Lampasas 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 ...

located on the Edwards Plateau 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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 21,627. 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 Lampasas. The county is named for the Lampasas River. Lampasas County is part of the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood metropolitan area.

History

Indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

were the first inhabitants of the area. Later known tribes in the area included Tonkawa,

Lipan Apache Lipan Apache are a band of Apache, a Southern Athabaskan languages, Southern Athabaskan Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people, who have lived in the Oasisamerica, Southwest and Southern Plains for centuries. At the time of European ...

and Comanche. The Aguayo expedition is said to have passed through the county in 1721. In 1756 a presidio was established by Don Pedro de Terreros with the assistance of elements of the Spanish Army, at the confluence of Lucy Creek and Arroya Cavalto. The effort was abandoned not long after, but the site remained as a base of operations by Thomas Isaac Cox, a member of Terreros' original expedition, for the purpose of obtaining hundreds of Texas mustangs for use by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. In 1853 Moses Hughes and his invalid wife, Hannah (Berry), became the first permanent settlers, seeking to take advantage of the medicinal springs. John Patterson was the first man to cultivate land in the county, in 1854. In 1855 Elizabeth and George W. Scott laid out the town of Burleson, named for her father. The town was renamed Lampasas, when it became the county seat; the Sixth Texas Legislature formed Lampasas County, named after the Lampasas River, from parts of Travis,

Bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

, and Coryell Counties, in 1856. In 1858 The northeastern corner of Lampasas County became part of Hamilton County. In 1887 Mills County received northern and northwestern sections of Lampasas County. The Lampasas Guards were organized to ward off Indian attacks in 1859. Indian raids increased in 1861, as able-bodied men were off fighting in the war. In 1872 Townsen's Mill was built by Perry and Jasper Townsen. This steam mill cut "rawhide" lumber and ground wheat and corn. Henry A. Chadwick and son Milam built a sawmill, flour mill and cotton gin in 1874. In 1875 the Farmers' Alliance was born in Lampasas in reaction against the cattle rustling and illegal land dealings prevalent in the county. 1877 saw the gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon. In 1882 The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway extended its line west from Belton to Lampasas. The Texas Power and Light Company arrived in Lampasas County in the 1920s, and in 1934 the Lower Colorado River Authority brought electricity to the county. Lone Star Gas established services in the county in 1949. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 1942, Fort Hood opened as a military training base. Hancock Park in Lampasas was temporarily turned over to the troops as a recreational area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (0.2%) is covered by water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 183 * U.S. Highway 190 * U.S. Highway 281

Adjacent counties

* Hamilton County (north) * Coryell County (northeast) * Bell County (southeast) * Burnet County (south) * San Saba County (west) * Mills County (northwest)

Demographics

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, 17,762 people, 6,554 households, and 4,876 families were 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 . The 7,601 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 86.75% White, 3.10% African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 6.55% from other races, and 2.15% from two or more races. About 15.07% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 6,554 households, 35.10% had children under 18 living with them, 60.70% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.60% were not families. About 21.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% 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 3.08. In the county, age distribution was 27.60% under 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,176, and for a family was $41,395. Males had a median income of $30,320 versus $20,637 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 $17,184. About 10.70% of families and 14.10% 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 18.70% of those under 18 and 14.80% of those 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Copperas Cove (mostly in Coryell County and a small part in Bell County) * Kempner * Lampasas (county seat) * Lometa

Unincorporated communities

* Adamsville * Bend (partly in San Saba County) * Izoro * Moline (partly in Mills County) * Nix * Rumley

Ghost town

* Senterfitt

Politics

References

External links

* {{coord, 31.19, -98.24, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1856 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1856 Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood metropolitan area Texas Hill Country