Shelby 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 far eastern portion of 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 24,022. 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 Center. The county was established in 1835 as a municipality of Mexico and organized as a county in 1837. It is named for

Isaac Shelby Isaac Shelby (December 11, 1750 – July 18, 1826) was an American politician and military officer who was the List of governors of Kentucky, first and fifth Governor of Kentucky and served in the state legislatures of Virginia and North Ca ...

, a

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

in the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

who became the first

governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; sinc ...

History

Shelby County was established in 1837. It was named for

, a soldier from

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

during the

, and first

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; sinc ...

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (4.7%) are covered by water.

Adjacent counties and parishes

* Panola County (north) *

De Soto Parish, Louisiana DeSoto Parish (; French: ''Paroisse DeSoto'') is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1843. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 26,812. Its parish seat and most populous municipality is Mansfiel ...

(northeast) * Sabine Parish, Louisiana (east) * Sabine County (south) * San Augustine County (south) * Nacogdoches County (southwest) * Rusk County (northwest)

National protected area

* Sabine National Forest (part)

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, 25,224 people, 9,595 households, and 6,908 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 11,955 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 72.65% White, 19.44% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 5.87% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. About 9.87% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 9,595 households, 32.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% were married couples living together, 12.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were notfamilies. About 25.40% 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 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08. In the county, the population was distributed as 26.60% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 25.80% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 16.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,112, and for a family was $34,021. Males had a median income of $26,501 versus $20,280 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 $15,186. About 14.90% of families and 19.40% 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 24.70% of those under age 18 and 16.90% of those age 65 or over.

Education

These school districts serve Shelby County: * Center ISD * Excelsior ISD * Joaquin ISD (small portion in Panola County) * San Augustine ISD (mostly in San Augustine County) * Shelbyville ISD (small portion in Sabine County) * Tenaha ISD (small portion in Panola County) * Timpson ISD All of Shelby County is in the service area of Panola College.

Media

The Light and Champion, a news and information company, marked its 140th year of operation in 2017. It serves Shelby County, as well as Logansport, Louisiana. The Light and Champion produces a weekly print edition, a weekly free-distribution print product called'' The Merchandiser'', operates a web site, www.lightandchampion.com, and a Facebook page. The Light and Champion is owned by Moser Community Media, based in

Brenham, Texas Brenham ( ) is a city in east-central Texas, United States, and the county seat of Washington County, with a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 U.S. census. Brenham is also known for its annual German heritage festival that takes pl ...

Transportation

Major highways

** Interstate 69 is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 59 in most places west of Tenaha and the current route of U.S. 84 in most places east of Tenaha to the Louisiana state line. * U.S. Highway 59 ** Interstate 369 is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 59 in most places north of Tenaha. * U.S. Highway 84 * U.S. Highway 96 * State Highway 7 * State Highway 87 * State Highway 147 * Farm to Market Road 139 * Farm to Market Road 1970 US 59 passes through Shelby County. It is planned to be upgraded to interstate standards as part of the planned Interstate 69 up to Tenaha, where the planned Interstate 369 will follow US 59 northward to both Interstate 30 and

Interstate 49 Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway with multiple segments. The original portion is entirely within Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from Interstate 220 (Louisiana), I-220 in Shreveport, Louisian ...

in Texarkana. US 84 is planned to be upgraded to interstate standards as part of the planned Interstate 69 from Tenaha to the Louisiana state line.

Mass transportation

Greyhound Lines operates the Center Station at the Shelby County's Best Yogurt store in Center.

Communities

Cities

* Center (county seat) * Huxley * Joaquin * Timpson

Town

* Tenaha

Census-designated place

* Shelbyville

Unincorporated communities

* Arcadia * Dreka * Patroon * Possum Trot

Images

Image:Previous courthouse in Shelby County, TX IMG 0957.JPG, Previous Shelby County Courthouse established in 1885 remains the base of the downtown section in Center Image:Shelby County (TX) Museum IMG 0954.JPG, The Shelby County

Museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

in Center is located in a former residence Image:Shelby County Today on-line newspaper in Center, TX IMG 0959.JPG, ''Shelby County Today'' is an on-line

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

located across from the Shelby County Courthouse. It began operations in 2005 Image:White Rock Missionary Baptist Church, Center, TX IMG 6246.JPG, Among rural East Texas churches is the White Rock Missionary Baptist Church and Cemetery at 12555 Texas State Highway 7 near Center; pastor Keith Rose (2012)

Politics

An example of the political trends of rural East Texas, Shelby usually voted Democrat in the 20th century, but has turned into a Republican stronghold in the 21st.

References

External links

Shelby County Sports

Shelby County Today webpage

Shelby County government's website

Shelby County in ''Handbook of Texas Online''
at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

''History of the regulators and moderators and the Shelby County war in 1841 and 1842''
hosted by the Portal to Texas History
Shelby County Chamber of Commerce website

Shelby County Genealogy webpage (RootsWeb)
* {{authority control 1836 establishments in the Republic of Texas Populated places established in 1836