Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county
Waller County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 56,794.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Its county seat is Hempstead.<ref name="GR6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The county was named for Edwin Waller, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and first mayor of Austin.
Waller County is included in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX metropolitan statistical area. It is home of the Prairie View A&M University.
GeographyEdit
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (0.8%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Adjacent countiesEdit
- Grimes County (north)
- Montgomery County (northeast)
- Harris County (east)
- Fort Bend County (south)
- Austin County (west)
- Washington County (northwest)
CommunitiesEdit
CitiesEdit
- Brookshire
- Hempstead (county seat)
- Katy (partly in Harris and Fort Bend Counties)
- Pattison
- Prairie View
- Waller (partly in Harris County)
TownEdit
Unincorporated areasEdit
DemographicsEdit
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | citation | CitationClass=web
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% 2000 | % 2010 | Template:Partial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 16,289 | 19,260 | 23,494 | 49.87% | 44.58% | 41.37% | |||
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 9,496 | 10,537 | 12,104 | 29.07% | 24.39% | 21.31% | |||
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 88 | 141 | 210 | 0.27% | 0.33% | 0.37% | |||
| Asian alone (NH) | 121 | 213 | 785 | 0.37% | 0.49% | 1.38% | |||
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 3 | 9 | 10 | 0.01% | 0.02% | 0.02% | |||
| Other Race alone (NH) | 26 | 54 | 314 | 0.08% | 0.12% | 0.55% | |||
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 296 | 455 | 1,391 | 0.91% | 1.05% | 2.45% | |||
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 6,344 | 12,536 | 18,486 | 19.42% | 29.02% | 32.55% | |||
| Total | 32,663 | 43,205 | 56,794 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2000 census,<ref name="GR8">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 32,663 people, 10,557 households, and 7,748 families resided in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. The 11,955 housing units averaged Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 57.83% White, 29.25% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 10.28% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races. About 19.42% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 10,557 households, 35.1% had children under 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were not families. About 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.79, and the average family size was 3.25.
In the county, the population was distributed as 25.70% under 18, 18.10% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 20.50% from 45 to 64, and 9.40% who were 65 or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.70 males. For every 100 females 18, and over, there were 96.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,136, and for a family was $45,868. Males had a median income of $34,447 versus $25,583 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,338. About 11.50% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.00% of those under age 18 and 12.30% of those age 65 or over.
EconomyEdit
Igloo Corporation, a manufacturer of cooling and portable refrigeration products, is headquartered in unincorporated Waller County between Brookshire and Katy.<ref>"Igloo Worldwide Headquarters Template:Webarchive." Igloo Corporation. Accessed September 5, 2008. "Igloo Products Corp. 777 Igloo Road Katy, Texas 77494"</ref> In 2004, Igloo announced that it was consolidating its corporate, distribution, and manufacturing operations in Waller County.<ref name="HQ">"Igloo consolidating operations in Katy facility." Houston Business Journal. Monday October 18, 2004. Retrieved on March 2, 2011. "1001 W. Sam Houston Parkway North" for the old Houston facility</ref>
Goya Foods has its Texas offices in an unincorporated area of the county near Brookshire.<ref>"Contact Us." Goya Foods. Retrieved on March 26, 2016. "Goya Foods of Texas 30602 McAllister Road Brookshire, TX 77423"</ref>
Politics and governmentEdit
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United States CongressEdit
| Senators | Name | Party | First Elected | Level | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate Class 1 | John Cornyn | Republican | 2002 | Senior Senator | |
| Senate Class 2 | Ted Cruz | Republican | 2012 | Junior Senator | |
| Representatives | Name | Party | First Elected | Area(s) of Waller County Represented | |
| District 10 | Michael McCaul | Republican | 2004 | Entire county | |
Texas LegislatureEdit
Texas SenateEdit
District 18: Lois Kolkhorst (R)- first elected in 2014.
Texas House of RepresentativesEdit
District 3: Cecil Bell, Jr. (R)- first elected in 2013.
Voting controversiesEdit
A history of controversies exists regarding the reluctance of county officials to allow students attending historically black Prairie View A&M University to vote in Waller County.<ref>"2 Voter Rights Cases, One Gripping a College Town, Stir Texas" by Ralph Blumenthal, New York Times, May 28, 2008</ref><ref>"Judges slap Waller voter rules, give hand to Prairie View" by Cindy George, Houston Chronicle October 24, 2008</ref>[1]
As reported by the US District Court (Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division) in Veasey v Perry, October 2014 (CIVIL ACTION NO. 13-CV-00193), pp 6–7 verbatim:
- In 1971, after the 26th Amendment extended the vote to those 18 years old and older, Waller County, which was home to Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), a historically Black university, became troubled with race issues. Waller County's tax assessor and voter registrar prohibited students from voting unless they or their families owned property in the county. This practice was ended by a three-judge court in 1979.
- In 1992, a county prosecutor indicted PVAMU students for illegally voting, but dropped the charges after receiving a protest from the DOJ.
