Colorado County, Texas

County in Texas, United States

Not to be confused with Colorado, Texas or Colorado City, Texas.

County in Texas

Colorado County

County

Colorado County Courthouse in Columbus. Built 1890-1891: this 2014 photo shows restoration to original color scheme made in 2013

Location within the U.S. state of Texas

Texas's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 29°37′N 96°31′W﻿ / ﻿29.62°N 96.52°W﻿ / 29.62; -96.52
Country|  United States
State|  Texas
Founded| 1837
Named after| Colorado River
Seat| Columbus
Largest city| Columbus
Area

• Total

| 974 sq mi (2,520 km2)
• Land| 960 sq mi (2,500 km2)
• Water| 13 sq mi (30 km2)  1.4%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 20,557
• Density| 21/sq mi (8.1/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 10th
Website| www.co.colorado.tx.us

Colorado County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 20,557.[1][2] Its county seat is Columbus.[3] It is named for the Colorado River of Texas. The county was founded in 1836 and organized the next year.[4][5]

## History

[edit]

The territory that is now Colorado County has been continually inhabited by humans for at least 12,000 years. The Coco branch of the Karaknawa are said to have hunted in the area, while Tonkawa crossed the area from the south.

Confederate Memorial Museum, Colorado County, Texas

The first record of a European coming through the area that is now Colorado County was January 20, 1687, when René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, camped along Skull Creek. The party located an Indian village and named it Hebemes. The fourth expedition of Alonso De León may have crossed into the area while looking for Fort St. Louis in 1689.[6]

The area was settled by Anglo colonists who were part of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred starting in 1821. Some families settled near Beeson's Ford, a few miles south of Columbus' present day location. The area was active during the days of the Texas Revolution.[6] Dilue Rose Harris wrote her memoir of the Runaway Scrape from within the boundaries of Colorado County.[7]

The county was one of the original Republic of Texas counties when it formed in 1836.[6] Following the American Civil War, the county had one of the larger populations of African-American freedmen in the state, and was granted a Freedmen's Bureau office in Columbus.[8]

Many European settlers, particularly Germans, as well as Moravians and Bohemians from what became Czechoslovakia, began to settle in the county after the Civil War, although Germans had settled in the area as early as 1830.[6]

## Geography

[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 974 sq mi (2,520 km2), of which 13 sq mi (34 km2) (1.4%) are covered by water.[9]

### Major highways

[edit]

* Interstate 10
* U.S. Highway 90

U.S. Highway 90 Alternate
* State Highway 71

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Austin County (northeast)
* Wharton County (southeast)
* Jackson County (south)
* Lavaca County (southwest)
* Fayette County (northwest)

### National protected area

[edit]

* Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1850| 2,257| | —
1860| 7,885| | 249.4%
1870| 8,326| | 5.6%
1880| 16,673| | 100.3%
1890| 19,512| | 17.0%
1900| 22,203| | 13.8%
1910| 18,897| | −14.9%
1920| 19,013| | 0.6%
1930| 19,129| | 0.6%
1940| 17,812| | −6.9%
1950| 17,576| | −1.3%
1960| 18,463| | 5.0%
1970| 17,638| | −4.5%
1980| 18,823| | 6.7%
1990| 18,383| | −2.3%
2000| 20,390| | 10.9%
2010| 20,874| | 2.4%
2020| 20,557| | −1.5%
2024 (est.)| 21,475| [10]| 4.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1850–2010[12] 2010[13] 2020[14]
Colorado 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. Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[15] | Pop 2010[13] | Pop 2020[14] | % 2000  | % 2010  | % 2020

|
|
|
|
|
|

White alone (NH)  | 13,165  | 12,496  | 11,761  | 64.57%  | 59.86%  | 57.21%
Black or African American alone (NH)  | 2,962  | 2,636  | 2,222  | 14.53%  | 12.63%  | 10.81%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)  | 40  | 24  | 13  | 0.20%  | 0.11%  | 0.06%
Asian alone (NH)  | 42  | 75  | 80  | 0.21%  | 0.36%  | 0.39%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)  | 3  | 15  | 0  | 0.01%  | 0.07%  | 0.00%
Other race alone (NH)  | 0  | 25  | 41  | 0.00%  | 0.12%  | 0.20%
Mixed or multiracial (NH)  | 154  | 151  | 450  | 0.76%  | 0.72%  | 2.19%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)  | 4,024  | 5,452  | 5,990  | 19.74%  | 26.12%  | 29.14%
Total | 20,390 | 20,874 | 20,557 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00%

