Texas Counties: Comprehensive Study Notes

Numbers of Local Government

• Texas has 1,209 municipalities (cities), while the U.S. has 21,000.
• Texas has 254 counties, while the U.S. has 3,141.
• Texas has 2,291 special districts, while the U.S. has 37,381.
• Texas has 1,081 school districts, while the U.S. has 13,501.
• Total local governments in Texas: 4,835. Total local governments in the U.S.: 89,476.

Boroughs in Alaska

• Alaska uses the term "boroughs" instead of counties.
• List of boroughs in Alaska:
  • Aleutians East Borough
  • Bristol Bay Borough
  • City and Borough of Juneau
  • City and Borough of Sitka
  • City and Borough of Wrangell
  • City and Borough of Yakutat
  • Denali Borough
  • Fairbanks North Star Borough
  • Haines Borough
  • Kenai Peninsula Borough
  • Ketchikan Gateway Borough
  • Kodiak Island Borough
  • Lake and Peninsula Borough
  • Matanuska-Susitna Borough
  • Municipality of Anchorage
  • Municipality of Skagway
  • North Slope Borough
  • Northwest Arctic Borough
  • Petersburg Borough
  • Unorganized Borough

County Population

• Los Angeles County, with 10 million residents, is the most populous county in the United States.
• Cook County and Harris County are the next two largest by population.

Texas Counties

• Texas has 254 counties.
• All 30 million Texans live in a county, but some do not live in a city.
• The United States has 3,007 counties and 137 county equivalents, totaling 3,144.
• The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 U.S. states.
• Louisiana uses parishes, and Alaska uses boroughs as functionally equivalent subdivisions.

Characteristics of Texas Counties

• Diverse: Harris County has 4.7 million people; Loving County has 65.
• Fragmented: Many people are elected to office. Five commissioners set the budget but do not directly manage the various county offices.
• Limited power: Counties cannot zone land for specific uses, and their range of functions is narrow. Common tasks include roads, jails, and law enforcement.

Additional Facts About Texas Counties

• Texas has 254 counties, more than any other state. Georgia is second with 159.
• Delaware has only three counties.
• Alaska has 19 organized boroughs and one unorganized one.
• Louisiana has parishes.
• Harris County is the most populous with 4.65 million people.
• Loving County has the fewest people, with 81.
• Brewster County is the largest with 6,193 square miles.
• Rockwall County is the smallest with only 149 square miles.
• Counties run courts and jails, provide law enforcement, run elections, register voters, build and maintain roads, provide healthcare for low-income residents, collect taxes, and keep track of land ownership, births, and deaths.
• The elected body in charge of counties is called the Commissioners’ Court.
• The presiding person is the county judge, who is not a judge in the traditional sense.
• Missouri and Oklahoma have counties named Texas.

Hays County Commissioners Court

• Hays County Commissioners Court meets on the 3rd floor on Tuesdays.

Hays County Information

• Hays County is located on the Edwards Plateau.
• It is part of the Austin metropolitan area.
• The 2020 census recorded a population of 230,191.
• The county seat is San Marcos.
• Hays, Comal, and Kendall Counties were listed in 2017 as some of the nation's fastest-growing large counties with a population of at least 10,000.
• The county is named for John Coffee Hays, a Texas Ranger and Mexican–American War officer.
• Democratic strength lies along the I-35 Corridor and communities east of there, while communities west of the highway lean Republican.
• San Marcos and Kyle generally vote Democratic, while Buda, Dripping Springs, and Wimberley generally vote Republican.

Miscellaneous County Information

• Denton County was created in 1846 from Fannin County.
• The number of county jurisdictions in Texas increased from 36 in 1845 to 66 by the end of 1846.
• When the state’s Reconstruction government tried to apply order to the system following the Civil War, installing a highly centralized system with a state superintendent and 35 judicial districts -- and compulsory attendance and a one-cent tax for building schools -- Texans revolted.

County and City Names

• Austin is not in Austin County.
• Anderson is not in Anderson County.
• Houston is not in Houston County.
• Burleson is not in Burleson County.
• Rusk is not in Rusk County.
• Henderson is not in Henderson County.
• Caldwell is not in Caldwell County.
• Cameron is not in Cameron County.
• Crockett is not in Crockett County.
• Terrell is not in Terrell County.
• Jefferson is not in Jefferson County.
• Johnson City is not in Johnson County.
• The content mentions named cities in certain counties. For Example:
  • Dallas is in Dallas County
  • Denton is in Denton County
  • Galveston is in Galveston County
  • Lubbock is in Lubbock County
  • El Paso is in El Paso County
  • Bastrop is in Bastrop County
• A small portion of Dallas extends into Denton County, but students in that area attend Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD schools.

Counties with No COVID-19 Cases

• Three counties remained without reported COVID-19 cases:
  • Esmeralda County in Nevada
  • Loving County in Texas
  • Skagway in Alaska (borough)

Gray County, Texas

• Gray County (population 22,531) is a center for wind power in Texas.
• The county was named for a Confederate soldier; the county seat is Pampa.
• In 2016, 88% voted for the Republican presidential nominee.

Harris County, Texas

• Harris County has 5 million people.
• Joseph Biden won 56% of the presidential vote in 2020, while Trump won 43%. Third parties won 1%.

2020 Election Results in Texas

• Texas was the third-narrowest of Trump's state victories in 2020, behind only Florida and North Carolina.
• Trump flipped Jim Wells County and La Salle County, which had not voted Republican since 1972.
• He also flipped Frio County, Kleberg County, Reeves County, Val Verde County, and Kenedy County.

Mismatched Borders

• A convoluted history makes it possible to live in Denton County and in the city of Dallas, while the kids go to Carrollton-Farmers Branch schools.

