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Cooke County, Texas facts for kids

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Cooke County
The Cooke County Courthouse in Gainesville
The Cooke County Courthouse in Gainesville
Flag of Cooke County
Flag
Map of Texas highlighting Cooke County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Texas
Founded 1849
Seat Gainesville
Largest city Gainesville
Area
 • Total 898 sq mi (2,330 km2)
 • Land 875 sq mi (2,270 km2)
 • Water 24 sq mi (60 km2)  2.6%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 41,668
 • Density 46.401/sq mi (17.915/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 26th

Cooke County is a special area in the state of Texas, USA. It's called a county. In 2020, about 41,668 people lived there. The main town, or county seat, is Gainesville.

The county was started in 1848 and officially organized in 1849. It was named after William Gordon Cooke. He was a brave soldier during the Texas Revolution. Cooke County is also part of a larger area known as Texoma. It's also connected to the bigger Dallas–Fort Worth area.

What is Cooke County Like?

Where is Cooke County Located?

Cooke County covers about 898 square miles. A small part of this area, about 24 square miles, is covered by water. This means there are lakes or rivers in the county.

Main Roads in Cooke County

Several important roads help people travel through Cooke County:

  • I-35 (TX).svg US 77.svg Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 77 are major highways.
  • US 82.svg U.S. Highway 82 also runs through the county.
  • Texas FM 51.svg Farm to Market Road 51 is another important road.

Neighboring Counties

Cooke County shares borders with several other counties:

Who Lives in Cooke County?

How Many People Live Here?

The number of people living in Cooke County has changed a lot over the years. Here's how the population has grown:

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 220
1860 3,760 1,609.1%
1870 5,315 41.4%
1880 20,391 283.7%
1890 24,696 21.1%
1900 27,494 11.3%
1910 26,603 −3.2%
1920 25,667 −3.5%
1930 24,136 −6.0%
1940 24,909 3.2%
1950 22,146 −11.1%
1960 22,560 1.9%
1970 23,471 4.0%
1980 27,656 17.8%
1990 30,777 11.3%
2000 36,363 18.1%
2010 38,437 5.7%
2020 41,668 8.4%
U.S. Decennial Census
1850–2010 2010 2020

In 2020, the population reached 41,668 people. About 41% of the people live in towns, and 59% live in more rural areas. There are almost 14,000 homes in the county.

Different Backgrounds in Cooke County

Cooke County is home to people from many different backgrounds. The U.S. Census keeps track of this information.

Cooke County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
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 may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 30,826 30,255 29,404 84.77% 78.71% 70.57%
Black or African American alone (NH) 1,087 1,018 1,181 2.99% 2.65% 2.83%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 304 303 360 0.84% 0.79% 0.86%
Asian alone (NH) 121 278 307 0.33% 0.72% 0.74%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 1 19 13 0.00% 0.05% 0.03%
Other race alone (NH) 22 35 125 0.06% 0.09% 0.30%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 375 532 1,759 1.03% 1.38% 4.22%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3,627 5,997 8,519 9.97% 15.60% 20.44%
Total 36,363 38,437 41,668 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

In 2016, about 88.84% of the people were White. About 3.06% were Black or African American. Around 1.00% were Native American. About 10% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Families and Age Groups

Many homes in Cooke County have children under 18. About 59.60% of homes are married couples. The average family size is about three people.

The population includes people of all ages. About 27.30% are under 18 years old. Around 14.90% are 65 years or older. The average age in the county is 37 years old.

How People Make a Living

In 2015, the average income for a household in Cooke County was about $53,552. This is how much money a family or group living together earns in a year. The average income for each person was $17,889.

About 14.10% of the people in the county lived below the poverty line. This means they had lower incomes. The average value of a house in 2015 was $118,254.

Towns and Communities

Cooke County has several towns and communities where people live.

Cities in Cooke County

Towns in Cooke County

Special Communities (Census-designated places)

These are areas that are like towns but not officially organized as cities or towns:

Smaller Communities (Unincorporated)

These are smaller places that don't have their own local government:

Old Towns (Ghost towns)

Some towns in Cooke County no longer exist or have very few people living there:

  • Bloomfield
  • Coesfield
  • Custer City
  • Freemound
  • Hemming

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Cooke para niños

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