San Augustine 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 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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 7,918. 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 San Augustine.

History

San Augustine County was formed in 1837. It was supposedly named after

Saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

, but more plausibly, the county was named for the town of San Augustine, which had been established five years earlier and whose name was based upon an 18th-century Spanish presidio (fortress), the Presidio de San Agustín de Ahumada, named for Agustín de Ahumada, 2nd Marquess of Amarillas.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (10%) are covered by water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 96 * State Highway 21 * State Highway 103 * State Highway 147

Adjacent counties

* Shelby County (north) * Sabine County (east) * Jasper County (south) * Angelina County (southwest) * Nacogdoches County (west)

Protected areas

* Angelina National Forest (part) * Sabine National Forest (part) * Mission Dolores State Historic Site

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 8,946 people, 3,575 households, and 2,520 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 . The 5,356 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 69.26% White, 27.95% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 1.64% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race made up about 3.58% of the population. Of the 3,575 households, 26.8% had children under 18 living with them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were not families. About 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.93. In the county, the age distribution was 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.10 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 85.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $27,025, and for a family was $32,772. Males had a median income of $28,395 versus $18,925 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 $15,548. About 15.60% of families and 21.20% 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 30.70% of those under age 18 and 20.10% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

At the presidential level, San Augustine County has voted for the Republican candidate in every election since

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, having usually been carried by Democratic candidates up until that point. Like many areas of the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

, while Republicans generally win federal and state elections, Democrats tend to perform better in down-ballot races for local offices. Identification with the Democratic Party is strong in San Augustine County. In 2012, roughly 24% of eligible voters participated in the Democratic primary, while less than 6% participated in the Republican primary, despite there being a competitive presidential primary on the Republican ballot.

Elected officials

At the federal level, San Augustine County is part of the 1st Congressional District, which is currently represented by Louie Gohmert, a Republican from Tyler. In the

Texas Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a p ...

, the county is represented by State Representative Trent Ashby (R- Lufkin), and by

State Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

Robert Nichols (R-

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

Communities

* Black Ankle * Benina * Broaddus * San Augustine (county seat)

Education

School districts: * Broaddus Independent School District * Brookeland Independent School District * Chireno Independent School District * San Augustine Independent School District The county is in the service area of Angelina College.Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.165. ANGELINA COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.

In popular culture

American photographer John Vachon took a series of photographs of rural schoolchildren in San Augustine County, Texas, for the Farm Security Administration in 1943.

References

External links

San Augustine County government's website
*
San Augustine County Collection at the Autry National Center
* {{coord, 31.40, -94.18, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1837 establishments in the Republic of Texas Populated places established in 1837