Harris County

• Founded in 1836 and named for John Richardson Harris.
• Has more population than 26 states.
• Has more residents than each of the states that border Texas (Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and New Mexico).
• In the 2020 census, the population was 4,792,459, making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous in the United States.
• Its county seat is Houston.
• Seven U.S. House and 24 Texas House of Representatives districts are at least partly in Harris County.
• The Harris County Flood Control District manages the effects of flooding in the county.
• Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) serves several areas within Harris County.
• Harris County Transit serves communities in Harris County that are not served by METRO.
• About 7% of Texas live in Harris County.

County Judges in Texas

• County Judges are administrative rather than judicial officials.
• They preside over County Commissioners Court meetings but do not oversee trials.

Bastrop County Precincts

• Bastrop County has four precincts and a judge elected at large.

Hays County Elected Officials

• 23 officials are elected by party labels.
• 5 members of Commissioners’ Court (4 by precinct and 1 by all voters).
• This “court” does not try legal cases; it sets policy and the budget for the county.
• Other elected officials include Sheriff, District Attorney, Five Constables, Six Justices of the Peace, County Clerk, District Clerk, County Surveyor, Treasurer, Tax Assessor-Collector, and County Court At-Law.

Williamson County Sheriff Indictment

• Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody has been indicted on a felony charge of tampering with evidence in relation to the death of Javier Ambler.
• Jason Nassour, general counsel for the county, has also been indicted on the same charges.
• The death of Ambler occurred in March 2019 after a chase led by deputies.

Hays County Precincts

• Hays County has four precincts.
• Precinct 3 includes Wimberley and southwestern Hays.
• #1 is the southeastern corner; #2 is light green.

County Clerk's Office (Hays County)

• Consists of the Records Division and the Courts Division.
• Led by an elected County Clerk (Liz Gonzalez).
• The Records Division records official public records such as deeds, deeds of trust, and liens, and issues Marriage Licenses, Birth Certificates, and Death Certificates.
• The District Clerk's Office (Beverly Crumley) provides records of the Courts' proceedings and implements Court decisions, and keeps track of child support.

Texas Association of Counties (TAC)

• In 1969, Texas counties joined together to improve and promote the value of county government statewide.
• TAC is the representative voice for all Texas counties and county officials.
• TAC unites counties to achieve better solutions.

Elections Administrators

• Under Texas law, counties appoint elections administrators through a locally created commission that includes the county judge, county clerk, tax-assessor collector, and the chairs of the county political parties.

Four Diverse Counties

• Brewster is the largest by land area and includes Big Bend National Park.
• Loving County has the fewest people.
• Rockwall is the smallest by land area.
• Harris has the most people.

University of Texas Study

• Conducted a study to estimate the mean ideological position of the voting public in 20 of the state’s 21 most populous counties.
• These counties contain 73% of the Texas population.

Dallas County Commissioners Court

• Five members, with County Judge Clay Jenkins sitting in the middle.
• This court’s role is primarily administrative; the commissioners do not actually try legal cases.

Hays County Commissioners Court Leadership Award

• The State Comptroller’s office presented the Hays County Commissioners Court with the Leadership award for its online financial transparency.

Galveston County Lawsuit

• The Biden administration is suing Galveston County officials for allegedly discriminating against people of color when officials redrew political boundaries for the Commissioners Court.
• The lawsuit alleges a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
• The lawsuit states that the commissioners court redrew the boundaries of Precinct 3, which is the county’s only precinct where Hispanic and Black voters are the majority.

Origin of Texas Counties

• The state of Coahuila and Texas had its capitol in Saltillo and had 7 provinces.
• Three provinces were in Texas: Bexar, Nacogdoches, and Brazos.
• The Constitution of 1836 listed 23 counties.
• The law of the Republic specified offices like justice of the peace, sheriff, and constable.
• Counties were created throughout the Republic’s existence from 1836 to 1845.

County Judge Role in Texas

• The county judge at the local level is usually the highest paid public official with multifaceted powers and responsibilities: chief executive of the county government, judicial officer, budget officer, elections officer, civil defense director, personnel director, program administrator, and titular head of local government.

For example, economic status and educational attainment are very real barriers to political participation in the electoral arena for anyone. In 1993, more than one-third (34.3 percent) of Hispanic families with children under eighteen were living below poverty.

Texas Counties with No Municipal Governments

• These Texas counties have no incorporated municipal governments within them. The elected county sheriff will have responsibility for all law enforcement in these counties:
  • Borden
  • Crockett
  • Glasscock
  • Jeff Davis
  • Jim Hogg
  • King
  • Loving
  • McMullen
  • Terrell
  • Zapata

County Sheriffs

• Sheriffs are elected by all voters in a county.
• Her assistants are called “deputies.”

Hudspeth County, Texas

• In the 2010 census, the population was 3,476.
• Its county seat is Sierra Blanca.
• The largest city is Fort Hancock.
• The county is named for Claude Benton Hudspeth.

Loving County, Texas

• Loving County has the fewest people; it's in West Texas and has 67 people.
• Residents from western Hays County in the past few months have appeared before the commissioners court to give accounts of wells gone dry and declining springs, which, they said, are partly the results of too many people pumping water out of the Trinity Aquifer.
• Eight counties, including more than half of Hays County, lie within the PGMA.
• A PGMA is a zone the TCEQ finds is “experiencing, or is expected to experience, within 25 years, critical groundwater problems including shortages of surface water or groundwater, land subsidence resulting from groundwater withdrawal, and contamination of groundwater supplies.”
  *Bandera, Blanco, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Comal, Hays, and Travis Counties and parts of Bexar County — the Hill Country PGMA.