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Bexar County is a county located in the state of Texas. As of 2000, the population is 1,392,931. Its county seat is San AntonioSpanish, "Bexar" is pronounced “be-har”; in referring to Bexar County, however, it is commonly pronounced “bear”.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,255 km² (1,257 mi²). 3,229 km² (1,247 mi²) of it is land and 25 km² (10 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.78% water.
Adjacent counties
History Bexar County was created on December 20, 1836, and encompassed almost the entire western portion of the Republic of Texas, including the disputed areas of western New Mexico northward to Wyoming. After statehood, 128 counties were carved out of its area.
The county gets its name from San Antonio de Béxar, one the twenty_three municipalities (administrative divisions) of Texas at the time of its independence. San Antonio de Béxar — originally Villa of San Fernando de Béxar — was the first civil government established in the Spanish province of Texas. Specifically, the municipality was created in 1731 when fifty-five Canary Islanders settled near the system of missions that had been established around the source of the San Antonio River. The new settlement was named after the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, the Spanish military outpost that protected the missions. The presidio, located at the San Pedro Springs, was founded in 1718 and named for Viceroy Balthasar Manuel de Zúñiga y Guzmán Sotomayor y Sarmiento, second son of the Duke of Bexar (a city in Spain).
Demographics As of the census2 of 2000, there are 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The population density is 431/km² (1,117/mi²). There are 521,359 housing units at an average density of 161/km² (418/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 68.86% White, 7.18% Black or African American, 0.80% Native American, 1.61% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 17.80% from other races, and 3.64% from two or more races. 54.35% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 488,942 households out of which 36.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.50% are married couples living together, 15.50% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% are non-families. 24.00% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.40% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.78 and the average family size is 3.33.
In the county, the population is spread out with 28.50% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $38,328, and the median income for a family is $43,724. Males have a median income of $30,756 versus $24,920 for females. The per capita income for the county is $18,363. 15.90% of the population and 12.70% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 22.40% of those under the age of 18 and 12.20% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Cities and towns * Only a very small portion of Cibolo is located in Bexar County.
** Fair Oaks Ranch has territory in both Bexar County and Kendall County.
*** Selma and Schertz each have territory in both Bexar County and Guadalupe County.
References - Stephens, A. Ray, and William M. Holmes, Historical Atlas of Texas. University of Oklahoma Press, 1989. ISBN 0806123079
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