 20.00% of those under age 18 and 16.30% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Ferguson Unit, a

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 ...

prison for men, is located in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in the county.Ferguson Unit
."

. Retrieved on July 16, 2010.

Politics

Communities

Cities

* Madisonville (county seat) * Midway

Town

* Normangee (mostly in Leon County)

Unincorporated community

* North Zulch

Education

School districts: * Madisonville Consolidated Independent School District * Normangee Independent School District * North Zulch Independent School District Blinn College is the designated community college for all of the county.Texas Education Code Sec. 130.168. BLINN JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
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References

External links

Madison County government's website
* {{authority control Populated places established in 1854 1854 establishments in Texas