Karnes County, Texas
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Karnes 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 ...
in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
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, the population was 14,710. 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 Karnes City. The county is named for Henry Karnes, a soldier in the
Texas Revolution The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...
. The former San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway passed through Karnes County in its connection linking
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
with Corpus Christi.


Geography

According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water.


Major highways

* U.S. Highway 181 * State Highway 72 * State Highway 80 * State Highway 123 * State Highway 239


Adjacent counties

* Gonzales County (northeast) * DeWitt County (east) * Goliad County (southeast) * Bee County (south) * Live Oak County (southwest) * Atascosa County (west) * Wilson County (northwest)


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,710 people, 4,552 households, and 3,156 families residing in the county. 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, there were 15,446 people, 4,454 households, and 3,246 families residing 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 . There were 5,479 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 68.55%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 10.79% Black or African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.43%
Asian American Asian Americans are Americans with ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants). Although this term had historically been used fo ...
, 0.06%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 17.23% of other races, and 2.26% of two or more races. 47.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino American of any race. There were 4,454 households, out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.60% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 13.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.15. In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.80% under the age of 18, 11.50% from 18 to 24, 34.20% from 25 to 44, 18.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 146.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 162.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,526, and the median income for a family was $30,565. Males had a median income of $27,260 versus $19,367 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 $13,603. About 18.50% of families and 21.90% 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 29.10% of those under age 18 and 20.50% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Around 2008
ConocoPhillips ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational corporation engaged in hydrocarbon exploration and production. It is based in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas. The company has operations in 15 countries and has production in t ...
drilled a well in Karnes County and struck oil, causing an economic boom.


Communities


Cities

* Falls City * Karnes City (county seat) * Kenedy


Town

* Runge


Unincorporated communities

* Cestohowa * Choate * Ecleto * Gillett * Hobson * Panna Maria * Pawelekville


Ghost towns

* Helena *
Wintergreen Wintergreen is a group of aromatic plants. The term ''wintergreen'' once commonly referred to plants that remain green (continue photosynthesis) throughout the winter. The term ''evergreen'' is now more commonly used for this characteristic. ...


Politics


Education

School districts include: * Falls City Independent School District * Karnes City Independent School District * Kenedy Independent School District * Nixon-Smiley Consolidated Independent School District * Nordheim Independent School District * Pawnee Independent School District * Pettus Independent School District * Runge Independent School District
Coastal Bend College Coastal Bend College (CBC), formerly Bee County College, is a public community college that has its main campus in Beeville, Texas, and branch campuses in Alice, Kingsville, and Pleasanton, Texas. As defined by the Texas Legislature, the offi ...
(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".


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Karnes County, Texas * Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Karnes County


References


External links


The Karnes Countywide newspaper

Henry Karnes' entry
in Biographical Encyclopedia of Texas hosted by the Portal to Texas History]. *
Genealogy in Karnes County, Texas
{{authority control Karnes County, Texas, 1854 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1854