The county was established by the state legislature on March 13, 1874, and named afterThomas Green, a Texas revolutionary and aConfederatebrigadier general. It originally comprised an area over 60,000 sq mi (160,000 km2).
The original county seat was the town ofBen Ficklin. In 1882, flood waters of theConcho River destroyed the town and drowned 65 people. The county seat was moved to Santa Angela. In 1883, the town's name was officially changed toSan Angelo by theUnited States Post Office. Following completion of theSanta Fe Railway in September 1888, the county increased its cattle production to an estimated export of 3,500 to 5,000railroad cars. In 1889, San Angelo became incorporated to a city, andFort Concho shut down after 22 years of operation.[4]
Tom Green County has a long, narrow strip of land extending to the west. This unusual feature is becauseReagan County to the west used to be part of Tom Green County, and the state of Texas required that all counties have a contiguous land route to their county seat. The small strip of land served to connect the two main regions. In 1903, the residents of the western section voted to form Reagan County, while the same vote decided that the connecting strip would remain part of Tom Green County.[5]
In 2021, duringWinter Storm Uri, the city of San Angelo endured 152 hours at or below freezing temperatures.[6] Hurricanes and tropical storms that have hit Tom Green include:
Tom Green 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 the2020 census, the county had a population of 120,003. The median age was 36.0 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.6 males age 18 and over.[13]
83.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 16.7% lived in rural areas.[15]
There were 46,683 households in the county, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.1% were married-couple households, 20.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]
There were 51,406 housing units, of which 9.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 62.4% were owner-occupied and 37.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.4%.[13]
As of the2000 census, 104,010 people, 39,503 households, and 26,783 families resided in the county. Thepopulation density was 68 people/mi2 (26 people/km2). The 43,916 housing units averaged 29 units per square mile (11 units/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 50.76% White, 5.13% African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 12.82% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races. About 30.71% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race, 13.2% were ofGerman, 10.7%American, 8.2%English, and 7.2%Irish ancestry according toCensus 2000.[16]
Of the 39,503 households, 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.20% were not families. About 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52, and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county, the age distribution was 26.10% under 18, 12.80% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,148, and for a family was $39,482. Males had a median income of $27,949 versus $20,683 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,325. About 11.20% of families and 15.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 20.20% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.
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