In 1834, the provincial legislature ofCoahuila y Tejas – established by the MexicanConstitution of 1824 – met inSaltillo and established the Municipality and County of Mina, consisting 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 secondCongress of the Republic of Texas adjusted geographical limits to create Fayette County, and remove Gonzales and Caldwell Counties from Mina's boundaries. On December 18, 1837, Sam Houston signed acts that (a) incorporated the town of Mina and (b) changed the name of the county and town of Mina toBastrop to honorFelipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop, an early Dutch settler who helpedStephen F. Austin obtain land grants inTexas.
On May 24, 1838, theRepublic of Texas added parts of Kimble and Comal Counties 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, Bastrop county limits shifted nearly to its present dimensions, including small portions of Lee, Williamson, Caldwell, Gonzales, and Fayette Counties.[4][5][6]
In December 1942, Bastrop was the site of an alleged military murder, in which Sgt. Walter Springs was gunned down by a White military police officer following a dispute. Springs was shot in the back, but the case remains largely unsolved to this day. A memorial scholarship in his honor has been active at hisalma mater,Regis University, for most of the period since 1952 and has the backing of former NBA All StarChauncey Billups.[7]
In March 2022,the Refuge Ranch, a facility in rural Bastrop County for girls who had been victims ofsexual trafficking, was ordered closed down after allegations that the girls had been subjected to further exploitation by ranch staffers.[8][9][10]
In general this area has asubtropical and humid maritime climate with consistently hot and dry summers, while the milder winter weather occasionally has short spans of cold temperatures.[11][12] The growing season starts in early March and continues through late November, while annually this location receives 37.2 inches of average precipitation, and also on average experiences 49 days per year of at least 0.1 inches, primarily during May, June, September, and October.[11][13][14]
Within theTexas Gulf Coast basin where Bastrop County resides, severe to extreme droughts occur at least once every 10 years (within a century of record keeping).[15] Additionally, flash flooding due to hurricanes or slow thunderstorms are of concern, with 10-11 inches of rain within a single day being at least 1% likely.[16]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 896 square miles (2,320 km2), of which 888 square miles (2,300 km2) are land and 7.4 square miles (19 km2) (0.8%) are covered by water.[17] This area resides in theGulf Coastal Plains which has sparse topographic relief; elevations gently slope between 400-600 feet.[11] Vegetation is primarilyPost Oak savannah and woodland,Blackland Prairie, and pine hardwood forest.[18] The uniqueLost Pines Forest featuresLoblolly pine (Pinus taeda) which require the deep, moist, acidic, sandy soil of the Carrizo Sands formation.[11][19]
As forgeologic formations, the most recent around floodplains and lowlands of theColorado River (as well as larger nearby streams) arealluvium,fluviatile terrace deposits, and high gravel.[19] Tertiary formations havesandstone, mudstone, sand, and clay running in bands from northeast to southwest, which notably also provide the critically endangeredHouston Toad necessary deep sandy soil habitat.[19] Major aquifers include the Carrizo-Wilcox, Colorado River, and Lake Bastrop, and the water system divides along US Highway 290 to separate the Colorado River and theBrazos River basins.[20]
The most notable animal within Bastrop County is the critically endangered amphibianHouston Toad.
The Houston Toad
Otherwise the area features primarily Post Oak Savannah and pine oak woodland wildlife, with more than 200 documented species of birds as of 1996.[21] Bastrop County is the southwestern-most area for thepileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus),pine warbler (Dendroica pinus), and includes the western range for theKentucky warbler (Oporornis formosus),hooded warbler (Wilsonia citrina), andSwainson's warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii).[22]
Other amphibians are thesmall-mouth salamander (Ambystoma texanum),cricket frog (Acris crepitans),green toad (B. debilis),Texas toad (B. speciosus),Gulf Coast toad (B. valliceps valliceps),Woodhouse's toad (B. woodhousii),eastern narrowmouth toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis),Great Plains Narrowmouth Toad (G. olivacea).[25] Some frogs include the Rio Grande leopard (Rana berlandieri), bullfrog (R, catesbeiana), green (R. clamitans), southern leopard (R. sphenocephala), and both Couch's and Hurter's spadefoots (Scaphiopus couchi and hurteri).[25] Documented treefrogs include Cope's gray (Hyla chrysoscelis), green (Hyla cinerea), and gray (H. versicolor).Chorus Frog members found in Bastrop County are the spotted (Pseudacris clarki), Strecker's (P. streckeri), and striped (P. triseriata).[25]
Bastrop County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of thecensus[46] of 2000, 57,733 people, 20,097 households, and 14,771 families resided in the county. Thepopulation density was 65 people per square mile (25 people/km2). The 22,254 housing units averagedf 25 per square mile (9.7/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 80.2% White, 8.8% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 7.7% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. About 24.0% 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, 58.5% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were not families. About 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% 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 the2010 census, about 7.8same-sex couples per 1,000 households lived in the county.[47]
In the county, the population was distributed as 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 105.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.8 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. Theper capita income for the county was $18,146. About 8.4% of families and 11.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.
