Jim Wells County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 38,891. The county was founded in 1911 and is named for James B. Wells, Jr. (1850-1923), for three decades a judge and

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

political boss in

South Texas South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of—and includes—San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of this region is about 4.96 ...

. Jim Wells County comprises the Alice, Texas micropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Corpus Christi- Kingsville-Alice combined statistical area.

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 (0.4%) are covered by water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 281 U.S. Route 281 (US 281) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway. At it is the longest continuous three-digit U.S. Route. The highway's northern terminus is at the International Peace Garden, north of Dunseith, North Dakota, at t ...

** Interstate 69C is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 281 in most places. * State Highway 44 * State Highway 141 * State Highway 359 * Farm to Market Road 624 * Farm to Market Road 665 *

Farm to Market Road 716 A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

Farm to Market Road 2295 A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

Adjacent counties

* Live Oak County (north) *

San Patricio County San Patricio County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 68,755. Its county seat is Sinton, Texas, Sinton. San Patricio County is part of the Corpus Christi, Texas, Corpus C ...

(northeast) *

Nueces County Nueces County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 353,178, making it the 16th-most populous county in the state. The county seat is Corpus Christi. The county was formed in 1846 from portions of S ...

(east) *

Kleberg County Kleberg County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 31,040. The county seat is Kingsville. The county was organized in 1913 and is named for Robert J. Kleberg, an early settler. Kleberg County is ...

(east) * Brooks County (south) * Duval County (west)

Demographics

''Note: the US Census 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.'' At the 2000 census, 39,326 people, 12,961 households and 10,096 families were residing in the county. The population density was 46 people/sq mi (18/km²). The 14,819 housing units had an average density of 17/sq mi (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 77.90% White, 0.60% African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 118.83% from other races, and 2.43% from two or more races. About 75.71% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. Of the 12,961 households, 40.2% had children under 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were not families. About 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.99, and the average family size was 3.45. Age distribution was 31.4% under 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 91.40 males. The median household income was $28,843, and the median family income was $32,616. Males had a median income of $30,266 versus $17,190 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,252. About 20.1% of families and 24.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.8% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those aged 65 or over.

Government and politics

Located in South Texas, Jim Wells County is part of the oldest Democratic stronghold in the entire United States, a region that has consistently voted for Democrats since the days of Woodrow Wilson. Th
Jim Wells County Democratic Party
has maintained control of the county despite massive demographic changes due to Civil Rights, the collapse of

Jim Crow The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sout ...

and

poll tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...

es, and mass immigration from Mexico. The only Republicans to win the county since its creation are Dwight D. Eisenhower in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

, Richard Nixon in his 1972 landslide and Donald Trump in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

. Since 2004, Jim Wells County has become slightly less Democratic than it was during the late twentieth century. Despite this shift, the Democratic candidate won at least 53.77 percent of the county's vote in every election from 1976 to 2020. In 2020 the county ended its streak of Democratic victories when it was won by Donald Trump with a 10% margin. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Republican Greg Abbott won 52.04% of the vote in Jim Wells County, becoming the first member of his party to win the county in a statewide race. During the same election, Democrat Beto O'Rourke won the county in the Senate contest with 53.85% of the vote.

1948 U.S. Senate election

Jim Wells County is known as the home of "Box 13", the infamous ballot box that gave Lyndon Baines Johnson an 86-vote edge over popular former governor

Coke Stevenson Coke Robert Stevenson (March 20, 1888 – June 28, 1975) was an American politician who served as the 35th governor of Texas from 1941 to 1947. He was the first Texan politician to hold its three highest offices (Speaker of the Texas Hou ...

in the Democratic primary election. It was later demonstrated that 200 votes, for Johnson, were "stuffed" into the ballot box after the polls closed. Johnson went on to win the election.

Communities

Cities

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

(county seat) *

Orange Grove Orange Grove may refer to: General *An orchard of cultivated orange trees, in the United States often called an orange grove Places and buildings Australia * Orange Grove, New South Wales * Orange Grove, Western Australia South Africa * Orange ...

* Premont * San Diego (mostly in Duval County)

Village

* Pernitas Point (mostly in Live Oak County)

Census-designated places

Alfred Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

* Alice Acres * Amargosa * Ben Bolt * Coyote Acres * K-Bar Ranch * Loma Linda East * Owl Ranch * Rancho Alegre * Sandia * South La Paloma * Westdale

Unincorporated communities

* Bentonville * Casa Blanca * La Gloria * Palito Blanco * Rancho de la Parita *

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

Education

School districts in the county include: * Agua Dulce Independent School District *

Alice Independent School District Alice Independent School District is a public school district based in Alice, Texas (USA). In addition to Alice, the district also serves the communities of Alice Acres, Amargosa, Coyote Acres, Owl Ranch, Rancho Alegre, and portions of L ...

* Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco Independent School District *

La Gloria Independent School District La Gloria Independent School District No. 906 (LGISD) is a public school district based in the community of La Gloria, Texas (USA). The district has one school - La Gloria Elementary - that serves students in grades pre-kindergarten through six. ...

Orange Grove Independent School District Orange Grove Independent School District is a public school district based in Orange Grove, Texas (USA). In addition to Orange Grove, the district also serves the communities of Alfred, K-Bar Ranch, Sandia, South La Paloma, Westdale,and the J ...

* Premont Independent School District *

San Diego Independent School District San Diego Independent School District is a public school district based in San Diego, Texas (USA). Located in Duval County, a small portion of the district extends into Jim Wells County. The portion in Jim Wells County includes the western part ...

Coastal Bend College (formerly Bee County College) is the designated community college for the county.Texas Education Code Sec. 130.167. BEE COUNTY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
The legislation calls it "Bee County College".

References

External links

Jim Wells County in ''Handbook of Texas Online''
at the University of Texas {{coord, 27.73, -98.09, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1911 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1911 Majority-minority counties in Texas Hispanic and Latino American culture in Texas