Sabine County is a county located on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of

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 9,894. The county was organized on December 14, 1837, and named for the Sabine River, which forms its eastern border.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (15%) is water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 96 * State Highway 21 * State Highway 87 * State Highway 103 * State Highway 184

National Protected Areas

* Sabine National Forest (part)

Adjacent counties and parish

* Shelby County (north) * Sabine Parish, Louisiana (east) * Newton County (south) * Jasper County (southwest) * San Augustine County (west)

History

Like other eastern Texas counties, Sabine was originally developed as cotton plantations, which depended on the labor of numerous enslaved African Americans. After the Civil War and emancipation, many freedmen remained in the rural area, working as tenant farmers and sharecroppers. There was considerable violence by whites against blacks during and after Reconstruction. After 1877 and through the early 20th century, Sabine County had 10 lynchings of blacks by whites in acts of racial terrorism. This was the fourth-highest total in the state, where lynchings took place in nearly all counties through this period. From 1930 to 1970, the population declined as many African Americans left this rural county and other parts of the South in the Great Migration to escape Jim Crow oppression and seek better jobs, especially in Northern industrial cities and on the West Coast, where the defense industry built up during World War II.

Demographics

2020 census

2000 Census

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, there were 10,469 people, 4,485 households, and 3,157 families 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 . There were 7,659 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 87.85%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 9.92% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.82% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 1.81% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 4,485 households, out of which 23.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.90% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.78. In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.10% under the age of 18, 5.60% from 18 to 24, 21.10% from 25 to 44, 27.20% from 45 to 64, and 24.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 93.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $27,198, and the median income for a family was $32,554. Males had a median income of $28,695 versus $21,141 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 $15,821. About 11.80% of families and 15.90% 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 23.90% of those under age 18 and 12.70% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The following school districts serve Sabine County: * Brookeland Independent School District (partial) * Hemphill Independent School District * Shelbyville Independent School District (partial) * West Sabine Independent School District The county is in the service area of Angelina College.

Communities

Cities

* Hemphill (county seat) * Pineland

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated places

* Milam

Unincorporated communities

* Bronson * Brookeland (partly in Jasper County) * Fairmount *

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

* Isla * Pendleton Harbor * Rosevine * Sexton * Yellowpine

Historical communities

* Bayou * East Mayfield * Fairdale * Gravehill * Pendleton * Plainview * Sabinetown * Tebo *

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

* Vesta

COVID-19 pandemic

In July 2021, Sabine County ranked the highest in the United States for cases of Coronavirus per 100,000 people.

Politics

Sabine County has become a solidly Republican county since the beginning of the 21st century but previously leaned Democratic, voting for

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

in both 1992 and 1996 and also against Texan

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

in 1988 and 1992. Sabine County is represented in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican Travis Clardy.

References

External links

Sabine County website

Sabine County Chamber of Commerce
* {{coord, 31.34, -93.85, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1837 establishments in the Republic of Texas Populated places established in 1837