Wise County, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Wise County
U.S. county
The Wise County Courthouse in Decatur, a Romanesque Revival structure, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1856
Named for	Henry Alexander Wise
Seat	Decatur
Largest city	Decatur
Area
• Total	923 sq mi (2,390 km²)
• Land	904 sq mi (2,340 km²)
• Water	18 sq mi (50 km²) 2.0%
Population (2020)
• Total	68,632
• Density	74.36/sq mi (28.710/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	13th, 26th

Wise County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 68,632. Its county seat is Decatur. Wise County is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area. Its Wise Eyes crime-watch program, eventually adopted by mostly rural counties in several states, was started in 1993 by then-Sheriff Phil Ryan.

History
Geography
- Adjacent counties
- National protected area
Communities
Demographics
Education
Transportation
- Major highways
- Airports
See also

History

On November 10, 1837, the Battle of the Knobs was fought in what is now Wise County between about 150 Native American warriors and 18 Republic of Texas soldiers under Lieutenant A. B. Benthuysen. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Texan soldiers held their ground, killing or wounding an estimated 50 Native Americans and losing 10 of their own men. More settlers began coming into the area not long afterward, with people relocating from both the Upper South and Deep South. Wise County was not founded until 1856. It was named after Virginia Congressman Henry A. Wise, who had supported annexation of Texas by the United States. He was elected governor of Virginia in 1856.

As few residents of Wise County were slaveholders, opinions were mixed at the time of the Civil War, and many people opposed secession. Unionists were persecuted in North Texas, and some were lynched. Forty-two men were murdered in the Great Hanging at Gainesville in October 1862, over the course of several days in neighboring Cooke County. This was one of the worst examples of vigilante justice in American history.

In recent years, Wise County allowed an increase in hydraulic fracturing. In 2011, the Parr family and others filed a lawsuit against several energy companies, including Republic Energy, Inc. and Ryder Scott Petroleum, claiming the extracting processes have created health complications for their family and neighbors. In April 2014, the Parrs won a $2.9 million award from a Dallas jury.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 923 sq mi (2,390 km²), of which 18 sq mi (47 km²) (2.0%) are covered by water.

Adjacent counties

Montague County (north)
Cooke County (northeast)
Denton County (east)
Tarrant County (southeast)
Parker County (south)
Jack County (west)

National protected area

Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland (majority)

Communities

Unincorporated communities

Allison
Balsora
Boonsville
Cottondale
Greenwood
Slidell
Sycamore

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	3,160	—
1870	1,450	−54.1%
1880	16,601	1,044.9%
1890	24,134	45.4%
1900	27,116	12.4%
1910	26,450	−2.5%
1920	23,363	−11.7%
1930	19,178	−17.9%
1940	19,074	−0.5%
1950	16,141	−15.4%
1960	17,012	5.4%
1970	19,687	15.7%
1980	26,575	35.0%
1990	34,679	30.5%
2000	48,793	40.7%
2010	59,127	21.2%
2020	68,632	16.1%
2023 (est.)	78,097	32.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020

**Wise 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)	41,991	47,122	50,495	86.06%	79.70%	73.57%
Black or African American alone (NH)	584	573	657	1.20%	0.97%	0.96%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	309	341	474	0.63%	0.58%	0.69%
Asian alone (NH)	107	234	372	0.22%	0.40%	0.54%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	21	15	12	0.04%	0.03%	0.02%
Other race alone (NH)	20	35	172	0.04%	0.06%	0.25%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	513	695	2,756	1.05%	1.18%	4.02%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5,248	10,112	13,694	10.76%	17.10%	19.95%
Total	48,793	59,127	68,632	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

In 2000 there were 48,793 people, 17,178 households, and 13,467 families were residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile (21 people/km²). The 19,242 housing units averaged 21 units per square mile (8.1 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.01% White, 1.23% Black, 0.75% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 5.07% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. About 10.76% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. By 2020, its population increased to 68,632; the racial and ethnic makeup of the county in 2020 was predominantly non-Hispanic white, and Hispanic or Latino American of any race.