Walker 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 east-central section 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 76,400. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Huntsville. Initially, Walker County was named for Robert J. Walker, a legislator from

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, who introduced into the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

the resolution to annex Texas. Walker later supported the U.S. during its Civil War and earned some enmity for it. To keep the county's name, the state renamed it for Samuel H. Walker (no relation), a Texas Ranger and soldier in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. Walker County comprises the Huntsville micropolitan statistical area that is part of the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land combined statistical area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (2.2%) are covered by water.

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 * Texas 19

State Highway 19 * Texas 30

State Highway 30 * Texas 75

State Highway 75 * Texas 150

State Highway 150

Adjacent counties

* Houston County (north) * Trinity County (northeast) * San Jacinto County (east) * Montgomery County (south) * Grimes County (west) * Madison County (northwest)

National protected area

* Sam Houston National Forest (part)

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, 61,758 people, 18,303 households, and 11,384 families resided in the county. The population density was . The 21,099 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 69.12% White, 23.88% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.42% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. About 14.11% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. Of the 18,303 households, 28.7% had children under 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were not families. Around 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.02. In the county, the age distribution was 18.0% under 18, 23.0% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 151.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 161.9 males (numbers are skewed from normal due to men's prison population). The median income for a household in the county was $31,468, and for a family was $42,589. Males had a median income of $27,634 versus $22,579 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,508. About 10.6% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under 18 and 13.4% of those 65 or over.

Education

Sam Houston State University is located in Huntsville. School districts serving portions of the county include:Education Service Center, Region VI
." (Map) Educational Service Center 6. Retrieved December 8, 2011.

See text list
/ref> * Huntsville Independent School District * New Waverly Independent School District * Richards Independent School District (portion) * Trinity Independent School District (portion) The Gulf Coast Trades Center, a charter school, is in an unincorporated area of the county. The Huntsville and New Waverly ISDs are assigned to Lone Star College. Areas of Walker County in Trinity ISD are assigned to Angelina College. The portion of Richards ISD in Walker County is zoned to Blinn College.

Government and infrastructure

The headquarters of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), the Texas agency that operates adult state correctional facilities, are in Huntsville.Huntsville Prison Blues
" ''

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

''. September 10, 2001. Retrieved December 2, 2009. Walker County has the highest number of state prisons and jails of all of the counties in Texas.Horswell, Cindy.
For hard-hit economy of Liberty County, crime officially pays
" ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, 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''. ...

''. June 29, 1995, A30, Retrieved July 23, 2010. Several TDCJ prisons for men, including the Byrd Unit, the Goree Unit, the

Huntsville Unit Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville or Huntsville Unit (HV), nicknamed "Walls Unit", is a Texas state prison located in Huntsville, Texas, United States. The approximately facility, near downtown Huntsville, is operated by the Correctional Ins ...

, and the Wynne Unit, are in the Huntsville city limits. The Holliday Unit, a transfer unit, is in Huntsville. In addition the Ellis Unit and the Estelle Unit are in

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 ...

s of Walker County. The Huntsville Unit houses the State of Texas execution chamber.Death Row Facts
." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved May 7, 2010.

Politics

Like most of Texas, Walker County was solidly Democratic for the first half of the 20th century. Before 1972, the only time a Republican carried the county was in 1956, and it became a Republican stronghold afterwards, with only one candidate carrying the county from that point forward.

Communities

Cities

* Huntsville (county seat) * New Waverly * Riverside

Unincorporated community

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

Notable people

* Eugene C. Barker * Marilyn McAdams Sibley * Sherri Ann Jarvis, previously unidentified teenager found murdered on November 1, 1980 * Slater Martin, basketball Player

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1846 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1846 Greater Houston