Leon County, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Leon County
U.S. county
The Leon County Courthouse in Centerville was originally built of slate brick in 1887. Two previous structures have occupied the current site.
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1846
Named for	Martín de León
Seat	Centerville
Largest city	Buffalo
Area
• Total	1,081 sq mi (2,800 km²)
• Land	1,073 sq mi (2,780 km²)
• Water	7.5 sq mi (19 km²) 0.7%
Population (2020)
• Total	15,719
• Density	14.541/sq mi (5.6144/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	8th, 17th

Rural Leon High School is located off U.S. Highway 79.

Leon County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 15,719. Its county seat is Centerville.

History
Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
- 2020 census
Communities
See also

History

The legislature of the Republic of Texas authorized Leon County in 1846 from part of Robertson County, and named it in honor of Martín De León, the founder of Victoria, Texas. However, local tradition holds that it is named for a yellow wolf of the region commonly called the león ("lion" in Spanish). The county was organized that same year with its first county seat at Leona. In 1851 the county seat was moved to Centerville since Leona was in the far southern part of the county.

The 1886 Leon County Courthouse was designed by architect George Edwin Dickey of Houston, incorporating remnants of an earlier 1858 courthouse that was destroyed by fire. The courthouse was rededicated on July 1, 2007 following a full restoration to a 1909 date.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,081 square miles (2,800 km²), of which 1,073 square miles (2,780 km²) is land and 7.5 square miles (19 km²) (0.7%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 45
U.S. Highway 79
State Highway 7
State Highway 75
State Highway 164

Additionally, State Highway OSR runs along the south and southwest county line of Leon County where it borders with Madison County.

Adjacent counties

Freestone County (north)
Anderson County (northeast)
Houston County (east)
Madison County (south)
Robertson County (west)
Limestone County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	1,946	—
1860	6,781	248.5%
1870	6,523	−3.8%
1880	12,817	96.5%
1890	13,841	8.0%
1900	18,072	30.6%
1910	16,583	−8.2%
1920	18,286	10.3%
1930	19,898	8.8%
1940	17,733	−10.9%
1950	12,024	−32.2%
1960	9,951	−17.2%
1970	8,738	−12.2%
1980	9,594	9.8%
1990	12,665	32.0%
2000	15,335	21.1%
2010	16,801	9.6%
2020	15,719	−6.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020

2020 census

**Leon County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	13,078	11,659	77.84%	74.17%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1,181	921	7.03%	5.86%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	57	54	0.34%	0.34%
Asian alone (NH)	75	111	0.45%	0.71%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	2	6	0.01%	0.04%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	1	47	0.01%	0.30%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	147	475	0.87%	3.02%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2,260	2,446	13.45%	15.56%
Total	16,801	15,719	100.00%	100.00%

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.