Bastrop County, Texas


Bastrop County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 74,171. Its county seat is Bastrop. The county was created in 1834 as a municipality of Mexico and organized as a county in 1837. It is named for Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop, an early Dutch settler who helped Stephen F. Austin obtain land grants in Texas.
Bastrop County is included in the Austin–Round Rock, Texas, metropolitan statistical area.
In September 2011, Bastrop County suffered the most destructive wildfire in Texas history, which destroyed over 1,600 homes.

Boundary changes

From January 8, 1836 to December 13, 1837, the Municipality and County of Mina consisted of parts of present-day Mason, Kimble, Llano, Burnet, Williamson, Gillespie, Blanco, Comal, Hays, Travis, Caldwell, Bastrop, Lee, Gonzales, Fayette, Washington, and Lavaca Counties. On December 14, 1837, the second Congress of the Republic of Texas passed legislation changing the geographical limits, creating Fayette County, removing Gonzales and Caldwell Counties from the boundaries and, five months later, added parts of Kimble and Comal Counties. On December 18, 1837, Sam Houston signed an act incorporating the town of Mina, and on the same day, changing the name of the county and town of Mina to Bastrop. May 24, 1838, to January 24, 1840, shows the borders of Bastrop County to contain parts of present-day Blanco, Burnet, Williamson, Travis, Hays, Comal, Caldwell, Bastrop, Lee, Gonzales, and Fayette counties. From January 25, 1840, to January 25, 1850, the border changed to almost its present size with a small portion of Lee, Williamson, Caldwell, Gonzales, and Fayette Counties included.

Geography

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

Adjacent counties

As of the census of 2000, 57,733 people, 20,097 households, and 14,771 families resided in the county. The population density was 65 people per square mile. The 22,254 housing units averagedf 25 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 80.24% White, 8.79% African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 7.66% from other races, and 2.15% from two or more races. About 23.98% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 20,097 households, 35.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.50% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.50% were not families. About 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.50% 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 3.23. As of the 2010 census, about 7.8 same-sex couples per 1,000 households lived in the county.
In the county, the population was distributed as 28.00% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 31.30% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 105.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,578, and for a family was $49,456. Males had a median income of $32,843 versus $25,536 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,146. About 8.40% of families and 11.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.40% of those under age 18 and 13.30% of those age 65 or over.

Historical research

Bastrop County has several societies and associations dedicated to preserving historical information and sites.

Education

The following school districts serve Bastrop County:
As of 2010, Central Texas Airport was under development in Bastrop County.

Major highways

Cities

Several Hollywood feature films and notable independent films have used locations in Bastrop County.
YearFilmTop Billed CastLocation
1974Lovin' MollyAnthony Perkins, Blythe DannerBastrop
1974The Texas Chain Saw MassacreMarilyn Burns, Allen DanzigerBastrop
1975The Great Waldo PepperRobert Redford, Bo SvensonElgin
1994Love and a.45Gil Bellows, Renée ZellwegerBastrop
1995The Big GreenSteve Guttenberg, Olivia d'AboElgin
1996Courage Under FireDenzel Washington, Meg RyanBastrop
1996The Whole Wide WorldVincent D'Onofrio, Renée ZellwegerBastrop
1997The Only ThrillDiane Keaton, Sam ShepardBastrop
1998The Dentist 2Corbin Bernsen, Jillian McWhirterSmithville
1998Home FriesDrew Barrymore, Luke WilsonBastrop
1998Hope FloatsSandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr.Smithville
1999Varsity BluesJames Van Der Beek, Amy SmartElgin
1999The Soul CollectorBruce Greenwood, Melissa GilbertBastrop
2004Friday Night LightsBilly Bob Thornton, Lucas BlackElgin
2004The AlamoDennis Quaid, Billy Bob ThorntonBastrop
Jim Small's Big Thicket
Steiner Ranch
2006All the Boys Love Mandy LaneAmber Heard, Anson MountBastrop
2008Fireflies in the GardenJulia Roberts, Ryan ReynoldsBastrop
Smithville
2009The Tree of LifeBrad Pitt, Sean PennSmithville
2009Friday the 13th Jared Padalecki, Derek MearsCamp
2010BernieMatthew McConaughey, Jack BlackBastrop
Smithville
2013Prince AvalanchePaul Rudd, Emile HirschBastrop
2014BoyhoodPatricia Arquette, Ethan HawkeBastrop

Politics