Burnet County, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Burnet County
U.S. county
The Burnet County Courthouse in Burnet
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1854
Named for	David Gouverneur Burnet
Seat	Burnet
Largest city	Marble Falls
Area
• Total	1,021 sq mi (2,640 km2)
• Land	994 sq mi (2,570 km2)
• Water	27 sq mi (70 km2)  2.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	49,130
• Density	48.119/sq mi (18.579/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	25th

Veterans Memorial at Burnet County courthouse

Rolling highway in Burnet County in Texas Hill Country toward Longhorn Cavern State Park

Burnet County ( BUR-nit) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,130. Its county seat is Burnet. The county was founded in 1852 and later organized in 1854. It is named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first (provisional) president of the Republic of Texas. The name of the county is pronounced with the emphasis or accent on the first syllable, just as is the case with its namesake.

History

Indigenous peoples inhabit the area as early as 4500 B.C. Later known tribes in the area include Tonkawa, Lipan Apache and Comanche.

During the 1820s-1830s Stephen F. Austin and Green DeWitt surveying and Indian fighting explorations. In 1849 the United States established Fort Croghan and in 1848 First settlers arrived in the county, Samuel Eli Holland, Logan Vandeveer, Peter Kerr, William Harrison Magill, Noah Smithwick, Captain Jesse B. Burnham, R. H. Hall, Adam Rankin "Stovepipe" Johnson and Captain Christian Dorbandt. In 1851 Twenty Mormon families under the leadership of Lyman Wight establish a colony at Hamilton Creek, later to be known as Morman Mill.

In 1852 the Fourth Texas Legislature created Burnet County from Bell, Travis and Williamson. The first post office was established at Hamilton in 1853.

In 1860 there were 235 slaves in Burnet County

After the war some former slaves left the county, but many stayed. A group of them settled on land in the eastern part of Oatmeal. In 1870 the black population of the county had increased to 358, keeping pace with the growth of the total number of residents; the number of blacks had fallen to 248 by 1880, however, and the number of new white residents was such that after 1890, blacks represented less than 3 percent of the total population. Some found work on farms and ranches, but by the turn of the century many had moved into the Marble Falls area to work in town.

During 1882-1903 railroad tracks connected Burnet, Granite Mountain, Marble Falls and Lampasas. Lake Victor and Bertram became shipping point communities. Other communities lost population as the railroad offered employment. During the Great Depression county farmers suffered financially but found work with government sponsored public-works projects. The Lower Colorado River Authority employed hundreds of people for the construction of the Hamilton (Buchanan) Dam and Roy B. Inks Dam.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,021 square miles (2,640 km²), of which 994 square miles (2,570 km²) is land and 27 square miles (70 km²) (2.6%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 183
• U.S. Highway 281
• State Highway 29

Adjacent counties

• Lampasas County (north)
• Bell County (northeast)
• Williamson County (east)
• Travis County (southeast)
• Blanco County (south)
• Llano County (west)
• San Saba County (northwest)

National protected area

• Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

2020 census

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.

As of the census of 2020, there were 49,130 people and 16,743 households residing in the county. (The remaining data that follows in this section is outdated. The Census 2020 data for the following demographics have not yet been released.) The population density was 34 people/sq mi (13/km²). The 15,933 housing units averaged 16/sq mi (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.64% White, 1.52% African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 6.30% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. About 14.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 16,743 households, 30.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.50% were married couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were not families. About 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53, and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the age distribution was 24.50% under 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,921, and for a family was $43,871. Males had a median income of $30,255 versus $20,908 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,850. About 7.90% of families and 10.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.50% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

• Adam R. "Stovepipe" Johnson, Confederate general and the 1887 founder of Marble Falls, despite being blinded during the war.
• Gerald Lyda (1923–2005), general contractor and cattle rancher, born and raised in Burnet County.
• Stephen McGee (born September 27, 1985), former American football quarterback. Played college football for Texas A&M. Drafted and played NFL football for the Dallas Cowboys.
• James Oakley, former County Commissioner (1998–2005) and County Judge (2015–Present)
• Logan Vandeveer, early Texas soldier, ranger, cattleman and civic leader. Vandeveer was a leader in presenting the petition to the legislature in 1852 to establish Burnet County and was instrumental in having the town of Burnet named the county seat.
• Al Witcher (born 1936), American football player