Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 4,092,459, making it the most populous county in Texas and the third-most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Houston, the largest city in Texas and fourth-largest city in the United States. The county was founded in 1836 and organized in 1837. It is named for John Richardson Harris, an early settler of the area.
Harris County is included in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The county was founded on December 22, 1836, as Harrisburg County. The name was changed to Harris County in December 1839.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,777 square miles (4,600 km2), of which 1,703 square miles (4,410 km2) is land and 74 square miles (190 km2) (4.2%) is water. Both its total area and land area are larger than the state of Rhode Island.
Adjacent counties
- Montgomery County (north)
- Liberty County (northeast)
- Chambers County (east)
- Galveston County (southeast)
- Brazoria County (south)
- Fort Bend County (southwest)
- Waller County (northwest)
Demographics
2010 Census
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population. Asian Americans made up 6.2% of the population (2.0% Vietnamese, 1.2% Indian, 1.1% Chinese, 0.6% Filipino, 0.3% Korean, 0.1% Japanese, 1.0% Other). Pacific Islander Americans made up just 0.1% of the population. Individuals from other races made up 14.3% of the population; people from two or more races made up 3.2% of the county's population. Hispanics and Latinos (of any race) made up 40.8% of Harris County's population. As of the 2010 census, there were about 6.2 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.
2000 Census
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,400,578 people, 1,205,516 households, and 834,217 families residing in the county, making it the largest county by population in Texas. The population density was 1,967 people per square mile (759/km²). There were 1,298,130 housing units at an average density of 751 per square mile (290/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.73% White, 18.49% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 5.14% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 14.18% from other races, and 2.96% from two or more races. 32.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 7.2% were of German, 6.2% American and 5.3% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 63.8% spoke only English at home, while 28.8% spoke Spanish and 1.6% Vietnamese.
In 2000 there were 1,205,516 households out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.38.
In the county, the population was spread out with 29.00% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,598, and the median income for a family was $49,004. Males had a median income of $37,361 versus $28,941 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,435. About 12.10% of families and 14.97% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.6% of those under age 18 and 12.20% of those age 65 or over.
Poverty
According to Children At Risk, a local non-profit research organization, 20.8% of the Harris County children live in poverty, 6.5 per 1,000 die before age 1, and 38% drop out of high school.
Taxation
Harris County along with other Texas counties has one of the nation's highest property tax rates. In 2007, the county was ranked in the top 25 at 22nd in the nation for property taxes as percentage of the homes value on owner-occupied housing. The list only includes counties with a population over 65,000 for accuracy.
Racial and ethnic demographics
As of the 2010 Census Harris County had a population of 4,092,459 people. The racial and ethnic make-up of the county was 40.84% Hispanic or Latino with 0.52% of the overall population being Hispanic blacks who reported black or African American as their only race. The population was 32.98% non-Hispanic white, 18.43% non-Hispanic black, 0.68% Native American, 6.18% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander and 0.19% non-Hispanic people of some other race. 3.21% of the population reported more than one race.
As of 2013 37% of non-Hispanic whites in Harris County had postgraduate degrees and 36% of them had annual incomes over $75,000. Altogether, the non-Hispanic white population in Harris County is declining.
As of 2013 19% of blacks in Harris County have postgraduate degrees.
Steve Murdock, a demographer with the Rice University Hobby Center for the Study of Texas and a former director of the U.S. Census Bureau, predicted that by 2040, Hispanic residents of the county will increase by 2.5 million, while the number of non-Hispanic whites will decrease by 516,000. This assumes that the net migration rate is equal to one half of that of 1990-2000. As of 2013 13% of U.S.-born Latinos have postgraduate degrees, and 7% of Latino immigrants have postgraduate degrees.
