Fayette County is a

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

located in the U.S. state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,435. Its

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 ...

is La Grange. The county was created in 1837 and organized the next year.

History

Fayette County was established in 1837 from land given by Bastrop and

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

Counties. It is named for the

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

, a French

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

who became an

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

hero. An early resident of Brazoria County and then Fayette County,

Joel Walter Robison Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to: * Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name. * Joel (surname), a surname * Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...

, fought in the Texas Revolution and served in the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abo ...

. More than a dozen historic properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Fayette County. Fayette County is the location of the real Chicken Ranch, which was the basis of the musical play and feature film '' The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas''.

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 are land and (1.0%) are covered by water.

Adjacent counties

* Lee County (north) * Washington County (northeast) * Austin County (east) * Colorado County (southeast) * Lavaca County (south) *

Gonzales County Gonzales County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, adjacent to Greater Austin-San Antonio. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,653. The county is named for its county seat, the city of Gonzales. The county was created in 1836 a ...

(southwest) * Caldwell County (west) *

Bastrop County Bastrop County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in Central Texas and its county seat is Bastrop. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,216. Bastrop County is included in the Austin– Round Rock, Texas, metropolit ...

(northwest) Fayette County Courthouse Atrium

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.'' 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 inc ...

of 2000, 21,804 people, 8,722 households, and 6,044 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 23 people per square mile (9/km²). The 11,113 housing units averaged 12 per square mile (5/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 84.58% White, 7.01% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 6.72% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. About 12.78% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race; 34.9% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 16.4% Czech, 7.6%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, and 5.3%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

ancestry according to

Census 2000 The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

. Christianity is the number-one religion and Judaism is the second. Of the 8,722 households, 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% were not families. About 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the population was distributed as 23.20% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 22.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.00 males. The

median income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways o ...

for a household in the county was $34,526, and for a family was $43,156. Males had a median income of $29,008 versus $20,859 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 $18,888. About 8.10% of families and 11.40% 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 12.70% of those under age 18 and 13.50% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Airport

The county owns

Fayette Regional Air Center Fayette Regional Air Center is a county-owned public-use airport in unincorporated Fayette County, Texas, United States, located two miles (3 kilometers) west of the central business district of the City of La Grange. Facilities and aircr ...

, in an unincorporated area west of LaGrange.

Major highways

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally p ...

* U.S. Highway 77 *

U.S. Highway 90 U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. With the exception of a short-lived ...

* U.S. Highway 290 * State Highway 71 * State Highway 95 * State Highway 159 * State Highway 237

Media

Fayette County is home to three newspapers and two radio stations.

Newspapers

''Fayette County Record''
* '' Schulenburg Sticker'' * ''Flatonia Argus''

Radio

* KVLG/KBUK * KTIMe

Communities

Cities

Carmine Carmine ()also called cochineal (when it is extracted from the cochineal insect), cochineal extract, crimson lake, or carmine lake is a pigment of a bright-red color obtained from the aluminium complex derived from carminic acid. Specific code ...

* Ellinger * Fayetteville * La Grange (county seat) *

Schulenburg Schulenburg is a city in Fayette County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,633 at the 2020 census. Known for its German culture, Schulenburg is home of the Texas Polka Music Museum. It is in a rural, agricultural area settled by Germa ...

Towns

* Flatonia * Round Top

Unincorporated communities

* Ammannsville *

Cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by ...

* Dubina * Engle * Freyburg * High Hill * Holman * Hostyn * Kirtley * Ledbetter * Muldoon * Mullins Prairie * Nechanitz * O'Quinn * Oldenburg *

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. ...

Plum A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes. History Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found ...

* Praha * Rabbs Prairie * Rek Hill * Roznov * Rutersville * Swiss Alp * Waldeck * Walhalla * Warda * Warrenton *

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

* Willow Springs *

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

* Winedale

Ghost towns

* Biegel * Black Jack Springs * Bluff * Gay Hill * Haw Creek * Pin Oak * Stella

Politics

Education

School districts: * Fayetteville Independent School District *

Flatonia Independent School District Flatonia Independent School District is a public school district based in Flatonia, Texas (USA). The district has two campuses - Flatonia Secondary (Grades 7-12) and Flatonia Elementary (Grades K-6). In 2009, the school district was rated " rec ...

* Giddings Independent School District * La Grange Independent School District * Round Top-Carmine Independent School District * Schulenburg Independent School District * Smithville Independent School District * Weimar Independent School District Most of Fayette County is assigned to Blinn Junior College District. Austin Community College is the designated community college for portions of Fayette County in Smithville ISD.Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.166. AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.

References

External links

Fayette County government's website
*
Historic materials from Fayette County
hosted by th
Portal to Texas History
{{authority control 1838 establishments in the Republic of Texas Populated places established in 1838 ZZ Top