McLennan County, Texas


McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 260,579. Its county seat and largest city is Waco. The U.S. census 2024 county population estimate is 270,358. The county is named for Neil McLennan, an early Scottish settler in frontier Texas. McLennan County is included in the Waco Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

McLennan County was created by the Texas Legislature in 1850 out of Milam County. The county seat, Waco, had been founded as an outpost of the Texas Rangers. It was laid out by George B. Erath, and was known by 1850 as Waco Village.
In the 1880s, pharmacist Charles Alderton developed the carbonated beverage that became known as Dr Pepper. The Dr Pepper business was headquartered in Waco, until it moved to Dallas, Texas. Waco is also home to the Dr Pepper Museum, housed in the 1906 building that was the first stand-alone facility used to bottle Dr Pepper.
According to local lore, the first sustained flight did not occur in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, but just outside Tokio by a man flying a gyrocopter. During World War I, McLennan County was home to at least one military airfield, Rich Field. In the aftermath of World War I, when social tensions were high as veterans returned, white racial violence broke out against blacks. The county had 15 lynchings, the second-highest number of any county in the state.
McLennan County's contributions to World War II include the reopening of Rich Field for use by the Air Force, and the opening of James Connally Air Force Base. The latter is now used as the TSTC Waco Airport and Texas State Technical College. County resident Doris Miller was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism at Pearl Harbor; he was the first African American to earn such distinction. Local man James Connally became known as a World War II fighter pilot.

County Courthouse

The current County Courthouse, the fourth to be built, is located in Waco. Completed in 1902 in the Beaux-Arts style, it is the next-to-last example of architect James Riely Gordon's Texas courthouses. Of the eighteen he designed, thirteen remain standing. The first county courthouse was completed in 1851 for $500, and was a two-story log cabin that was 30' x 30'. McLennan's second courthouse was a two-story brick building completed in 1857 for $11,000. The third courthouse was styled after Second Empire by architect W.C. Dodson, and completed in 1877 at a cost of $24,894.50.

Institutions of higher education

In 1886, Baylor University relocated from Independence, Texas, to Waco and absorbed Waco University. During the early 20th century, McLennan County was home to as many as five colleges. In addition to Baylor, the other colleges included the predecessor to what is now known as Texas Christian University, Paul Quinn College, and two other short-lived colleges.
In the 1960s, the Texas Legislature authorized McLennan Community College, the first community college to use those words in the name. Around the same time, what is now the flagship institution of Texas State Technical College was founded as James Connally Technical Institute, as a member of the Texas A&M University System. Today, Baylor, McLennan Community College, and Texas State Technical College continue to operate in McLennan County. They educate a large portion of the college-bound high-school graduates from the county and the surrounding areas. McLennan Community College has also partnered with Tarleton State University, Texas Tech University, University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and Midwestern State University to offer more than 50 bachelor's or master's degrees.

1896 Crash at Crush

, was a temporary "city" in McLennan County, about north of Waco. It was established to stage a publicity stunt concocted by William George Crush and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. The stunt involved the collision of two 35-ton steam locomotives in front of spectators, whom the railway transported to the event for $2 each. After strong promotion, on September 15, 1896, the event was delayed by an hour as the police maneuvered the crowd of more than 40,000 back to what was thought to be a safe distance.
The crews of the two engines tied the throttles open and jumped off. The two engines, pulling wagons filled with railroad ties, traveled a track and thunderously crashed into each other at a combined speed up to. The boilers exploded and sent steam and flying debris into the crowd. Three people were killed and about six were injured, including event photographer Jarvis "Joe" Deane, who lost an eye because of a flying bolt.
Ragtime composer Scott Joplin commemorated the event with "The Great Crush Collision March"; Joplin dedicated the composition to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway. Texas composer and singer Brian Burns wrote and recorded a song about the collision, "The Crash at Crush".

West fertilizer plant explosion

Waco siege

Twin Peaks biker shootout

On May 17, 2015, motorcycle clubs gathered at the Twin Peaks Restaurant in Waco for a Confederation of Clubs meeting. Upon arrival of a large contingent of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, mass violence erupted in the parking lot of Twin Peaks between members of the Bandidos and members of the Cossasks Motorcycle Club. This resulted in nine dead and 18 wounded in the melee between the rival outlaw motorcycle gangs. In 2019, all remaining charges were dropped by the new District Attorney, Barry Johnson.