As of the census[16] of 2000, 20,390 people, 7,641 households, and 5,402 families were residing in the county. The population density was 21 people/sq mi (8.1 people/km2). The 9,431 housing units averaged 10 per square mile (3.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 72.79% White, 14.80% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 10.06% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. About 19.74% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Of the 7,641 households, 31.1% had children under 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were not families. About 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.56, and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the age distribution was 25.6% under 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and % who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,425, and for a family was $41,388. Males had a median income of $30,063 versus $20,014 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,910. About 12.3% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 15.80% of those age 65 or over.

## Communities

[edit]

### Cities

[edit]

* Columbus (county seat)
* Eagle Lake
* Weimar

### Census-designated place

[edit]

* Garwood
* Glidden
* Nada
* Rock Island
* Sheridan

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Alleyton
* Altair
* Bernardo
* Borden
* Chesterville
* Eldridge
* Frelsburg
* Hillcrest
* Lone Oak
* Mentz
* Oakland
* Shaws Bend

### Ghost towns

[edit]

* Lakeside
* Matthews
* New Bielau
* Osage
* Pisek
* Provident City
* Ramsey

## Politics

[edit]

Like many southern counties,[citation needed] Colorado County was predominantly Democratic prior to the 1960s and predominantly Republican since then. The last Democrat to carry the state was Jimmy Carter in 1976; George W. Bush, Mitt Romney and Donald Trump all received more than 70 percent of the vote in the county.

United States presidential election results for Colorado County, Texas[17] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2024 | 7,824  | 78.15% | 2,108  | 21.05%  | 80  | 0.80%
2020 | 7,472  | 74.91% | 2,420  | 24.26%  | 83  | 0.83%
2016 | 6,325  | 74.30% | 1,987  | 23.34%  | 201  | 2.36%
2012 | 6,026  | 74.24% | 2,029  | 25.00%  | 62  | 0.76%
2008 | 5,795  | 69.38% | 2,508  | 30.03%  | 50  | 0.60%
2004 | 5,488  | 71.37% | 2,161  | 28.10%  | 41  | 0.53%
2000 | 4,913  | 67.77% | 2,229  | 30.75%  | 107  | 1.48%
1996 | 3,381  | 49.90% | 2,795  | 41.25%  | 599  | 8.84%
1992 | 3,286  | 45.88% | 2,442  | 34.10%  | 1,434  | 20.02%
1988 | 3,723  | 56.41% | 2,847  | 43.14%  | 30  | 0.45%
1984 | 4,528  | 64.95% | 2,428  | 34.83%  | 15  | 0.22%
1980 | 3,520  | 58.75% | 2,377  | 39.68%  | 94  | 1.57%
1976 | 2,991  | 49.23%  | 3,028  | 49.84% | 56  | 0.92%
1972 | 3,495  | 69.66% | 1,502  | 29.94%  | 20  | 0.40%
1968 | 2,296  | 42.22% | 1,976  | 36.34%  | 1,166  | 21.44%
1964 | 1,918  | 34.41%  | 3,650  | 65.48% | 6  | 0.11%
1960 | 1,909  | 44.95%  | 2,299  | 54.13% | 39  | 0.92%
1956 | 2,691  | 61.62% | 1,648  | 37.74%  | 28  | 0.64%
1952 | 3,237  | 61.19% | 2,043  | 38.62%  | 10  | 0.19%
1948 | 900  | 28.53%  | 1,316  | 41.71% | 939  | 29.76%
1944 | 638  | 20.59%  | 1,517  | 48.97% | 943  | 30.44%
1940 | 1,166  | 41.00%  | 1,674  | 58.86% | 4  | 0.14%
1936 | 372  | 20.50%  | 1,435  | 79.06% | 8  | 0.44%
1932 | 331  | 10.79%  | 2,715  | 88.47% | 23  | 0.75%
1928 | 891  | 33.22%  | 1,787  | 66.63% | 4  | 0.15%
1924 | 681  | 21.54%  | 2,105  | 66.57% | 376  | 11.89%
1920 | 477  | 19.27%  | 765  | 30.91%  | 1,233  | 49.82%
1916 | 358  | 24.17%  | 1,041  | 70.29% | 82  | 5.54%
1912 | 106  | 7.24%  | 1,204  | 82.18% | 155  | 10.58%
United States Senate election results for Colorado County, Texas1[18] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2024 | 7,554  | 76.16% | 2,207  | 22.25%  | 158  | 1.59%

