In 1837, most of the area of present-day Brazos County was included in Washington County. The Brazos River, which bisected the latter, proved a serious obstacle to county government, and a new county, Navasota, was formed in January 1841. The first court, with Judge R. E. B. Baylor presiding, was held later that year in the home of Joseph Ferguson, fourteen miles west of the site of present Bryan. The county seat, named Boonville for Mordecai Boon, was located on John Austin's league and was surveyed by Hiram Hanover in 1841. In January of the following year Navasota County was renamed Brazos County.[6]
Originally one of the state's poorer counties, the county donated 2,416 acres of land in the 1870s to createTexas A&M University, which has enabled the county to be among the state's most financially successful.
After theCivil War tens of thousands of new residents moved to Brazos County, attracted by its good lands, with plenty oftimber and a patchwork ofprairies and fertilefloodplains. As newcomers poured in by the thousands the county suffered from arson, feuding, shooting and racial violence, including moblynchings.[7]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 591 square miles (1,530 km2), of which 585 square miles (1,520 km2) is land and 5.8 square miles (15 km2) (1.0%) is water.[8]
Brazos 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[15] of 2000, there were 152,415 people, 55,202 households, and 30,416 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 260 people per square mile (100 people/km2). There were 59,023 housing units at an average density of 101 units per square mile (39/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 74.45%White, 10.72%Black orAfrican American, 0.36%Native American, 4.01%Asian, 0.07%Pacific Islander, 8.42% fromother races, and 1.97% from two or more races. 17.88% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 15.3% were ofGerman, 8.4%English, 7.3%Irish and 7.2% American ancestry according toCensus 2000.
There were 55,202 households, out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.30% weremarried couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.90% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.50% under the age of 18, 32.00% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 13.80% from 45 to 64, and 6.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,104, and the median income for a family was $46,530. Males had a median income of $32,864 versus $24,179 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $16,212. About 14.00% of families and 26.90% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.
Unlike most counties that are home to a large university, Brazos County is a Republican stronghold. The county votes to the right of Texas as a whole, which is also a Republican stronghold.
No Democratic presidential nominee has carried it since Texas nativeLyndon Johnson in his 1964 landslide. Only in 1968 and 2020 have Democrats received even 40% of the vote. EvenJimmy Carter failed to win 40% of the vote in 1976, despite being the last Democrat to win Texas.
In 2020,Joe Biden was the first Democrat to win over 40% of its vote since 1968, winning 41.43% of the vote. This was still well to the right of the state as a whole, as Biden lost the state 46.48-52.06%.
United States presidential election results for Brazos County, Texas[18]