Geography

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

Major highways

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 260,579 and a median age of 34.8 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.0 males age 18 and over.
The Census Bureau's QuickFacts reports the population density was 205 per square mile, the median household income was $53,723, the per capita income was $28,421, about 14.7% of residents lived below the poverty line, and the most common ancestries were German, American, English, and Irish.
As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 60.0% White, 14.4% Black or African American, 1.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 10.8% from some other race, and 11.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 26.3% of the population.
As of the 2020 census, 76.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 24.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 96,527 households in the county, of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.0% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 105,817 housing units, of which 8.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 58.5% were owner-occupied and 41.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.9%.
The 2020 census heat map showed that an estimated 1.3% of partnered households in the county were in same-sex relationships, though the figure may be undercounted.

Communities

Cities (multiple counties)

According to the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, the top employers in McLennan County are:
#EmployerEmployees 2015Employees 2023
1Baylor University2,6753,253
2Waco Independent School District2,5002,373
3Ascension Providence2,3972,300
4HEB1,5002,000
5Baylor Scott & White Health 1,8001,736
6TSTC1,706
7Veterans Affairs1,682
8City of Waco1,5061,518
9Sanderson Farms, Inc.1,0411,200
10Walmart1,6561,174
11McLennan County1,157
12Midway [Independent School District (McLennan County, Texas)|Midway Independent School District]1,0671,081
13AbbVie785
14L3 Technologies2,300774
14McLennan Community College719
15Mars Wrigley700
16Aramark696
17American Income Life Insurance693
18Magnolia Network675
19Texas Materials672
20Cargill Value Added Meats646
21Tractor Supply640
22SpaceX590

Elected leadership

County Elected LeadershipNameService
County JudgeScott Felton2012 – Present
County Commissioner Pct 1Jim Smith2021 – Present
County Commissioner Pct 2Pat Chisolm-Miller2019 – Present
County Commissioner Pct 3Will Jones2013 – Present
County Commissioner Pct 4Ben Perry2011 – Present
District AttorneyJosh Tetens2023 – Present
District ClerkJon Gimble2015 – Present
County ClerkAndy Harwell1995 – Present
County SheriffParnell McNamara2013 – Present
County Tax Assessor-CollectorRandy Riggs2012 – Present
County TreasurerBill Helton2012 – Present, 1991 - 2010

Local JudiciaryNameService
Tenth Court of Appeals, ChiefTom Gray2003 – Present, 1999 - 2003 Associate Justice
Tenth court of Appeals, Place 2Matt Johnson2021 – Present, 2007 - 2020 Judge 54TH District Court
Tenth court of Appeals, Place 3Steve Smith2021 – Present, 1998 - 2021 Judge 361ST District Court
State District Judge, 19TH CourtThomas West2021 – Present
State District Judge, 54TH CourtSusan Kelly2021 – Present
State District Judge, 74TH CourtGary Coley, Jr.2009 – Present, Local Administrative Judge
State District Judge, 170TH CourtJim Meyer2003 – Present
State District Judge, 414TH CourtVicki Menard2006 – December 1, 2023,
State District Judge, 474TH CourtAlan Bennett2023 – Present, appointed by Gov Abbott
County Court at Law Judge, Court 1Vikram 'Vik' Deivanayagam2018 – Present
County Court at Law Judge, Court 2Brad Cates2011 – Present
County Court at Law Judge, Court 3Ryan Luna2021 – Present

Politics

Similar to other counties in the Texas Triangle with mid-sized cities, the county has been reliably Republican for the last half-century, having last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 1976 when it was won by Jimmy Carter.
Several governors of Texas hailed from McLennan County: Ann Richards, the state's second female governor; Pat Morris Neff, who also served as president of Baylor University; Lawrence Sullivan Ross, whose family helped found Waco and who also served as the fourth president of Texas A&M University; and Richard Coke.

Education

Colleges