The Houston Area Asian Survey of the Kinder Institute of Urban Research Houston Area Survey stated that between 1990 and 2000 the Asian population in Harris County increased by 76%. Between 2000 and 2010 it increased by 45%. The Asian ethnic groups in Harris County have differing levels of educational attainment, religion, political views, and income. During that year, in Harris County, 50% of the county's Asian immigrants have postgraduate degrees. As of 2013 28% of Harris County Asians have household incomes of over $75,000. The report stated that many Asians were in earlier stages of careers and were younger, leading to lower incomes. f Indian and Pakistani residents, the most educated Asian group in the county, 71% have university or post-graduate degrees and 2% did not finish high school. Of Vietnamese, the least educated Asian group in the county, 30% have university or post-graduate degrees and 20% did not finish high school.
As of 2012 Vietnamese were the largest group of Asians in Harris County. As of 1995 most Vietnamese, Filipinos, and Chinese stated that they were Republicans, while most Indians and Pakistanis stated that they were Democrats. In 2012, Indians and Pakistanis continue to identify as Democrats while Chinese, Filipinos, and Vietnamese were increasingly identifying as independents or Democrats.
Language
In 2000, 1,961,993 residents of Harris County spoke English only. The five largest foreign languages in the county were Spanish or Spanish Creole (1,106,883 speakers), Vietnamese (53,311 speakers), Chinese (33,003 speakers), French including Cajun and Patois (33,003 speakers), and Urdu (14,595 speakers). Among those who spoke other languages, 46% of Spanish speakers, 37% of Vietnamese speakers, 50% of Chinese speakers, 85% of French speakers, and 72% of Urdu speakers said that they spoke English at least "very well".
Politics
In 2013 Allen Turner of the Houston Chronicle said that residents of Harris County were "consistently conservative in elections" and that they were, according to a Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research opinion poll, "surprisingly liberal on topics such as immigration, gun control and equal matrimonial rights for same-sex couples". It's been widely regarded to be a moderate or swing county in Texas, and has been a bellwether in Presidential elections, voting for winners of every Presidential elections since 2000 (both Barack Obama and Texas resident George W. Bush have won the county).
As a result of the Obama sweep in 2008, many Democratic candidates in contests for lower-level offices also benefited, and many Republican incumbents were replaced by Democrats in the Harris County courthouse. Some of the defeated Republican district court judges were later re-appointed to vacant District Court benches by Governor Rick Perry. Republicans continue to hold all statewide offices after the 2014 elections, including all nine slots on each of the two high courts, but Harris County still has a mix of Democratic and Republican district court judges. All members of the two courts of appeals in the old Harris County Courthouse, by contrast, are Republicans. They are elected from an appellate district that includes Harris County, but also includes nine other counties that are more conservative and vote more Republican. Any generalizations about political leanings and voting patterns of the local electorate must take into consideration the geographic area/jurisdiction, and the same goes for public opinion polls. Whether elections for local offices coincide with presidential elections or mid-term elections also matters because turnout and composition of the voting segment of the electorate differ. The City of Houston of Houston, which overlaps with Harris County in part, but represents a smaller and more urban area and electorate, is even more liberal. That is why the City can elect a mayor who is not only a Democrat, but openly gay. (Mayoral elections are nominally non-partisan).
The opinion poll found that 46% of Harris County residents supported same-sex marriage, up from 37% in 2001, 83% favored offering illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, providing they speak English and have no criminal record, up from 19% in 2009, and 89% support background checks for all firearms.
Automobile ownership
As of U.S. Census figures current as of 1997, 9% of residents in Harris County did not own automobiles. This figure does not include people who own cars, but do not have enough money to repair the automobiles. As of that year, while the average income of all residents of the county was $41,000 (equivalent to $60,200 in 2015), the average income of households without cars was $13,000 (equivalent to $19,100 in 2015).
Educational attainment
In 2011, according to the nonprofit Children at Risk, one-third of students at public high schools in Harris County do not graduate.
