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Brazoria County
	Brazoria County, Texas
	Map
	; Location in the state of Texas
	; Texas's location in the U.S.
	Statistics
Founded	1836
Seat	Angleton
Area; - Total; - Land; - Water	; 1,597 sq mi (4,136 km²); 1,386 sq mi (3,590 km²); 211 sq mi (546 km²), 13.21%
Population; - (2000); - Density	; 241,767; 174/sq mi (67/km²)
	Website: www.brazoria-county.com

Brazoria County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas located on the Gulf Coast within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Its county seat is Angleton, and its largest city is Pearland. The county also includes what was once Velasco, Texas, which was the first capital of the Republic of Texas. It served as the first settlement area for Anglo-Texas, whereby the Old Three Hundred immigrated from the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 241,767. The 2007 Census estimate placed the county's population at 294,233.

[edit] History

Brazoria County, like nearby Brazos County, takes its name from the Brazos River, which flows through it. Anglo-Texas began in Brazoria County when the first of Stephen F. Austin's authorized 300 American settlers arrived at the mouth of the Brazos River in 1821. Many of the events leading to the Texas Revolution developed in Brazoria County. In 1832, Brazoria was organized as a separate municipal district by the Mexican government, and so became one of Texas original counties at independence in 1836. Stephen F. Austin's original burial place was located at a church cemetery (Gulf Prairie Presbyterian) in the town of Jones Creek, but was exhumed in 1910 and brought to the state capital in Austin. Also, the town of West Columbia served as the first capital of Texas, dating back to pre-revolutionary days.

Congressman and 2008 Presidential Candidate Ron Paul lives in Brazoria County, in Lake Jackson.

Brazoria County resembles both rural and suburban life as it is part of the Greater Houston area.

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,597 square miles (4,137 km²), of which, 1,386 square miles (3,591 km²) of it is land and 211 square miles (547 km²) of it (13.21%) is water.

[edit] Major highways

[edit] Adjacent counties

Harris County (north)
Galveston County (northeast)
Matagorda County (southwest)
Wharton County (west)
Fort Bend County (northwest)

[edit] National protected areas

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 241,767 people, 81,954 households, and 63,104 families residing in the county. The population density was 174 people per square mile (67/km²). There were 90,628 housing units at an average density of 65 per square mile (25/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 77.09% White, 8.50% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 2.00% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.63% from other races, and 2.22% from two or more races. 22.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 12.1% were of German, 11.2% American and 7.2% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 79.0% spoke English and 18.1% Spanish as their first language.

There were 81,955 households out of which 40.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.00% were non-families. 19.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the county, the population was spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 32.40% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 8.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 106.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,632, and the median income for a family was $55,282. Males had a median income of $42,193 versus $27,728 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,021. About 8.10% of families and 10.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.60% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Elected officials

[edit] United States Congress

Senators		Name	Party	First Elected	Level
	Senate Class 1	Kay Bailey Hutchinson	Republican	1993	Senior Senator
	Senate Class 2	John Cornyn	Republican	2002	Junior Senator
Representatives		Name	Party	First Elected	Area(s) of Brazoria County Represented
	District 14	Ron Paul	Republican	1996 (also served 1976-1977 and 1979-1985)	Central and southern areas (Alvin, Lake Jackson, Angleton, Freeport, [also part of Galveston County])
	District 22	Pete Olson	Republican	2008	Northern areas (Pearland)

[edit] Texas Legislature

[edit] Texas Senate

District		Name	Party	First Elected	Area(s) of Brazoria County Represented
	11	Mike Jackson	Republican	1999	Northern and central areas
	17	Joan Huffman	Republican	2008	Southern areas, Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula (Galveston County)

[edit] Texas House of Representatives

District		Name	Party	First Elected	Area(s) of Brazoria County Represented
	25	Dennis Bonnen	Republican	1996	Lake Jackson, Angleton, Freeport
	29	Randy Weber	Republican	2008	Pearland, Alvin

NOTE: There was a runoff to be held in January, 2007 between two Republicans to determine the representative for the seat in House District 29.

[edit] Communities

[edit] Cities

[edit] Towns

[edit] Villages

[edit] Unincorporated areas

[edit] CDPs

[edit] Other areas

[edit] Education

A variety of school districts serve Brazoria County students. They include:

Alvin Community College and Brazosport College serve as higher education facilities.

Brazoria County Library System is the county library system.

[edit] Transportation

Brazoria County Airport in central unincorporated Brazoria County is the county's sole publicly-owned airport.

The following airports, located in the county, are privately-owned and for public use:

Flyin' B Airport in western unincorporated Brazoria County
Skyway Manor Airport in Pearland
Pearland Regional Airport in eastern unincorporated Brazoria County south of the Pearland city limits

The closest airport with regularly scheduled commercial service is Houston's William P. Hobby Airport located in Houston in adjacent Harris County. The closest airport with regularly scheduled international commercial service is George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston in Harris County.

[edit] Corrections

The Brazoria County Jail is located at 3602 County Road 45 in unincorporated central Brazoria County, north of Angleton.^[2]

Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates six prisons for men in Brazoria County.

Clemens Unit is located in unincorporated southern Brazoria County, adjacent to Jones Creek.^[3]
Darrington Unit is located in unincorporated northern Brazoria County, adjacent to Iowa Colony.^[4]
Ramsey Unit is located in unincorporated central Brazoria County, adjacent to Bonney. The unit is co-located with Stringellow and Terrell.^[5]
Scott Unit is located in unincorporated central Brazoria County, northwest of Lake Jackson.^[6]
Stringfellow Unit is located in unincorporated central Brazoria County, adjacent to Bonney. The unit is co-located with Ramsey and Terrell.^[7]
C. T. Terrell Unit is located in unincorporated central Brazoria County, adjacent to Bonney. The unit is co-located with Ramsey and Stringfellow.^[8]