- In 2003, a PVAMU student ran for the commissioner's court. The local district attorney and county attorney threatened to prosecute students for voter fraud—for not meeting the old domicile test. These threatened prosecutions were enjoined, but Waller County then reduced early voting hours, which was particularly harmful to students because the election day was during their spring break. After the NAACP filed suit, Waller County reversed the changes to early voting and the student narrowly won the election.
- In 2007–08, during then Senator Barack Obama's campaign for president, Waller County made a number of voting changes without seeking clearance. The county rejected "incomplete" voter registrations and required volunteer deputy registrars (VDRs) to personally find and notify the voters of the rejection. The county also limited the number of new registrations any VDR could submit, thus limiting the success of voter registration drives. These practices were eventually prohibited by a consent decree.
In 2018, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit in U.S. district court, alleging that the county's early-voting plan unduly limits early voting opportunities for students at Prairie View A&M.<ref>"Fighting for the Right to Vote in a Tiny Texas County" by Vann R. Newkirk II and Adam Harris, The Atlantic magazine.</ref> On October 10, Jacob Aronowitz, a field director for Democratic U.S. House candidate Mike Siegel, delivered a letter from Siegel, which indicated a solution to attempts to keep students at Prairie View A&M University from voting, to a clerk on the county executive's staff. As a result, Aronowitz was arrested for what he was told was "48 hour investigative detention."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Law enforcementEdit
Template:As of the current sheriff is Troy Guidry, who was elected in 2020.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The previous sheriff was Glenn Smith, who had been sheriff since 2008. Smith was previously chief of the police department of Hempstead, where he had been fired by the town council after allegations that he and four white officers had exhibited racism and police brutality during the arrest of a 35-year-old black man.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In November 2021, a 16 year old was charged with six counts of aggravated assault for crashing into six people on bicycles while attempting to roll coal. All four of the riders were hospitalized for their injuries, two of them being airlifted.<ref name="wp">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="bicycling">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to attorneys hired by the injured, the injuries included "broken vertebrae, cervical and lumbar spinal injuries, broken collar bones, hands, and wrists [requiring surgical intervention], multiple traumatic brain injuries, lacerations, soft tissue damage, road rash, and extensive bruising"<ref name="bikelaw">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Waller county district attorney, Elton Mathis, released a statement about the handling of the case by the Waller Police Department in which he said "This case was not handled appropriately by the investigating agency. PERIOD." According to his statement, the Texas Department of Public Safety urged the local police to treat the scene as a crime scene, and to contact the district attorney's office. Despite this, the local police released the 16 year old without doing an investigation.<ref name="wp" /><ref name="bicycling" />
EducationEdit
School districts serving Waller County include:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} - Text list</ref>
- Hempstead Independent School District
- Royal Independent School District
- Katy Independent School District (portions of the district are in other counties)
- Waller Independent School District (portions of the district are in other counties)
Brazos Valley Sudbury School was previously in operation in Waller County.
Blinn College is the designated community college for all of the county.<ref>Texas Education Code Sec. 130.168. BLINN JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.</ref> Additionally, areas within Katy ISD are designated as the zone for Houston Community College.<ref>Sec. 130.182. HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM DISTRICT SERVICE AREA..</ref>
Prairie View A&M University is the only university located within the county.
MediaEdit
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The Waller Times publishes local community news, school news, and sports news weekly on Mondays.<ref>McLemee, Scott (February 6, 2004). "Justice Department to Look Into Alleged Threat to Students' Voting Rights", The Chronicle of Higher Education 50 (22): A30.</ref> It was founded in 1991 and is still family owned and operated.
TransportationEdit
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Major highwaysEdit
- File:I-10 (TX).svg Interstate 10
- File:US 90.svg U.S. Highway 90
- File:US 290.svg U.S. Highway 290
- File:Texas 6.svg State Highway 6
- File:Texas 159.svg State Highway 159
.svg){kind=link}
The TTC-69 component (recommended preferred) of the once-planned Trans-Texas Corridor went through Waller County.<ref>TxDoT, TTC Section C & S, Detailed Map 1, 2007-12-17 Template:Webarchive</ref>
AirportsEdit
Houston Executive Airport is located between Brookshire and Katy in an unincorporated area. Skydive Houston Airport (Skylake Airport) is located south of Waller in an unincorporated area.
The Houston Airport System stated that Waller County is within the primary service area of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, an international airport in Houston in Harris County.<ref>"Master Plan Executive Summary." George Bush Intercontinental Airport Master Plan. Houston Airport System. December 2006. 2-1 (23/130). Retrieved on December 14, 2010.</ref> In addition William P. Hobby Airport in Houston and in Harris County has commercial airline service.
See alsoEdit
- List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Waller County, Texas
- Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Waller County
- Death of Sandra Bland
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Waller County, Texas Template:Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown MSA Template:Texas counties Template:US state navigation box Template:Authority control Template:Coord