Government and politics
County governments serve as agents of the state, with responsibilities defined in the Texas constitution. Counties are governed by the commissioners court. Each Texas county has four precinct commissioners and a county judge. Although this body is called a court, it conducts the general business of the county and oversees financial matters. The commissioners court may hire personnel to run major departments, such as health and human services.
Other elective offices include those for sheriff, county attorney, The major elective offices found in most counties include county attorneys, county and district clerks, county treasurers, sheriffs, tax assessor-collectors, justices of the peace, and constables. As a part of the checks and balances system, counties have an auditor appointed by the district courts.
The majority of Harris County voters are white and have tended to vote Republican at the presidential level since the mid-20th century; Barack Obama was the first Democrat to win the county since Texas native Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Democratic strength is found in the city of Houston and the suburbs that surround the city limits. More distant suburban areas such as Cypress, Spring, and Katy in the county's western and northern areas, tend to be strongly Republican.
County facilities
The 1910 county courthouse was renovated in the 1950s to update its systems. Some residents, such as Martin Dreyer, a Houston Chronicle reporter, were disturbed by modernization of the building, saying its character had been ruined. In the 21st century, the facility received a major renovation. Completed in 2011, the $50 million, eight-year project was designed to restore notable historic aspects of the courthouse while providing for contemporary communication and building needs.
The Texas First Court of Appeals and the Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals, since September 3, 2010, are located in the 1910 Harris County courthouse. Previously they were located on the campus of the South Texas College of Law.
The Harris County Jail is the largest in Texas, and one of the largest in the nation. In July, 2012, the facility held 9,113 prisoners. To handle overcrowding in the facility, the county had to ship inmates to other counties and some are housed out of the state.
United States Congress
List above took effect January 4, 2007.
Texas Legislature
Texas Senate
Texas House of Representatives
County government
Harris County elected officials
County services
The Harris County Flood Control District manages the effects of flooding in the county.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office operates jail facilities and is the primary provider of Law Enforcement services to the unincorporated areas of the county. The Sheriff is the Conservator of The Peace in the county. The Harris County jail facilities are in northern Downtown on the north side of the Buffalo Bayou. The 1200 Jail, the 1307 Jail, (originally a TDCJ facility, leased by the county), and the 701 Jail (formed from existing warehouse storage space) are on the same site.
Community Services Department provides community services. The department maintains the 20 acres (8.1 ha) Oates Road Cemetery (also known as the Harris County Cemetery), a cemetery for indigents in eastern Houston, near the former Southern Bible College. In March 2010 the county adopted a cremation first policy, meaning that the default preference for most indigents is to have them cremated instead of buried. As of 2010 the county authorized the community services department to purchase about 50 acres (20 ha) of land in the Huffman area so the county will have additional spaces for indigent burials.
The Harris County Housing Authority (HCHA) is a governmental non-profit corporation which addresses the need for quality affordable housing. The HCHA has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as the highest performing housing authority in the region and was recently named one of America's 10 best Public Housing Authorities. Guy R. Rankin, IV is Chief Executive Officer of Harris County Housing Authority (HCHA).
State government
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates some correctional facilities in Harris County, including:
- Kegans Unit, located in Downtown Houston, is a state jail for men. It is in the north of Downtown along the north side of the Buffalo Bayou, next to the county facilities.
- Pam Lychner Unit, named after Pam Lychner and located in unincorporated northeast Harris County, east of the city of Humble, is a state jail for men.
As of 2001 Kegans and Lychner serves male state jail offenders from Harris County, with Kegans getting lower risk offenders and Lychner getting higher risk and special needs offenders. If both of the male state jails in Harris County are full, excess offenders go to the Gist Unit in Jefferson County. Female state jail offenders from Harris County go to the Plane Unit in Liberty County.
The South Texas Intermediate Sanction Facility Unit, a parole confinement facility for males operated by Global Expertise in Outsourcing, is in Downtown Houston, west of Minute Maid Park.
