Brown County, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brown County
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The Brown County Courthouse in Brownwood
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Location within the U.S. state of Texas
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 Texas's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| Founded | 1858 |
| Named for | Henry Stevenson Brown |
| Seat | Brownwood |
| Largest city | Brownwood |
| Area | |
| • Total | 957 sq mi (2,480 km2) |
| • Land | 944 sq mi (2,440 km2) |
| • Water | 13 sq mi (30 km2) 1.3% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 38,095  |
| • Density | 40/sq mi (20/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 11th |
Brown County is a county located in the west-central part of Texas. In 2020, about 38,095 people lived here. The main town and county seat is Brownwood. The county was started in 1856 and officially organized in 1858. It was named after Henry Stevenson Brown, a leader in an early conflict between Texans and Mexicans called the Battle of Velasco. Brown County is also part of the Brownwood, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
History of Brown County
Brown County has a long and interesting history.
- The Penteka people were among the first to live in this area.
- In 1721, a Spanish expedition led by the Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo is believed to have traveled through the county.
- Land surveys were done in the area in 1838.
- In 1856, Welcome W. Chandler from Mississippi became the first settler. He arrived with his family and others, building a log cabin on Pecan Bayou.
- Brown County was formed from parts of Comanche and Travis counties. It was named after Henry Stevenson Brown, a pioneer from Kentucky.
- The county was officially organized in 1858, and Brownwood became its main town.
- In 1874, a famous outlaw named John Wesley Hardin was involved in a gunfight in the area. This led to a very tense situation where an angry crowd tried to get to Hardin and his family.
- The stagecoach route between Fort Worth and Brownwood was robbed five times in just two months during 1875.
- Oil was first found in 1879 on the H. M. Barnes farm near Grosvenor.
- In 1886, Texas Rangers were involved in conflicts over land fencing between farmers and ranchers.
- By 1890, cotton became the most important crop in the county. That same year, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Katherine Ann Porter was born in Indian Creek.
- Two colleges, Howard Payne College and Daniel Baker College, were started in Brownwood in 1889.
- Railroads began to connect the county to other places, with the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway built in 1892, and the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway in 1895. This second line was extended to Menard in 1903.
- Also in 1903, the county voted to ban alcohol sales, a rule that lasted until the 1950s.
- In 1909, the boll weevil, a tiny insect, damaged the cotton crops, which hurt the county's economy.
- Commercial oil production began in Brownwood in 1917. A big oil field started producing oil from about 1,100 feet deep in 1919 near Cross Cut.
- A major oil boom happened in 1926 after the White well found success. About 600 wells were drilled in the county during this time.
- Lake Brownwood State Park opened to the public in 1938, offering a place for recreation.
- Work began on Camp Bowie, a military training camp, in 1940.
- In 1943, the first German prisoners of war arrived at Camp Bowie. Many of them were from Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps.
- In 1953, Howard Payne College and Daniel Baker College joined together to become Howard Payne College.
- By 1991, over 50 million barrels of oil had been taken from Brown County lands since 1917.
Geography of Brown County
Brown County covers a total area of 957 square miles. Most of this, 944 square miles, is land, and 13 square miles (about 1.3%) is water.
Main Roads in Brown County
U.S. Highway 67
U.S. Highway 84
U.S. Highway 183
U.S. Highway 377
State Highway 279
Farm to Market Road 45
Neighboring Counties
Brown County shares borders with these counties:
- Eastland County (to the north)
- Comanche County (to the northeast)
- Mills County (to the southeast)
- San Saba County (to the south)
- McCulloch County (to the southwest)
- Coleman County (to the west)
- Callahan County (to the northwest)
People of Brown County (Demographics)
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 244 | — | |
| 1870 | 544 | 123.0% | |
| 1880 | 8,414 | 1,446.7% | |
| 1890 | 11,421 | 35.7% | |
| 1900 | 16,019 | 40.3% | |
| 1910 | 22,935 | 43.2% | |
| 1920 | 21,682 | −5.5% | |
| 1930 | 26,382 | 21.7% | |
| 1940 | 25,924 | −1.7% | |
| 1950 | 28,607 | 10.3% | |
| 1960 | 24,728 | −13.6% | |
| 1970 | 25,877 | 4.6% | |
| 1980 | 33,057 | 27.7% | |
| 1990 | 34,371 | 4.0% | |
| 2000 | 37,674 | 9.6% | |
| 2010 | 38,106 | 1.1% | |
| 2020 | 38,095 | 0.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020 |
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The table below shows the different groups of people living in Brown County over the years. The U.S. Census counts people by their race and also by whether they are of Hispanic or Latino origin.
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White alone (NH) | 29,772 | 28,478 | 26,672 | 79.03% | 74.73% | 70.01% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,473 | 1,303 | 1,353 | 3.91% | 3.42% | 3.55% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 141 | 170 | 134 | 0.37% | 0.45% | 0.35% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 129 | 160 | 269 | 0.34% | 0.42% | 0.71% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 2 | 14 | 27 | 0.01% | 0.04% | 0.07% |
| Other Race alone (NH) | 13 | 36 | 96 | 0.03% | 0.09% | 0.25% |
| Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH) | 351 | 492 | 1,333 | 0.93% | 1.29% | 3.50% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 5,793 | 7,453 | 8,211 | 15.38% | 15.95% | 21.55% |
| Total | 37,674 | 38,106 | 38,095 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
In 2000, there were 37,674 people living in Brown County. There were 14,306 households, with about 10,014 being families. The population density was about 40 people per square mile.
About 25.8% of the people were under 18 years old. The average age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were about 97 males.
The average income for a household was $30,974. For families, it was $37,725. About 17.2% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 22.7% of those under 18 and 12.1% of those 65 or older.
Local Media
The Brownwood Bulletin is the daily newspaper for Brown County. You can also find news online through its website. Brown County is part of the Abilene, Sweetwater, and Brownwood TV market. Local TV stations include KRBC-TV, KTXS-TV, KXVA, KTAB-TV, and KIDU-LD.
Communities in Brown County
Cities
Town
Census-Designated Places (CDPs)
These are areas identified by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes.
Unincorporated Communities
These are smaller communities not officially part of a city or town.
Education in Brown County
Students in Brown County attend schools in various independent school districts:
- Bangs Independent School District
- Blanket Independent School District
- Brookesmith Independent School District
- Brownwood Independent School District
- Cross Plains Independent School District
- Early Independent School District
- May Independent School District
- Mullin Independent School District
- Rising Star Independent School District
- Zephyr Independent School District
For higher education, the community college that serves Brown County is Ranger Junior College District.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Brown (Texas) para niños
