Starr County, Texas

Starr County, Texas
County
Starr County
Map of Texas highlighting Starr County
Location in the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded 1848
Named for James Harper Starr
Government
• Sheriff
Rene "Orta" Fuentes
Seat Rio Grande City
Largest city Rio Grande City
Area
 • Total 1,229 sq mi (3,183 km2)
 • Land 1,223 sq mi (3,168 km2)
 • Water 5.9 sq mi (15 km2), 0.5%
Population
 • (2010) 60,968
 • Density 50/sq mi (19/km²)
Congressional district 28th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.co.starr.tx.us

Starr County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 60,968.[1] Its county seat is Rio Grande City.[2] The county was created in 1848.[3] It is named for James Harper Starr, who served as Secretary of the Treasury of the Republic of Texas.

Starr County comprises the Rio Grande City, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the McAllen-Edinburg, TX Combined Statistical Area. It is northeast from the Mexican border.

History

From 2000 to 2010 the population of Starr County increased from 53,597 to 60,968.[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,229 square miles (3,180 km2), of which 1,223 square miles (3,170 km2) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km2) (0.5%) is water.[5]

Major highways

Adjacent counties and municipalities

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18602,406—
18704,15472.7%
18808,30499.9%
189010,74929.4%
190011,4696.7%
191013,15114.7%
192011,089−15.7%
193011,4092.9%
194013,31216.7%
195013,9484.8%
196017,13722.9%
197017,7073.3%
198027,26654.0%
199040,51848.6%
200053,59732.3%
201060,96813.8%
Est. 201563,795[6]4.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1850–2010[8] 2010–2014[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 60,968 people residing in the county. 0.4% were White, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% Black or African American, 3.0% of some other race and 0.5% of two or more races. 95.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). According to the Census Bureau, Starr County had the highest percentage of Hispanic residents of any county in the United States.[9]

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 53,597 people, 14,410 households, and 12,666 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 17,589 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.92% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 9.91% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races.

There were 14,410 households out of which 54.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.50% were married couples living together, 17.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.10% were non-families. 11.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.69 and the average family size was 4.01.

In the county, the population was spread out with 37.40% under the age of 18, 11.00% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 16.30% from 45 to 64, and 8.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $16,504, and the median income for a family was $17,556. Males had a median income of $17,398 versus $13,533 for females. The per capita income for the county was $7,069, which is the third-lowest in the United States. About 47.40% of families and 50.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 59.40% of those under age 18 and 43.30% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2009 the median household income was $22,418.[4]

Law enforcement

In the 1970s and into the 1980s, federal law enforcement officials concentrated their anti-drug smuggling efforts on Starr County.[11]

On May 1, 2009, the former sheriff of Starr County, Reymundo Guerra, a Democrat, pleaded guilty in federal court to a narcotics conspiracy charge.[12]

In April 2016, Starr County Justice of the Peace Salvador Zarate, Jr., faced up to twenty years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine on two counts of bribery for accepting a $500 bribe in exchange for reducing bond on two persons arrested on narcotics charges in an incident on Christmas Eve 2014. He was found not guilty of possession of a controlled substance. Zarate is expected to appeal any sentence rendered.[13]

Presidential elections

Starr County has long been a strongly Democratic county but suffers from low voter turnout with only approximately 20 percent of its 53,000 residents voting. No Republican has won the county for President since incumbent Benjamin Harrison in 1892[14] and the county favored Michael Dukakis by the highest percentage in the nation.[15] Starr County is among a handful of counties in Texas that gave the majority of their votes to Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, who received 7,199 votes (74 percent) while George W. Bush received 2,552 votes (26 percent). In 2008, Illinois Senator Barack H. Obama did a lot better than Kerry in Starr County, receiving 8,233 votes (84 percent). Arizona Republican Senator John McCain received 1,488 votes (15 percent). In 2016, Donald Trump received 2,218 votes (19 percent). It currently has the longest streak of voting Democrat in the entire country.

Education

Residents of eastern Starr County are zoned to schools in the Rio Grande City Consolidated Independent School District. Immaculate Conception School, located in Rio Grande City and founded in 1884, is the only Catholic school in Starr County and provides a faith-based pre-K through eighth-grade education to approximately 250 students each year.

Residents of western Starr County are zoned to schools in the Roma Independent School District.

Residents of northeastern Starr County are zoned to schools in the San Isidro Independent School District.

South Texas College Founded in 1993, South Texas College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate and associate degrees. More than 29,000 students attend STC and a faculty and staff of more than 1,600 serve STC’s five campuses, including a full-service campus located in Rio Grande City in Starr County. The county holds one seat on the college's seven member Board of Directors. The seat is currently filled by Rose Benavidez.

The college offers more than 100 degree and certificate program options, including associate degrees in a variety of art, science, technology, allied health and advanced manufacturing fields of study. The college also offers eight online associate degrees options.

STC offers a Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) degree in Technology Management, as well as a Bachelor of Applied Technology in Computer and Information Technologies. The college is one of only three Texas community colleges accredited to offer a BAT degree and the only community college in Texas accredited to offer two bachelor's degrees.

STC has instituted a variety of dual enrollment programs, including early college high schools, drop-out recovery programs and other unique initiatives with high schools throughout Hidalgo and Starr counties. The programs allow eligible students to take college courses while attending high school. Combined, more than 8,000 students are currently enrolled in these programs.

The college has also developed two intensive academic programs for students interested in pursuing degrees in the medical and engineering fields. The Dual Enrollment Medical Science Academy and the Dual Enrollment Engineering Academy consist of concentrated two-year programs of study and internship opportunities for qualified students to pursue an Associate of Science degree during their junior and senior years in high school.

The program provides opportunities for lifelong learners who want to upgrade their skills, change careers, renew licenses and certifications, or seek personal enrichment. There is a wide variety of course offerings including online classes. Additionally the division also offers customized training to area businesses, industries and the community. Training programs are tailored to a client’s specific needs in terms of content, schedule and location.

Communities

As of 2011 Starr County has about 55 colonias. By 2011 many families were moving to the colonias.[4]

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Grinberg, Emmanuella. "Impoverished border town grows from shacks into community." CNN. July 8, 2011. Retrieved on July 9, 2011.
  5. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  6. ↑ "County Totals Dataset: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  7. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  9. ↑ Census Bureau data, cited in "Minorities now in the majority in nearly 10% of U.S. counties", Associated Press August 8, 2007, Lexington Herald-Leader p A8
  10. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  11. ↑ Miller, Tom. On the Border: Portraits of America’s Southwestern Frontier, pp. 27-34.
  12. ↑ http://www.poligazette.com/2009/05/22/a-counterintelligence-approach-to-controlling-cartel-corruption/
  13. ↑ Aaron Nelsen, "Star County JP faces jail for bribery", San Antonio Express-News, April 16, 2016, p. A7
  14. ↑ Geographie Electorale
  15. ↑ David Leip's Presidential Atlas (1988 election statistics)
 Jim Hogg County Brooks County
Zapata County Hidalgo County
   Starr County, Texas  
Ciudad Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas, Mexico; Ciudad Mier, Tamaulipas, Mexico; and Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Mexico Ciudad Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Tamaulipas, Mexico and Camargo, Tamaulipas, Mexico

Coordinates: 26°34′N 98°44′W / 26.57°N 98.73°W / 26.57; -98.73

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