Live Oak 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 ...

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 ...

. It was named for its native groves of

live oak Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are generally not more closely related to each other than they are to o ...

. George West is 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 ...

. Its population was 11,335 in the 2020 census.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.6%) is water. It is home to the Choke Canyon Reservoir.

Major highways

* Interstate 37 * U.S. Highway 59 ** Interstate 69W is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 59 in most places. * US 281

U.S. Highway 281 ** Interstate 69C is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 281 in most places south of George West. * Texas 72

SH 72 *

FM 99 *

FM 624 *

FM 799 *

FM 833

Adjacent counties

* Karnes County (northeast) * Bee County (east) * San Patricio County (southeast) * Jim Wells County (south) * Duval County (southwest) * McMullen County (west) * Atascosa 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, there were 12,309 people, 4,230 households, and 3,070 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 6,196 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 87.28%

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 ...

, 2.45%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.41% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 7.72% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. 38.05% 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. There were 4,230 households, out of which 30.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.10% 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, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.00. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 122.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 129.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,057, and the median income for a family was $38,235. Males had a median income of $30,061 versus $19,665 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 $15,886. About 14.10% of families and 16.50% 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 22.20% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The

Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Justice that is responsible for all List of United States federal prisons, federal prisons ...

, Federal Correctional Institution, Three Rivers is located in unincorporated Live Oak County, near Three Rivers.

Politics

Live Oak County voted predominantly Democratic at the presidential level during the first half of the 20th century. Native son

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

’s 1952 win was an exception.

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

in 1976, however, was the last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the county, with Republicans winning since 1980.

Communities

Cities

* George West (county seat) * Three Rivers

Village

* Pernitas Point (small part in Jim Wells County)

Unincorporated communities

* Dinero * Oakville * Ray Point * Swinney Switch * Whitsett

Ghost town

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

Education

School districts include: * George West Independent School District * Mathis Independent School District * Three Rivers 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 county's designated community college.Texas Education Code Sec. 130.167. BEE COUNTY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
The legislation calls it "Bee County College".

References

External links

Live Oak County government’s website
*
"Live Oak County Profile" from the Texas Association of Counties

{{authority control 1856 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1856