Wise County, Texas

Infobox U.S. County
county = Wise County
founded = 1856
state = Texas


map size = 250
seat = Decatur | area_total_sq_mi =923
area_land_sq_mi =905
area_water_sq_mi =18
area percentage = 1.97%
census yr = 2000
pop = 48793
density_km2 =8
web = www.co.wise.tx.us
|

Wise County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 48,793. Its county seat is DecaturGR|6. The county is named for Henry Alexander Wise, a U.S. Congressman from Virginia who supported Texas' annexation. Wise County is considered part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The Wise Eyes crime watch program, eventually adopted by mostly rural counties in several states, was begun there in 1993 by then-Sheriff Phil Ryan. [ [http://www.wcmessenger.com/data/business/EEkpZkEpkywmbzsqbk.php WCMessenger.com: Wise Eyes expands its vision ] ]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 923 square miles (2,390 km²), of which, 905 square miles (2,343 km²) of it is land and 18 square miles (47 km²) of it (1.97%) is water.

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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

Demographics

USCensusPop
title=Historical populations
1900=27116
1910=26450
1920=23363
1930=19178
1940=19074
1950=16141
1960=17012
1970=19687
1980=26575
1990=34679
2000=48793
estimate=57891
estyear=2006

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 48,793 people, 17,178 households, and 13,467 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 19,242 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.01% White, 1.23% Black or African American, 0.75% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.03% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. 10.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,178 households out of which 38.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.10% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.60% were non-families. 18.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county, the population was spread out with 28.30% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 101.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,933, and the median income for a family was $47,909. Males had a median income of $35,913 versus $23,434 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,729. About 7.50% of families and 9.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.30% of those under age 18 and 10.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

*Alvord
*Aurora
*Balsora
*Boonsville
*Boyd
*Briar (unincorporated; partly in Tarrant, Parker counties)
*Bridgeport
*Chico
*Cottondale
*Decatur
*Greenwood (unincorporated)
*Lake Bridgeport
*New Fairview
*Newark (partly in Tarrant County)
*Paradise
*Pecan Acres (unincorporated; partly in Tarrant County)
*Rhome
*Runaway Bay
*Slidell (unincorporated)

References

External links

* [http://www.wisecounty.com/ Wise County on the Web]
* [http://www.co.wise.tx.us/ Wise County government's website]
* [http://skattershooting.blogspot.com "The Blog" - A Local Blog About Wise County]
* [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/WW/hcw14.html Wise County in "Handbook of Texas Online"] at the University of Texas