Economy
In 2000 the largest employers in Harris County were Administaff, Compaq, Continental Airlines, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, and Southwestern Bell.
The University of Houston System's annual impact on the Houston-area's economy equates to that of a major corporation: $1.1 billion in new funds attracted annually to the Houston area, $3.13 billion in total economic benefit, and 24,000 local jobs generated. This is in addition to the 12,500 new graduates the UH System produces every year who enter the workforce in Houston and throughout Texas. These degree-holders tend to stay in Houston. After five years, 80.5 percent of graduates are still living and working in the region.
In 2009 20% of the office space in northwest Harris County was vacant. As of that year, more office space is being built; in 2010 northwest Harris will have twice the amount of office space that it had in 2009. The vacancy rate in the area near Farm to Market Road 1960 and Texas State Highway 249 in north Harris County was 53% in 2009.
Various companies are headquartered in incorporated and unincorporated areas throughout Harris County.
Academy Sports and Outdoors, a sporting goods retailer, has its corporate offices and product distribution center in unincorporated western Harris County. Hewlett-Packard operates its United States region office in a complex northwest unincorporated Harris County; the complex formerly belonged to Compaq prior to Compaq's merger with HP. Internet America, an internet service provider, is headquartered in northwest unincorporated Harris County. Smith International has its headquarters in the Greenspoint district and in an unincorporated area in Harris County. BJ Services Company has its headquarters in the Spring Branch district and in unincorporated Harris County. FMC Technologies has its headquarters in an unincorporated area. Cybersoft Technologies has its headquarters in an unincorporated area. In 2012 Noble Energy announced that it was consolidating its headquarters and two other Greater Houston offices into a 10 story building on the former Compaq headquarters property in unincorporated Harris County.
General Electric operates an aeroderivative division facility on Jacintoport in unincorporated Harris County. Randall's Food Markets, a subsidiary of Safeway Inc., has its distribution center in unincorporated Harris County.
In 2008 KBR announced that it will open a new office facility in an unincorporated area in western Harris County. In December KBR said that it would not continue with the plans due to a weakened economy. In January 2009 KBR announced that it will not open the new office facility.
Diplomatic missions
Various consulates are located in the county; one, the Consulate-General of Pakistan in Houston, which opened in June 2004, is at 11850 Jones Road in an unincorporated section of the county. The other consulates are in areas of Houston.
Education
Primary and secondary schools
The Harris County Department of Education, a county division overseeing education by local school districts, with a 2011 budget of approximately $100 Million, is headquartered in the Ronald W. Reagan Building in the Northside district in Houston. It has an Adult Education Center in the Northside and an office in the North Post Oak Building in Spring Branch.
Seven elected Harris County School Trustees oversee the operation of the Harris County Department of Education. Trustees are elected through a partisan election process via the Republican and Democratic primaries and in the November general elections, serving staggered six year terms of office, with 3 Trustees elected countywide and four Trustees elected to oversee the four Commissioner Precincts in Harris County, Texas.
Several school districts serve Harris County communities. Among the 26 Districts, are:
On July 1, 2013 the North Forest Independent School District closed and its territory became a part of Houston ISD.
In addition state-operated charter schools are in the county. Charter schools in unincorporated areas include:
- Jamie's House Charter School (6-12)
- Richard Milburn Academy Houston (high school) - Of Milburn Schools
- YES Prep North Central of YES Prep Public Schools
The department of education of the county operates the Highpoint Schools.
Colleges and universities
Four separate and distinct state universities are located in Harris County. The University of Houston is a nationally recognized Tier One research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. The third-largest university in Texas, the University of Houston has nearly 40,000 students on its 667 acre campus in southeast Houston. The University of Houston-Clear Lake and the University of Houston-Downtown are stand-alone universities; they are not branch campuses of the University of Houston. Located in the historic community of Third Ward is Texas Southern University, one of the largest historically black colleges and universities in the United States.
