CASS County, TX

Cass County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 28,454. The county seat is Linden. The county was named for United States Senator Lewis Cass (D-Michigan), who favored US annexation of Texas in the mid-19th century.

History

Cass County was formed in 1846 from sections of Bowie County. It was named for Lewis Cass, a U.S. Senator from Michigan who had favored the annexation of Texas to the United States.

The county was originally developed by planters for cotton plantations. By 1860 the majority of the population were enslaved African Americans, who were used as workers. After the war, freedmen worked largely as tenant farmers and sharecroppers into the early 20th century.

From 1861 to 1871, this county was known as Davis County, after Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. (It should not be confused with the still extant Jeff Davis County in West Texas.)

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.4%) is water.

Cass County, Texas is one of only three counties in Texas to border two other U.S. states (the others are Bowie and Dallam counties). Cass County forms part of the tripoint of Texas-Arkansas-Louisiana.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

State protected area

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.

2020 Census

As of the census of 2010, there were 30,464 people, 12,190 households, and 8,654 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 13,890 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.20% White, 19.47% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 1.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,190 households, out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.90% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,441, and the median income for a family was $35,623. Males had a median income of $30,906 versus $19,726 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,777. About 14.70% of families and 17.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.20% of those under age 18 and 17.90% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The following school districts serve Cass County:

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

In popular culture

Don Henley named his 2015 album Cass County, as he had grown up here.

Politics