Gonzales County, Texas

History

• Paleo-Indians Hunter-gatherers were here thousands of years ago; the later Coahuiltecan, Tonkawa, and Karankawa migrated into the area in the 14th century, but lost much of their population by the 18th century due to new infectious diseases contracted by contact with European explorers. The historic Comanche and Waco tribes later migrated into the area and competed most with European American settlers of the nineteenth century.
• 1519–1685 Hernando Cortez and Alonso Álvarez de Pineda claim Texas for Spain.
• 1685–1690 France plants its flag on Texas soil, but departs after only five years.
• 1821 Mexico won its independence from Spain. Citizens of the United States began to settle in Texas and were granted Mexican citizenship.
• 1825
• 1828 When Jean Louis Berlandier visits, he finds settler cabins, a fort-like barricade, agriculture and livestock, as well as nearby villages of Tonkawa and Karankawa.
• 1829, September 15 – Mexican President Vicente Ramon Guerrero, a former slave of Spanish, African and Native American descent, emancipates all slaves within the Republic of Mexico:

1st – Slavery is abolished in Mexico.

• 1831 The Coahuila y Tejas government sends a six-pound cannon to Gonzales for settlers' protection against Indian raids.
• 1835
• 1836
• 1838 Gonzales men found the town of Walnut Springs in the northwest section of the county.
• 1840 Gonzales men join the Battle of Plum Creek against Buffalo Hump and his Comanches.
• 1845, December 29 – Texas Annexation by the United States
• 1846, May 13 – The United States Congress officially declares war on Mexico.
• 1848, February 2 – Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ends the Mexican–American War.
• 1850 Gonzales College is founded by slave-owning planters, and is the first institution in Texas to confer A.B. degrees on women.
• 1853 The Gonzales Inquirer begins publication.
• 1860 County population is 8,059, including 3,168 slaves.
• 1861
• 1863
• 1865
• 1866–1876 The Sutton–Taylor feud, which involves outlaw John Wesley Hardin, and is reportedly the bloodiest and longest in Texas history. Hardin's men are known to have stayed in the community of Pilgrim.
• 1870, March 30 – The United States Congress readmits Texas into the Union.
• 1874 The Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway is built through the eastern and northern part of the county.
• 1877 The Texas and New Orleans Railway comes to the county.
• 1881 The Gonzales Branch Railroad is chartered.
• 1885 The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway runs through the county.
• 1894 John Wesley Hardin is released from prison and returns to Gonzales, where he passes the bar exam and practices law.
• 1898 Twenty-three county men serve, with two casualties, during the Spanish–American War. Three serve with the Rough Riders.
• 1905 The Southern Pacific line bypasses the community of Rancho.
• World War I – 1,106 men from the county serve.
• 1935 – Governor James Allred dedicates a monument in the community of Cost, commemorating the first shot of the Texas Revolution. Sculptress is Waldine A. Tauch.
• 1936 Palmetto State Park opens to the public.
• 1939 The Gonzales Warm Springs Foundation opens for the treatment of polio.
• World War II – 3,000 men from Gonzales County serve, with 79 casualties.

  Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 10
• U.S. Highway 87
• U.S. Highway 90

U.S. Highway 90 Alternate

• U.S. Highway 183
• State Highway 80
• State Highway 97
• State Highway 304

  Adjacent counties

• Fayette County
• Lavaca County
• Dewitt County
• Karnes County
• Wilson County
• Guadalupe County
• Caldwell County

  Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,628 people, 6,782 households, and 4,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile. There were 8,194 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 72.25% White, 8.39% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 16.48% from other races, and 2.01% from two or more races. 39.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,782 households out of which 34.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.00% were married couples living together, 12.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the county, the population was spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 20.90% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,368, and the median income for a family was $35,218. Males had a median income of $23,439 versus $17,027 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,269. About 13.80% of families and 18.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.60% of those under age 18 and 19.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Gonzales
• Nixon
• Smiley
• Waelder

  Unincorporated communities

• Bebe
• Belmont
• Cost
• Harwood
• Leesville
• Monthalia
• Ottine
• Pilgrim
• Thompsonville
• Wrightsboro

  Ghost towns

• Albuquerque
• Cheapside

  Politics