## See also

[edit]

* Texas portal

* List of museums in East Texas
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Colorado County, Texas
* Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Colorado County

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Colorado County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
2. ^ "Colorado County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. ^ Mark Odintz (June 12, 2010). "Colorado County". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
5. ^ "Colorado County". Texas Almanac. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
6. ^ a b c d ODINTZ, MARK (June 12, 2010). "COLORADO COUNTY". tshaonline.org. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
7. ^ LANG, HERBERT H. (June 15, 2010). "HARRIS, DILUE ROSE". tshaonline.org. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
8. ^ Crouch, Barry A., 1941- (1992). The Freedmen's Bureau and Black Texans (1st ed.). Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0292724756. OCLC 24320568.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
9. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
10. ^ "QuickFacts: Colorado County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
11. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
12. ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
13. ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Colorado County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
14. ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Colorado County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
15. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Colorado County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
16. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
17. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
18. ^ "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)". Commonwealth of Texas by county. November 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

Wikisource has the text of an 1879 American Cyclopædia article about Colorado County, Texas.

* Colorado County government’s website
* Colorado County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas
* Weimar Information and Events
* Columbus Information and Events

Places adjacent to Colorado County, Texas

| Fayette County |  | Austin County

|
|

|  |

Colorado County, Texas

|  |
Lavaca County | Jackson County | Wharton County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Colorado County, Texas, United States

County seat: Columbus

Cities|

* Columbus
* Eagle Lake
* Weimar

Colorado County map

CDPs|

* Garwood
* Glidden
* Nada
* Rock Island
* Sheridan

Other
communities|

* Alleyton
* Altair
* Bernardo
* Borden
* Chesterville
* Eldridge
* Frelsburg
* Lone Oak
* Mentz
* Oakland
* Shaws Bend

