Hamilton 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 on the

Edwards Plateau The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region at the crossroads of Central, South, and West Texas. It is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east, the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north, and the Pecos River and Chihua ...

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, its population was 8,222. The

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 ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

. The county was created in 1858. It is named for James Hamilton Jr., a former governor of South Carolina who gave financial aid to the Republic of Texas.

History

Indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

were the first inhabitants of the area. Later Native American tribes settled in the area, including Tawakoni, Tonkawa,

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the s ...

and

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in ...

. In 1821, shortly after

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

claimed its independence from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, Anglo settlers from the North came to Texas, claiming Mexican citizenship. Following Texas's independence from Mexico (1836) and its

annexation Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...

by the United States (1845), Robert Carter and family became the first permanent

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

settlers in the county in 1854. The next year, settlers James Rice, Henry Standefer, Frederic Bookerman, William Beauchamp, and Asa Langford formed a community that later becomes the town of

. Asa Langford began Langford's Cove, which later grows into present-day

Evant Evant ( ) is a town in Coryell and Hamilton counties in central Texas, United States. The population was 426 at the 2010 census. The Coryell County portion of Evant is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

. In 1858 the Sixth Texas Legislature formed Hamilton County, named after James Hamilton Jr., from parts of

Bosque A bosque ( ) is a type of gallery forest habitat found along the riparian flood plains of stream and river banks in the southwestern United States. It derives its name from the Spanish word for ' woodlands'. Setting In the predominantly ari ...

, and Lampasas counties. In 1858, Hamilton was named the county seat. Despite growing white settlements in Texas, Indian tribal presences remained. In 1867, Comanche raiders attacked a school where Ann Whitney was the teacher. She helped students escape before finally succumbing to 18 Comanche arrows. In 1882, the Hico community initiated the annual Hico Old Settlers' Reunion. By 1900,

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

cultivation had spread to almost of county land. By 1907, the Stephenville North and South Texas Railway had connected Hamilton with Stephenville. The St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas connected Hamilton with Gatesville and

in 1911. In 1934, the Civil Works Administration's payroll included 747 Hamilton County men, who together earned about $2,000 per day. In 1950, Ollie P. Roberts (also known as Ollie L. Roberts, "Brushy Bill" Roberts, or William Henry Roberts), a resident of Hico during the late 1940s, claimed to have been the outlaw Billy The Kid. The assertion is based on a legend that Patrick F. Garrett helped Billy fake his own death. Hico Chamber of Commerce responded by opening a Billy The Kid Museum.Billy The Kid Legend
In 2009, Hamilton was invaded by the West Texas Rattlesnake.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.06%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 84 U.S. Route 84 (US 84) is an east–west U.S. Highway that started as a short Georgia–Alabama route in the original 1926 scheme. Later, in 1941, it had been extended all the way to Colorado. The highway's eastern terminus is a short distan ...

* U.S. Highway 281 * State Highway 6 * State Highway 22 * State Highway 36 * State Highway 220

Adjacent counties

* Erath County (north) * Bosque County (northeast) *

Coryell County Coryell County ( ) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 83,093. The county seat is Gatesville. The county is named for James Coryell, a frontiersman and Texas Ran ...

(southeast) * Lampasas County (south) * Mills County (southwest) * Comanche County (northwest)

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, there were 8,229 people, 3,374 households, and 2,324 families residing 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 10 people per square mile (4 per km²). There were 4,455 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2 per km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.81%

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

, 0.15% (12)

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.44% (36) Native American, 0.15% (12) Asian, 0.05% (4)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 4.36% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 7.41% 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. There were 3,374 households, out of which 27.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.10% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.89. As of the 2010 census, there were about 2.9 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.80% under the age of 18, 6.00% from 18 to 24, 22.90% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 23.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $31,150, and the median income for a family was $39,494. Males had a median income of $26,703 versus $20,192 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 $16,800. About 10.60% of families and 14.20% 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 21.20% of those under age 18 and 13.80% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Brushy Bill, the man who claimed to be the infamous outlaw, Billy the Kid, died in Hico, Texas and is buried in Hamiliton County.

Media

Hamilton County is currently listed as part of the

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

- Fort Worth

DMA DMA may refer to: Arts * DMA (magazine), ''DMA'' (magazine), a defunct dance music magazine * Dallas Museum of Art, an art museum in Texas, US * Danish Music Awards, an award show held in Denmark * BT Digital Music Awards, an annual event in the U ...

. Local media outlets include: KDFW-TV,

KXAS-TV KXAS-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas, United States, broadcasting NBC programming to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongs ...

, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV,

KTXA-TV KTXA (channel 21) is an independent television station in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside Fort Worth–based CBS station KTVT (channel 11). Bo ...

KDFI-TV KDFI (channel 27), branded on-air as Fox 4 More or More 27, is a television station licensed to Dallas, Texas, United States, broadcasting MyNetworkTV to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations along ...

KDAF-TV KDAF (channel 33) is a television station licensed to Dallas, Texas, United States, serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex with programming from The CW. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group (based in nearb ...

, and

KFWD-TV KFWD, virtual channel 52 (VHF digital channel 9), is a ShopHQ- affiliated television station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas, United States and serving the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. The station is owned by Rye Brook, New York-based WRNN-T ...

. Because the county is located in Central Texas and neighbors the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area, all of the

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

/ Killeen market stations also provide coverage for Hamilton County. They include:

KCEN-TV KCEN-TV (channel 6) is a television station licensed to Temple, Texas, United States, serving Central Texas as an affiliate of NBC. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on North 3rd Street in downtown Temple, with a news bureau and ...

, KWTX-TV, KXXV-TV,

KWKT-TV KWKT-TV (channel 44) is a television station in Waco, Texas, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for Central Texas. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Bryan-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate KYLE-TV (channel 28). Both stations sha ...

KNCT (TV) KNCT (channel 46) is a television station licensed to Belton, Texas, United States, serving as the CW affiliate for Central Texas. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Waco-licensed CBS/Telemundo affiliate KWTX-TV (channel 10) and Bryan-lic ...

, and

KAKW-DT KAKW-DT (channel 62) is a television station licensed to Killeen, Texas, United States, broadcasting the Spanish-language Univision network to the Austin area. It is owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision alongside low-power, Class A UniMás o ...

Communities

Cities

* Cranfills Gap (mostly in Bosque County) *

(county seat) * Hico

Town

(partly in

)

Unincorporated communities

* Aleman * Carlton * Fairy * Indian Gap * Jonesboro (partly in

) *

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

* Pottsville * Shive * Sunshine

Ghost Town

* McGirk

Gallery

File: Hamilton County Historical Marker.jpg , Hamilton County historical marker File: Brushy Bill Gravesite.jpg , Gravestone of Brushy Bill Roberts, who claimed to be Billy the Kid File: Hico31 (1 of 1).jpg , Billy the Kid statue in Hico File: St.olaf.kirke.jpg ,

St. Olaf Kirke St. Olaf Kirke, commonly referred to as The Rock Church, is a small Lutheran church located outside of Cranfills Gap, Texas, United States, in an unincorporated rural community known as Norse in Bosque County, Texas. The Church is affiliated with ...

, just outside of Cranfills Gap

Politics

References

External links

Official Hamilton County Site
* {{authority control 1858 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1858