Liberty County, Texas facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Liberty County
U.S. county
The Liberty County Courthouse in Liberty
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1836
Named for	Liberty
Seat	Liberty
Largest city	Dayton
Area
• Total	1,176 sq mi (3,050 km²)
• Land	1,158 sq mi (3,000 km²)
• Water	18 sq mi (50 km²) 1.5%
Population (2020)
• Total	91,628
• Density	77.91/sq mi (30.083/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	36th

Liberty County is a county in the state of Texas, USA. Think of a county as a local area within a state. In 2020, about 91,628 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Liberty.

The county was first set up in 1831 when Texas was part of Mexico. It was called Villa de la Santísima Trinidad de la Libertad. Later, in 1836, when Texas became its own country, it was renamed Liberty County. The name "Liberty" was chosen to represent the idea of freedom.

Liberty County is also part of the larger Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land area.

Geography

Liberty County covers a total area of about 1,176 square miles. A small part, about 18 square miles, is covered by water.

The Trinity River flows right through the middle of the county. It even forms part of the border with other counties. The east fork of the San Jacinto River also flows through the northeast part of the county, near Cleveland. Another waterway, Tarkington Bayou, starts in a national forest and flows south through the county.

The highest point in Liberty County is called "Davis Hill." It's actually the top of a salt dome in the northern part of the county.

Neighboring Counties

Liberty County shares borders with these other counties:

Polk County (north)
Hardin County (east)
Jefferson County (southeast)
Chambers County (south)
Harris County (southwest)
Montgomery County (west)
San Jacinto County (northwest)

Protected Natural Areas

Parts of these special natural areas are found in Liberty County:

Communities

Liberty County has several towns and cities where people live.

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller communities not officially part of a city or town.

Population Information

The population of Liberty County has grown a lot over the years. In 1850, there were only 2,522 people. By 2020, the population had reached 91,628.

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	2,522	—
1860	3,189	26.4%
1870	4,414	38.4%
1880	4,999	13.3%
1890	4,230	−15.4%
1900	8,102	91.5%
1910	10,686	31.9%
1920	14,637	37.0%
1930	19,868	35.7%
1940	24,541	23.5%
1950	26,729	8.9%
1960	31,595	18.2%
1970	33,014	4.5%
1980	47,088	42.6%
1990	52,726	12.0%
2000	70,154	33.1%
2010	75,643	7.8%
2020	91,628	21.1%
2023 (est.)	108,272	43.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020

The county is also becoming more diverse. The table below shows how the different racial and ethnic groups have changed over time.

**Liberty 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)	52,289	52,321	50,044	74.53%	69.17%	54.62%
Black or African American alone (NH)	8,952	8,074	7,024	12.76%	10.67%	7.67%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	284	289	291	0.40%	0.38%	0.32%
Asian alone (NH)	218	337	466	0.31%	0.45%	0.51%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	18	23	12	0.03%	0.03%	0.01%
Other race alone (NH)	69	120	329	0.10%	0.16%	0.36%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	664	877	2,665	0.95%	1.16%	2.91%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	7,660	13,602	30,797	10.92%	17.98%	33.61%
Total	70,154	75,643	91,628	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

In 2000, the county had about 70,154 people. The population density was about 60 people per square mile. The largest group was White, followed by African American and Hispanic or Latino.

Liberty County has a lower percentage of residents with a college degree compared to other counties of its size.

Economy

Around 1995, Liberty County's economy mainly relied on farming and oil. At that time, the economy was facing challenges.

To help the economy, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice built four correctional facilities in the county. These facilities created many jobs. In 1995, they employed over 1,000 people and added $22 million to the county's yearly payroll. One of these facilities, Cleveland, is run by a private company, which means the county gets tax money from its operations.

Education

Students in Liberty County attend schools in several different school districts:

Cleveland ISD
Dayton Independent School District (ISD)
Devers ISD
Hardin ISD
Hull-Daisetta ISD
Liberty ISD
Tarkington ISD

After high school, students in some districts can attend Lee College. Students in other districts can go to Lone Star College.

The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center is located near Liberty. It's a special library and research center. Land for the library was donated in 1973, and it opened its doors in 1977.

Infrastructure

Liberty County has services to help its residents.

Police Services

The Liberty County Sheriff's Office helps keep the peace in areas outside of cities. They also help city police departments. Most cities in the county, like Cleveland and Dayton, have their own police departments. The county also has constables and deputies in different areas.

Fire Services

Fire protection is mostly provided by volunteer fire departments. The cities of Cleveland and Liberty have their own fire departments with both paid and volunteer firefighters. These departments also cover areas outside their city limits.

Here are some of the fire departments serving the county:

Ames VFD
Cleveland VFD
Cypress Lakes VFD
Dayton VFD
Devers VFD
Hardin VFD
Highway 321 VFD
Hull-Daisetta VFD
Kenefick VFD
Liberty VFD
Moss Bluff VFD
North Liberty County VFD
Plum Grove VFD
Raywood VFD
Tarkington VFD
Westlake VFD
Woodpecker VFD

Emergency Medical Services

Allegiance EMS provides ambulance services throughout most of the county. However, the City of Liberty Fire and EMS Department handles emergency medical services within the city of Liberty itself.

Correctional Facilities

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates several facilities in Liberty County. These include one women's prison, the L.V. Hightower Unit, and two women's state jails, the Dempsie Henley Unit and Lucille G. Plane Unit. These are all located north of Dayton.

There is also a men's prison called the Cleveland Unit in Cleveland. This prison is run by a private company called the GEO Group, Inc..

These facilities opened between 1989 and 1995. In 1995, Liberty County had the fourth-highest number of state prisons and jails in Texas.

Transportation

Getting around Liberty County is possible through various roads and airports.

Main Roads

U.S. Highway 59
- Interstate 69 is being built and will mostly follow the path of U.S. 59.
U.S. Highway 90
State Highway 61
State Highway 99 (Grand Parkway)
State Highway 105
State Highway 146
State Highway 321

Airports

There are two airports for smaller planes in the county:

Liberty Municipal Airport is east of Liberty.
Cleveland Municipal Airport is east of Cleveland.

For international flights, residents can use George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

Toll Roads

Liberty County Toll Road Authority
Authority overview
Formed	July 2007 (2007-07)
Jurisdiction	Liberty County, Texas
Headquarters	Liberty County Commissioners Court

The Liberty County Toll Road Authority was created in 2007. Its purpose is to have a say in any new toll road projects in the county. Currently, it does not operate any toll roads.

Notable People

Some well-known people have connections to Liberty County:

William Fields (1810-1858), an American politician.
Edward Bradford Pickett (1823–1882), who led the Texas Constitutional Convention in 1875 and was a state lawmaker.
Bobby Seale, a co-founder of the Black Panther Party.