Several private institutions of higher learning--ranging from liberal arts colleges to a nationally recognized research university--are located within Harris County. Rice University is one of the leading teaching and research universities of the United States and ranked the nation's 17th best overall university by U.S. News & World Report.
Three community college districts exist with campuses in and around Harris County. The Houston Community College System serves most of Houston. The northwestern through northeastern parts of the county are served by various campuses of the Lone Star College System, while the southeastern portion of the county is served by San Jacinto College. The Houston Community College and Lone Star College systems are within the 10 largest institutions of higher learning in the United States.
Public libraries
Harris County operates its own public library system, the Harris County Public Library.
In addition, Houston has the Houston Public Library, a city-controlled public library system.
The cities of Baytown, Bellaire, Deer Park, and Pasadena have their own city-controlled libraries.
Transportation
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) serves several areas within Harris County. An agency of the Harris County government, Harris County Transit, serves communities in Harris County that are not served by METRO.
In Harris County, the average one way commute for a person using an automobile was 25 minutes, while the average commute for a person not using an automobile was 44 minutes, a 76% longer duration than the figure for commuters with cars.
Major highways
See List of Highways in Harris County for more roadways in Harris County.
Mass transit
Many areas in Harris County are served by Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO), a public transportation agency headquartered in Downtown Houston.
Intercity buses
Greyhound Bus Lines operates various stations throughout Harris County.
Airports
Two commercial airports, George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport, are located in Houston and in Harris County. The Houston Airport System defines Harris County as a part of Bush Intercontinental's service region. The city of Houston operates Ellington Field, a general aviation and military airport in Harris County.
General aviation airports for fixed-wing aircraft outside of Houston include:
- Publicly owned
- La Porte Municipal Airport in La Porte
- Baytown Airport in unincorporated east Harris County, north of Baytown
- Privately owned, public use
- West Houston Airport is a general aviation airport located in unincorporated western Harris County, west of the Houston city limits.
- Dan Jones International Airport in unincorporated northwestern Harris County
- Weiser Air Park in unincorporated northern Harris County
- David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport, a general aviation airport, is located outside of the Tomball city limits in unincorporated northwest Harris County.
- Sack-O-Grande Acroport (also known as Harbican Airport) is located in western unincorporated Harris County.
- Privately owned, private use
- Hoffpauir Airport is located in western unincorporated Harris County.
Emergency services
Outside of the city limits fire and ambulance services are provided by Emergency Services Districts (ESD).
Police services
Incorporated areas operate their own police departments.
Harris County operates the Harris County Sheriff's Office, which serves unincorporated areas and supplements police forces of incorporated areas.
Harris County also has a constable for each of its eight precincts and hundreds of deputies assigned to each. They mainly serve in a patrol function, established to maintain peace in the county as well as providing security to county buildings such as court houses and district attorney's offices.
Fire services
The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office operates an Investigative Branch, an Emergency Response Branch (Hazardous Materials Response) and Prevention Branch (Inspections). The office is headquartered at 2318 Atascocita Road in an unincorporated area. Incorporated cities operate their own fire departments.
Fire departments serving unincorporated areas:
- Aldine Fire & Rescue 3 Stations
- Atascocita VFD 3 Stations
- Champions ESD No. 29 1 Station
- Channelview VFD 3 Stations
- Cloverleaf VFD 2 Stations
- Community VFD (covers unincorporated southwest Harris County and unincorporated northeast Fort Bend County) 3 Stations
- Crosby VFD 5 Stations
- Cy-Fair VFD 12 Stations
- Cypress Creek EMS 9 Stations
- Cypress Creek VFD 4 Stations
- Eastex VFD 2 Stations
- Forest Bend VFD (Southeast unincorporated Harris County) 2 Stations
- Highlands VFD 2 Stations
- Huffman VFD 1 Station
- Katy VFD 1 Station
- Klein VFD 7 Stations
- Little York VFD 3 Stations
- Northwest VFD 3 Stations
- Ponderosa VFD (Harris County ESD #28) 3 Stations
- Rosehill VFD 3 Stations
- Sheldon Community Fire/Rescue 2 Stations
- Spring VFD 8 Stations
- Tomball VFD 2 Stations
- Tri-County VFD 2 Stations
- West I-10 VFD 5 Stations
- Westfield Rd. VFD 2 Stations
- Westlake VFD 1 Station
Emergency medical services
EMS services inside the City of Houston are provided by the Houston Fire Department.
