Hardin County is a county located in 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 ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 56,231. The

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 Kountze. The county is named for the family of William Hardin from Liberty County, Texas. Hardin County is part of the Beaumont- Port Arthur, TX metropolitan statistical area.

History

The county is named for the family of William Hardin (1801-1839), a settler, judge, and postmaster. The Hardin family cemetery is located north of Liberty. The current Hardin County Courthouse was built in 1959. It is at least the third courthouse to serve Hardin County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (0.8%) are covered by water. Hardin County is located on the flat coastal plains of

Southeast Texas Southeast Texas is a cultural and geographic region in the U.S. state of Texas, bordering Southwest Louisiana and its greater Acadiana region to the east. Being a part of East Texas, the region is geographically centered on the Greater Houston a ...

, roughly north of the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

. The county is largely covered by the dense forest of the Big Thicket. It is crossed by numerous small streams and creeks that drain the county into the Neches River, which forms the eastern boundary of the county.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 69/ U.S. Highway 287 * U.S. Highway 96 * State Highway 105 * State Highway 326 * State Highway 327

Adjacent counties

* Tyler County (northern) * Jasper County (east) * Orange County (southeast) * Jefferson County (south) * Liberty County (southwest) * Polk County (northwest) Its eastern boundaries with Jasper County and Orange County are formed by the Neches River. The southern boundary with Jefferson County is formed by Pine Island Bayou

National protected area

* Big Thicket National Preserve (part)

Communities

Cities

* Kountze (county seat) * Lumberton * Rose Hill Acres * Silsbee * Sour Lake

Census-designated places

* Pinewood Estates * Wildwood (partly in Tyler County)

Unincorporated communities

* Batson * Honey Island * Saratoga * Thicket * Village Mills * Votaw

Ghost town

* Bragg

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, Hardin County had a population of 54,635. The ethnic and racial composition of the population was 88.0% non-Hispanic white, 5.8% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 1.3% from some other race, and 1.3% from two or more races. 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, 48,073 people, 17,805 households, and 13,638 families resided 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 . The 19,836 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 90.86% White, 6.91% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. About 2.54% 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. Of the 17,805 households, 37.2% had children under 18 living with them, 62.6% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were not families; 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.09. In the county, the age distribution was 27.8% under 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,612, and for a family was $42,890. Males had a median income of $35,881 versus $22,823 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 $17,962. About 8.8% of families and 11.20% 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 13.3% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

United States Congress

References

External links

Hardin County government's website

Hardin County in ''Handbook of Texas Online''
at the University of Texas {{Coord, 30.34, -94.39, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1858 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1858 Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area