Henderson County, Texas


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. Henderson County comprises the Athens micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Dallas-Fort Worth combined statistical area.
WWW co.henderson.tx.us

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which are covered by water.

Major highways

Lakes

Adjacent counties

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 82,150 and a median age of 45.0 years; 21.0% of residents were under 18 and 22.7% were 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.9 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 78.5% White, 5.8% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.8% from some other race, and 8.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 13.7% of the population. The non-Hispanic white share remained the majority even as the Hispanic or Latino population continued to grow, reflecting nationwide demographic trends over the 2010s.
34.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 65.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 32,748 households in the county, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.4% were married-couple households, 18.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 26.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 40,643 housing units, of which 19.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.4% were owner-occupied and 25.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.9%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, 73,277 people, 28,804 households, and 20,969 families were residing in the county. Its population density was. The 35,935 housing units averaged. 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.

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: R. 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: Jason Ramsey
  • Justice of the Peace Pct. 3: James "Tony" 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: Tanya Norris
  • Constable Pct. 5: Brad Miers
  • Sheriff: Botie Hillhouse
  • Tax Assessor/Collector: Peggy Goodall
  • Elections Administrator: Paula Ludtke
  • Fire Marshal/Emergency Management Coordinator: Shane Renburg

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." Ray Nutt, the sheriff of Henderson County, said that the area around the lake has "a lot of good people," yet it was also where "a lot of criminals tend to flow."