Ghost towns|

* Lakeside
* Matthews
* New Bielau
* Osage
* Pisek
* Provident City
* Ramsey

* Texas portal
* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

Counties of Texas

* Anderson
* Andrews
* Angelina
* Aransas
* Archer
* Armstrong
* Atascosa
* Austin
* Bailey
* Bandera
* Bastrop
* Baylor
* Bee
* Bell
* Bexar
* Blanco
* Borden
* Bosque
* Bowie
* Brazoria
* Brazos
* Brewster
* Briscoe
* Brooks
* Brown
* Burleson
* Burnet
* Caldwell
* Calhoun
* Callahan
* Cameron
* Camp
* Carson
* Cass
* Castro
* Chambers
* Cherokee
* Childress
* Clay
* Cochran
* Coke
* Coleman
* Collin
* Collingsworth
* Colorado
* Comal
* Comanche
* Concho
* Cooke
* Coryell
* Cottle
* Crane
* Crockett
* Crosby
* Culberson
* Dallam
* Dallas
* Dawson
* Deaf Smith
* Delta
* Denton
* DeWitt
* Dickens
* Dimmit
* Donley
* Duval
* Eastland
* Ector
* Edwards
* El Paso
* Ellis
* Erath
* Falls
* Fannin
* Fayette
* Fisher
* Floyd
* Foard
* Fort Bend
* Franklin
* Freestone
* Frio
* Gaines
* Galveston
* Garza
* Gillespie
* Glasscock
* Goliad
* Gonzales
* Gray
* Grayson
* Gregg
* Grimes
* Guadalupe
* Hale
* Hall
* Hamilton
* Hansford
* Hardeman
* Hardin
* Harris
* Harrison
* Hartley
* Haskell
* Hays
* Hemphill
* Henderson
* Hidalgo
* Hill
* Hockley
* Hood
* Hopkins
* Houston
* Howard
* Hudspeth
* Hunt
* Hutchinson
* Irion
* Jack
* Jackson
* Jasper
* Jeff Davis
* Jefferson
* Jim Hogg
* Jim Wells
* Johnson
* Jones
* Karnes
* Kaufman
* Kendall
* Kenedy
* Kent
* Kerr
* Kimble
* King
* Kinney
* Kleberg
* Knox
* La Salle
* Lamar
* Lamb
* Lampasas
* Lavaca
* Lee
* Leon
* Liberty
* Limestone
* Lipscomb
* Live Oak
* Llano
* Loving
* Lubbock
* Lynn
* Madison
* Marion
* Martin
* Mason
* Matagorda
* Maverick
* McCulloch
* McLennan
* McMullen
* Medina
* Menard
* Midland
* Milam
* Mills
* Mitchell
* Montague
* Montgomery
* Moore
* Morris
* Motley
* Nacogdoches
* Navarro
* Newton
* Nolan
* Nueces
* Ochiltree
* Oldham
* Orange
* Palo Pinto
* Panola
* Parker
* Parmer
* Pecos
* Polk
* Potter
* Presidio
* Rains
* Randall
* Reagan
* Real
* Red River
* Reeves
* Refugio
* Roberts
* Robertson
* Rockwall
* Runnels
* Rusk
* Sabine
* San Augustine
* San Jacinto
* San Patricio
* San Saba
* Schleicher
* Scurry
* Shackelford
* Shelby
* Sherman
* Smith
* Somervell
* Starr
* Stephens
* Sterling
* Stonewall
* Sutton
* Swisher
* Tarrant
* Taylor
* Terrell
* Terry
* Throckmorton
* Titus
* Tom Green
* Travis
* Trinity
* Tyler
* Upshur
* Upton
* Uvalde
* Val Verde
* Van Zandt
* Victoria
* Walker
* Waller
* Ward
* Washington
* Webb
* Wharton
* Wheeler
* Wichita
* Wilbarger
* Willacy
* Williamson
* Wilson
* Winkler
* Wise
* Wood
* Yoakum
* Young
* Zapata
* Zavala

* v
* t
* e

State of Texas

Austin (capital)

Topics|

* Outline
* Architecture
* Climate (Climate change)
* Cuisine
* Dialects
* Geography
* Government
* Healthcare
* History
* Languages
* Law
* Literature
* Mass media
* Newspapers
* Radio
* TV
* National Historic Landmarks
* National Register of Historic Places Sites
* Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks
* Sports
* Symbols
* Texans
* Time
* Tourist attractions
* Transportation

Society|

* Abortion
* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Gambling
* Gun laws
* Homelessness
* LGBT rights
* Politics

Regions|

* Ark‑La‑Tex
* Big Bend
* Boca Chica
* Blackland Prairies
* Brazos Valley
* Central Texas
* Coastal Bend
* Concho Valley
* Cross Timbers
* East Texas
* Edwards Plateau
* Golden Triangle
* Hill Country
* Llano Estacado
* Northeast Texas
* North Texas
* Osage Plains
* Panhandle
* Permian Basin
* Piney Woods
* Rio Grande Valley
* Southeast Texas
* South Plains
* South Texas
* Texoma
* Trans-Pecos
* West Texas

Metropolitan
areas|

* Abilene
* Amarillo
* Austin–Round Rock (Greater Austin)
* Beaumont–Port Arthur
* Brownsville–Harlingen
* College Station–Bryan
* Corpus Christi
* Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington (DFW)
* El Paso
* Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land (Greater Houston)
* Killeen–Temple
* Laredo
* Longview/Kilgore
* Lubbock
* McAllen–Edinburg–Mission
* Midland
* Odessa
* San Angelo
* San Antonio–New Braunfels
* Sherman–Denison
* Texarkana
* Tyler
* Victoria
* Waco
* Wagner Creek
* Wichita Falls

Counties|

See: List of counties in Texas

Texas portal

29°37′N 96°31′W﻿ / ﻿29.62°N 96.52°W﻿ / 29.62; -96.52

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

Other|

* NARA
* Yale LUX

*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template