Bee County, Texas

Bee County
Bee County
County
	The Bee County Courthouse in Beeville was built in 1913.
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 28°25′N 97°44′W / 28.42°N 97.74°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1858
Named for	Barnard E. Bee, Sr.
Seat	Beeville
Largest city	Beeville
Area
• Total	880 sq mi (2,300 km2)
• Land	880 sq mi (2,300 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2) 0.01%
Population (2020)
• Total	31,047
• Density	35.3/sq mi (13.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	27th
Website	co.bee.tx.us

Bee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is Beeville.^[1] As of the 2020 census, its population was 31,047.^[2] The Beeville, TX micropolitan statistical area includes all of Bee County. The county was founded December 8, 1857, and organized the next year.^[3] It is named for Barnard E. Bee, Sr., a secretary of state of the Republic of Texas.

History

On December 8, 1857, the Texas Legislature formed Bee County from sections of Refugio, Live Oak, San Patricio, Goliad, and Karnes Counties, naming it for Colonel Barnard Elliot Bee, who served the Republic of Texas as Sam Houston's secretary of war and Mirabeau B. Lamar's secretary of state.^[4]

During the Anglo-American land speculation of the 1830s, the area's earliest settlers were mainly Irish immigrants, but by the late 1840s and early 1850s, the rise of Jacksonian expansionism inspired Southern whites from the North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Mississippi to occupy and build settlements in the area.^[5]

As the constitution of the Republic of Texas no longer recognized the Catholic Church (or any church) as the state religion and slave-holding settlers came to dominate the area in the 1840s, small Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist congregations began forming with sustained missionary support from these denominations. Research suggests that Baptists and Methodists comprised 65% of all Texas congregations by 1870.^[6]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 880 square miles (2,300 km²), of which 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (0.01%) is covered by water.^[7] The Aransas River forms in Bee County, southwest of Beeville and north of Skidmore.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 59
- Interstate 69W is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 59 in most places.
U.S. Highway 181
State Highway 72
State Highway 202
State Highway 359
Farm to Market Road 673
Farm to Market Road 799
Farm to Market Road 833

Adjacent counties

Karnes County (north)
Goliad County (northeast)
Refugio County (east)
San Patricio County (southeast)
Live Oak County (west)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	910	—
1870	1,082	18.9%
1880	2,298	112.4%
1890	3,720	61.9%
1900	7,720	107.5%
1910	12,090	56.6%
1920	12,137	0.4%
1930	15,721	29.5%
1940	16,481	4.8%
1950	18,174	10.3%
1960	23,755	30.7%
1970	22,737	−4.3%
1980	26,030	14.5%
1990	25,135	−3.4%
2000	32,359	28.7%
2010	31,861	−1.5%
2020	31,047	−2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census^[8] 1850–2010^[9] 2010–2020^[2]

**Bee County racial/ethnic composition**
(NH = Non-Hispanic)^[a]
Race	Pop 2010^[11]	Pop 2020^[12]	% 2010	% 2020
White (NH)	10,967	8,600	34.42%	27.7%
Black or African American (NH)	2,525	2,316	7.93%	7.46%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	70	54	0.22%	0.17%
Asian (NH)	162	211	0.51%	0.68%
Pacific Islander (NH)	10	2	0.03%	0.01%
Some other race (NH)	38	65	0.12%	0.21%
Mixed/multiracial (NH)	183	407	0.57%	1.31%
Hispanic or Latino	17,906	19,392	56.2%	62.46%
Total	31,861	31,047

As of the 2020 United States census, 31,047 people, 8,499 households, and 5,693 families resided in the county. As of the 2010 United States census, 31,861 people were living in the county; 78.8% were White, 8.1% Black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.5% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 9.7% of some other race, and 2.3% of two or more races. About 56.2% were Hispanics or Latinos (of any race).

As of the Census^[13] of 2000, 32,359 people, 9,061 households, and 6,578 families lived in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile (14 people/km²). The 10,939 housing units had an average density of 12 units per square mile (4.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 67.85% White, 9.90% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 19.15% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races. About 53.93% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Of the 9,061 households, 37.8% had children under 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were not families. About 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.74, and the average family size was 3.25.

