HAYS County, TX

200px|right|thumb|Hays County Annex Building across from the courthouse in

thumb|200px|right|Hays County Veterans Monument in San Marcos

Hays County is located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. Hays County is part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, its official population had reached 241,067. The county seat is San Marcos. Hays, along with Comal and Kendall Counties, was listed in 2017 as one of the nation's fastest-growing large counties with a population of at least 10,000. From 2015 to 2016, Hays County, third on the national list, had nearly 10,000 new residents during the year. Comal County, sixth on the list, grew by 5,675 newcomers, or 4.4%. Kendall County, the second-fastest growing county in the nation, grew by 5.16%. As a result of this growth, the counties have experienced new home construction, traffic congestion, and greater demand for public services. Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, grew by 1.75% during the year, but its sheer number of new residents exceeded 33,000.

The county is named for John Coffee Hays, a Texas Ranger and Mexican–American War officer.

History

Hays County has been inhabited for thousands of years. Evidence of Paleo-Indians found in the region goes as far back as 6000 BC. Archeological evidence of native agriculture goes back to 1200 AD.

The earliest Europeans to arrive in the area were explorers and missionaries from the Spanish Empire. Father Isidro Félix de Espinosa, Father Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares, and Pedro de Aguirre traveled through the area in 1709. A few years later, French-Canadian Louis Juchereau de St. Denis was attacked by Comanches in 1714.

More permanent European influence was established in 1755, when the Mission San Francisco Xavier de los Dolores was established among the Apache tribe.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (0.3%) are covered by water.

Adjacent counties

Transportation

Major highways

Airport

Education

School districts in Hays County include the San Marcos Consolidated, Dripping Springs Independent, Wimberley Independent, and Hays Consolidated Independent school districts. As of 2020, the county has six high schools, 10 middle schools, and 24 elementary schools.

Higher education in Hays County includes one four-year institution, Texas State University, in San Marcos.

Austin Community College is the designated community college for the whole county. It operates three distance-learning centers that offer basic and early college start classes, along with testing centers for online classes.

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.

2015 Texas population estimate program

As of the 2015 Texas population estimate program, the county's population was 193,963: non-Hispanic Whites, 106,919 (55.1%); non-Hispanic Blacks, 5,860 (3.0%); other non-Hispanics, 6,624 (3.4%); and Hispanics and Latinos (of any race), 74,560 (38.4%).

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, 97,589 people, 51,265 households, and 22,150 families resided in the county. The population density was 144 people per square mile (56/km²). The 55,643 housing units averaged 53 per mi² (20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.92% White, 3.68% Black or African American, 0.69%Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 13.36% from other races, and 2.49% from two or more races. About 29.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 33,410 households, 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.10% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were not families; 21.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.21.

A Williams Institute analysis of 2010 census data found about 7.4 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.

The county's population was distributed as 24.50% under the age of 18, 20.50% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 19.10% from 45 to 64, and 7.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.50 males.

The county's median household income was $45,006 and the median family income was $56,287. Males had a median income of $35,209 versus $27,334 for females. The county's per capita income was $19,931. About 6.40% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.30% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Hays County was once strongly Democratic leaning in federal elections. However, like some other suburban counties in the state, the county began trending towards the Republican Party in the 1970s. The county has voted Democratic for governor (in 2018), Senate (in both 2018 and 2020), and President (in 2020).

Until 2020 when Joe Biden did both with 54.4% of the vote, the last Democrat to carry Hays County in a presidential election was Bill Clinton with a plurality of 39.8% of the vote in 1992 and the last Democrat to win a majority of the vote in the county was Jimmy Carter with 54.4% in 1976. Both which Lloyd Bentsen had been the last Democratic Senate candidate to carry the county, winning 69.2% of the vote in 1988, until 2018, when Beto O'Rourke carried the county with 57.1% of the vote.

Ann Richards was the last Democratic gubernatorial candidate to win the county with 56.6% of the vote in 1990, until Lupe Valdez won with a 49.6% plurality in 2018.

Democratic voters mostly reside along the I-35 Corridor and communities East. Communities West of the I-35 Corridor lean Republican. San Marcos, home of Texas State University, and the city of Kyle generally vote Democratic. Buda, Dripping Springs, and Wimberley generally vote Republican.

Communities

Cities (multiple counties)

Cities

Village

Census-designated places

Ghost town

Gallery