Harris County Emergency Corps is in northern Harris County, south of Beltway 8. Harris County ESD 1 provides both "911" ambulances to its district as well as providing a variety of other services, including emergency dispatching for various fire and EMS agencies. Harris County Emergency Corps has a Director of EMS, Jeremy Hyde that oversees the daily operations of the service. The service's 911 operations are funded by Harris County Emergency Services District 1, a tax district overseen by an elected board.
Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department (ESD 46) provides EMS (Ambulance) services in the Northeast part of Harris county. Atascocita VFD staffs 2 MICU ambulances 24/7 by mostly paid paramedics. AVFD also has a 3rd and 4th ambulance on standby that volunteers and off-duty paid staff respond to during times of high call volume.
Cy Fair VFD provides EMS service to Northwest Harris County and is bordered by Houston Fire Department, Cypress Creek EMS, Rose Hill Fire Dept, Northwest EMS, West I 10 Ems.
Cypress Creek EMS (ESD 11) provides EMS services to the area roughly to Beltway 8 on the south, to 1 mile east of Hwy 290 on the west, to Hwy 59 (Humble City limits) on the east; to Montgomery County line on the north.
Harris County ESD 5 (ESD 5) covers the area of Crosby and Barrett Station. Response area extends from the Harris County/Liberty County Line east to the San Jacinto River. And from north of Indian Shores road on FM2100 south to Red Oak St. in Barrett Station
Northwest EMS (ESD 8) provides services in the Tomball area of Harris County.
Political organization
The chief administrative officer of a Texas County, as set up in the Texas Constitution, is the County Judge, who sits as the chair of the county's Commissioners' Court (the equivalent of a Board of Supervisors in some other states). Since 2007, this position in Harris County is held by Judge Ed Emmett. The county is split into 4 geographical divisions called Precincts. Each precinct elects a Commissioner to sit as a representative of their precinct on the commissioners court and also for the oversight of county functions in their area.
Other elected positions in Harris County include a County Attorney, a County Clerk, a District Attorney, a District Clerk, a Sheriff, 8 Constables, a Tax Assessor-Collector, a County Treasurer, and every judge in the county except municipal judges, who are appointed by the officials of their respective cities.
Many of the organs of the Harris County government reside in the Harris County Campus in Downtown Houston.
Hospital services
Within Harris County, hospital services for the indigent and needy are provided by the Harris County Hospital District, a separate governmental entity. Harris County Hospital District operates three hospitals: LBJ General Hospital, Quentin Mease Community Hospital, and Ben Taub General Hospital, as well as many clinics.
Additionally, numerous private and public hospitals operate in Harris County, including institutions in Texas Medical Center and throughout the county, for example the Harris County Psychiatric Center
Communities
Cities
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
Gallery
See also
- List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Harris County, Texas
- USNS Harris County (T-LST-822)
References
External links
- Harris County government's website
- The Handbook of Texas Online: Harris County
- Account of the early days of Harris County, 1824 - 1838 from Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas by John Henry Brown, hosted by The Portal to Texas History
- Harris County local event listings
- CPS in Harris County
- Harris County Fire Marshal's Office
- Harris County Housing Authority Website
- Accepted design illustration of Court House from the University of Houston Digital Library (1920-1924)
- Harris County regulations (ordinances)
Interesting Informations
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