150px|right|thumb|"Courts Under the Oaks" in
200px|right|thumb|Henderson County Peace Officers Association monument
thumb|right|200px|The Fiddlers Association monument in Athens
Henderson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 82,150. The county seat is Athens. The county is named in honor of James Pinckney Henderson, the first attorney general of the Republic of Texas, and secretary of state for the republic. He later served as the first governor of Texas.
Henderson County was established in 1846, the year after Texas gained statehood. Its first town was Buffalo, laid out in 1847. The county boundaries were set in 1850, with some reduction from the previous size. The restructuring resulted in the need for a new county seat. In an election, Athens was chosen as the site for the "courthouse under the oaks."
Henderson County comprises the Athens micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Dallas-Fort Worth combined statistical area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (7.9%) are covered by water.
Major highways
25px U.S. Highway 175
20px State Highway 19
20px State Highway 31
20px State Highway 155
20px State Highway 198
20px State Highway 274
20px State Highway 334
Adjacent counties
Kaufman County (north)
Van Zandt County (north)
Smith County (east)
Cherokee County (southeast)
Anderson County (south)
Freestone County (southwest)
Navarro County (west)
Ellis County (northwest)
Demographics
2020 census
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
2000 Census
As of the census of 2000, 73,277 people, 28,804 households, and 20,969 families were residing in the county. Its population density was 84 people/sq mi (32/km2). The 35,935 housing units averaged 41 per sq mi (16/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.50% White, 6.61% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 2.75% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. About 6.92% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 28,804 households, 29.00% had children under 18 living with them, 58.70% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were not families. About 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.50, and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county, the age distribution was 24.40% under 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,533, and for a family was $38,255. Males had a median income of $31,847 versus $21,650 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,772. About 11.70% of families and 15.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.60% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.
Government
County Judge: Wade McKinney
Commissioner Pct. 1: Wendy Spivey
Commissioner Pct. 2: Scott Tuley
Commissioner Pct. 3: Charles "Chuck" McHam
Commissioner Pct. 4: Mark Richardson
County Clerk: Mary Margret Wright
District Clerk: Betty Herriage
County Attorney: Clint Davis
District Attorney: Jenny Palmer
County Auditor: Ann Marie Lee
County Treasurer: Michael Bynum
County Court at Law #1 Judge: Scott Williams
County Court at Law #2 Judge: Nancy Perryman
3rd District Court Judge: Mark Calhoon
173rd District Court Judge: Dan Moore
392nd District Court Judge: Scott McKee
Justice of the Peace Pct. 1: Randy Daniel
Constable Pct. 1: Thomas Goodell
Justice of the Peace Pct. 2: Kevin Pollock
Constable Pct. 2: Mitch Baker
Justice of the Peace Pct. 3: James Duncan
Constable Pct. 3: David Grubbs
Justice of the Peace Pct. 4: Milton Adams
Constable Pct. 4: John Floyd
Justice of the Peace Pct. 5: Belinda Brownlow
Constable Pct. 5: Brad Miers
Sheriff: Botie Hillhouse
Tax Assessor/Collector: Peggy Goodall
Elections Administrator: Paula Ludtke
Fire Marshal/Emergency Management Coordinator: Shane Renburg
Politics
Media
Henderson County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth DMA. Local media outlets are: KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, and KFWD-TV. Other nearby stations that provide coverage for Henderson County come from the Tyler/Longview/Jacksonville market and they include: KLTV, KTRE-TV, KYTX-TV, KFXK-TV, KCEB-TV, and KETK-TV.
Newspaper coverage of the area can be found in the Athens Daily Review, based in Athens; The Monitor is published in Mabank, which is primarily in Kaufman County, but also covers news in parts of Henderson County, as well.
Crime
Paul Knight of the Houston Press said in a 2009 article that some people blamed the development of the artificial Cedar Creek Lake, which opened in 1965, and development of the area surrounding the lake for the initial influx of crime and recreational drugs into the county and the East Texas region. Carroll Dyson, a retired pilot and Henderson County resident interviewed by the Houston Press, said in 2009 that the lake attracted "white flight" from metropolitan areas. Dyson added, "When all your rich people from Dallas and Houston move out here, the thieves are just drawn to them. Thieves are just wired that way. You used to not have to lock your door in Henderson County." Ray Nutt, the sheriff of Henderson County, said in the same article that when the lake first opened, it had no zoning and "a lot of elderly people bought a mobile home and moved in; it was nice. Then, they passed away and family members sold them off or just let them go down." Nutt added that the area around the lake has "a lot of good people," yet it also where "a lot of criminals tend to flow."
Communities
Cities
Athens (county seat)
Brownsboro
Chandler
Eustace
Gun Barrel City
Log Cabin
Malakoff
Moore Station
Murchison
Seven Points (small part in Kaufman County)
Star Harbor
Tool
Trinidad
Towns
Berryville
Caney City
Coffee City
Enchanted Oaks
Mabank (mostly in Kaufman County)
Payne Springs
Poynor
Census-designated place
Sunrise Shores
Unincorporated communities
Aley
Antioch
Baxter
Bethel
Big Rock
Buffalo
Crescent Heights
Cross Roads
Dauphin
Evelyn
Fincastle
Harmony
LaRue
Leagueville
Mankin
New Hope
Opelika
Pauline
Pickens
Pine Grove
Ruth Springs
Shady Oaks
Stockard
Sumer Hill
Union Hill
Virginia Hill
Ghost towns
Centreville
Corinth
