Bosque County (pronounced Bahs-key) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population is 17,204. Its county seat is Meridian. Clifton, however, is the largest city and the cultural/financial center of the county. Bosque is named for the Bosque River, which runs through the center of the county north to south. The Brazos River makes up the eastern border along with the Lake Whitney reservoir it feeds.
Bosque County (F-16) is located in Central Texas. The county seat, Meridian, is situated in the center of the county at latitude 31°56′ N and longitude 97°39′ W. The county lies approximately sixty miles south of Dallas-Fort Worth and forty miles north of Waco. Bosque County is bordered by Erath and Somervell counties to the north, Johnson and Hill counties to the east, McLennan and Coryell counties to the south, and Hamilton County to the west. State Highways 6, 174, 144, 22, and 65 traverse the county, along with numerous county and farm-to-market roads; the public road system comprises 1,106 miles.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,003 square miles (2,597 km²), of which, 989 square miles (2,562 km²) of it is land and 13 square miles (35 km²) of it (1.34%) is water.
Bosque County is an agrarian area that covers 989 square miles. As a part of the Grand Prairie subdivision of the North Central Plains, the land is primarily an area of shallow to deep, well-drained soils underlain by limestone. Around the streams are deep, well-drained and moderately well-drained soils. Many believe that the soil is the most important natural resource of the county because the life of the livestock and the flora and fauna depend heavily upon it. Much sand, gravel, and limestone are mined in the county for construction. The alluvial soils of the riverbottoms promote the growth of elm, cottonwood, river birch, sycamore, ash, pecan, and a variety of oak trees. The area is also distinguished by clusters of flat-topped hills separated by low areas of flat grassland. Although many grasses cover the prairie areas of Bosque County, Johnson grass is the most common. Numerous livestock graze in the county, where sudden outcroppings of white limestone form tall, steep hills or cliffs. Throughout the plains areas, cedars, oaks, and mesquites are prevalent. The only commercial mineral found in Bosque County is limestone. In this region of rolling hills, the altitude ranges from 480 to 1,200 feet.
Bosque County is considered a “well-watered” area. The Brazos River borders the eastern edge of the county, and the Bosque River cuts through the center of the county north to south. Besides the major rivers, there are numerous smaller watercourses or tributaries, such as Mesquite, Grass, Hill, Duffan’s, Fall, Honey, Neils, Bee, Meridian, Spring, Turkey, and Mill creeks. Near the northeast corner of the county lies the well-known Kimball’s Bend in the Brazos River. In 1951 Lake Whitney was constructed on the Brazos River at the southeastern edge of Bosque County. This reservoir is used for recreation, flood control, and power generation. Throughout the county, the supply of water is adequate for domestic use, livestock, and irrigation.
Bosque County is very hot in the summer and cool in the winter, with occasional cold surges that cause sharp drops in otherwise mild temperatures. In the winter, the average low temperature is 47 °F. The lowest temperature on record, however, is -3°, recorded at Whitney Dam on February 2, 1951. During the summer, the average daily high temperature is 95°. A record 111° was recorded on July 26, 1954. Rainfall is uniformly distributed throughout the county with an average of 33 inches a year. The heaviest one-day rainfall was 6.22 inches, measured at Whitney Dam on October 19, 1971. The average growing season lasts 243 days; the last freeze usually occurs in late March and the first freeze around late November. Along the North Bosque River in the southmost corner of the county, where the impermeable bedrock is most widely extended, serious floods occur. Intensive cultivation of the land has been a problem throughout the history of the county. Since the survival of the area depends on the soil, governmental agencies attempt through management to guard against flooding or erosion and exhaustion of the soil.
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 17,204 people, 6,726 households, and 4,856 families residing in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 8,644 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.75% White, 1.92% Black or African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.17% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 12.23% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,726 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,181, and the median income for a family was $40,763. Males had a median income of $31,669 versus $21,739 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,455. About 8.9% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.
Originally posted 2009-02-09 10:15:39.
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