In the county, the population was distributed as 23.4% under 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 148.40 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 164.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,392, and for a family was $32,967. Males had a median income of $26,473 versus $20,666 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,625. About 19.70% of families and 24.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.80% of those under age 18 and 18.30% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Correctional Institutions Division Region IV Office on the grounds of Chase Field Naval Air Station in unincorporated Bee County.^[14] In addition, Garza East Unit and Garza West Unit, transfer facilities, are co-located on the grounds of the naval air station,^[15]^[16] and the McConnell Unit is also in an unincorporated area in Bee County.^[17] The Beeville Distribution Center is on the grounds of the air station.^[18]

In 1981 the county government provided firefighting services in unincorporated areas, and there was a proposal to move that competency to four rural firefighting districts made largely on school district boundaries, each with taxing powers.^[19]

Politics

Bee County is somewhat moderate in comparison to surrounding counties in its support of Republicans in presidential elections. In 2016, Donald Trump won less than 56% of the vote. As recently as 1996, it gave a majority of its votes to the Democratic candidate.

United States presidential election results for Bee County, Texas^[20]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	6,006	63.72%	3,288	34.88%	132	1.40%
2016	4,744	55.91%	3,444	40.59%	297	3.50%
2012	4,356	55.29%	3,452	43.81%	71	0.90%
2008	4,471	54.81%	3,645	44.69%	41	0.50%
2004	5,428	57.03%	4,045	42.50%	45	0.47%
2000	4,429	53.17%	3,795	45.56%	106	1.27%
1996	3,611	41.19%	4,561	52.03%	594	6.78%
1992	3,633	39.89%	4,083	44.83%	1,392	15.28%
1988	4,620	49.78%	4,616	49.74%	45	0.48%
1984	5,377	59.32%	3,659	40.37%	28	0.31%
1980	4,171	52.59%	3,606	45.47%	154	1.94%
1976	2,953	43.93%	3,690	54.89%	79	1.18%
1972	3,779	64.42%	2,067	35.24%	20	0.34%
1968	1,995	35.98%	2,957	53.34%	592	10.68%
1964	1,509	31.23%	3,314	68.58%	9	0.19%
1960	2,220	46.38%	2,557	53.42%	10	0.21%
1956	2,401	55.26%	1,929	44.40%	15	0.35%
1952	2,536	61.46%	1,583	38.37%	7	0.17%
1948	801	33.74%	1,441	60.70%	132	5.56%
1944	848	35.17%	1,306	54.17%	257	10.66%
1940	948	35.02%	1,759	64.98%	0	0.00%
1936	603	28.96%	1,462	70.22%	17	0.82%
1932	534	19.60%	2,180	80.03%	10	0.37%
1928	1,189	53.18%	1,043	46.65%	4	0.18%
1924	944	45.45%	987	47.52%	146	7.03%
1920	283	30.66%	545	59.05%	95	10.29%
1916	152	19.82%	584	76.14%	31	4.04%
1912	35	5.91%	476	80.41%	81	13.68%

Education

These school districts serve Bee County:^[21]

Beeville Independent School District
Mathis Independent School District (partial)
Pawnee Independent School District (partial, K-8)
Pettus Independent School District (partial)
Refugio Independent School District (partial)
Skidmore-Tynan Independent School District (partial)
Three Rivers Independent School District (partial)

Coastal Bend College (formerly Bee County College), a postsecondary institution, serves Bee County among other counties and areas.^[22]

Communities

City

Beeville (county seat)

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

References

^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Bee County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
^ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
^ Ezell, Camp (1973). The Historical Story of Bee County, Texas. Beeville, Texas: Beeville Publishing Co. p. 25.
^ Jordan, Terry G. (January 1969). "The Origin of Anglo-American Cattle Ranching in Texas: A Documentation of Diffusion from the Lower South". Economic Geography. 45 (45): 63–87. doi:10.2307/143180. JSTOR 143180.
^ Pritchard, Linda K. (1988). "A Comparative Approach to Western Religious History: Texas as a Case Study, 1845-1890". The Western Historical Quarterly. 19 (4): 413–430. doi:10.2307/968321. JSTOR 968321.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
^ "Correctional Institutions Division Region IV Director's Office Archived 2008-01-21 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
^ "Garza East Unit Archived 2008-01-18 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
^ "Garza West Unit Archived 2010-07-25 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
^ "McConnell Unit Archived 2010-07-25 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
^ "Beeville Distribution Center Archived 2010-07-12 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 22, 2010.
^ "Fire Districts Reviews". Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. January 31, 1981. p. 2D. - Clipping at Newspapers.com.
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Bee County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 15, 2024. - Text list
^ Texas Education Code Sec. 130.167. BEE COUNTY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. The legislation calls it "Bee County College".

^ 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.^[10]