Wise County, Texas

Wise County, Texas
The Wise County Courthouse in Decatur. The Romanesque Revival structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1856
Named for	Henry Alexander Wise
Seat	Decatur
Largest city	Decatur
Area
• Total	923 sq mi (2,391 km2)
• Land	904 sq mi (2,341 km2)
• Water	18 sq mi (47 km2), 2.0%
Population
• (2010)	59,127
• Density	21/sq mi (8/km²)
Congressional districts	12th, 13th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.wise.tx.us

Wise County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 59,127. Its county seat is Decatur.

Wise County is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The Wise Eyes crime watch program, eventually adopted by mostly rural counties in several states, was started in 1993 by then-Sheriff Phil Ryan. Wise County is only one of several counties in the U.S. to have multiple, family-oriented naturist resorts.

History

On November 10, 1837 the Battle of the Knobs was fought in what is now Wise County between about 150 Indian warriors and just 18 Republic of Texas soldiers under Lieutenant A. B. Benthuysen. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Texas soldiers held their ground, with an estimated 50 Indians killed or wounded and 10 of the Texans dead. Settlers began coming into the area not long afterwards. Wise County itself was founded in 1856. It was named after Virginia Congressman Henry A. Wise, who had supported Texas annexation by the United States.

In recent years, Wise County allowed an increase in hydraulic fracturing. In 2014, the Parr family and others filed a lawsuit against several mining companies, including Republic Energy, Inc. and Ryder Scott Petroleum, claiming the extracting processes have created health complications for their family and neighbors.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 923 square miles (2,390 km²), of which 904 square miles (2,340 km²) is land and 18 square miles (47 km²) (2.0%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Montague County (north)
• Cooke County (northeast)
• Denton County (east)
• Tarrant County (southeast)
• Parker County (south)
• Jack County (west)

National protected area

• Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland (part)

Transportation

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 287
• U.S. Highway 380
• State Highway 101
• State Highway 114

Airports

The following public-use airports are located in the county:

1. Bishop Airport (76T)
2. Bridgeport Municipal Airport (XBP)
3. Decatur Municipal Airport (LUD)
4. Heritage Creek Airstrip (58T)
5. Rhome Meadows Airport (T76)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	3,160		—
1870	1,450		−54.1%
1880	16,601		1,044.9%
1890	24,134		45.4%
1900	27,116		12.4%
1910	26,450		−2.5%
1920	23,363		−11.7%
1930	19,178		−17.9%
1940	19,074		−0.5%
1950	16,141		−15.4%
1960	17,012		5.4%
1970	19,687		15.7%
1980	26,575		35.0%
1990	34,679		30.5%
2000	48,793		40.7%
2010	59,127		21.2%
Est. 2012	60,432		2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850-2010 2012 Estimate

As of the census of 2000, there were 48,793 people, 17,178 households, and 13,467 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 19,242 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.01% White, 1.23% Black, 0.75% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.03% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. 10.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,178 households out of which 38.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.10% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.60% were non-families. 18.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.10% 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 3.14.

In the county, the population was spread out with 28.30% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 101.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,933, and the median income for a family was $47,909. Males had a median income of $35,913 versus $23,434 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,729. About 7.50% of families and 9.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.30% of those under age 18 and 10.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Alvord Aurora Balsora Boonsville Boyd Briar (unincorporated; partly in Tarrant, Parker counties) Bridgeport

Chico Cottondale Decatur (largest city and county seat) Greenwood (unincorporated) Lake Bridgeport New Fairview

Newark (partly in Tarrant County) Paradise Pecan Acres (unincorporated; partly in Tarrant County) Rhome Runaway Bay Slidell (unincorporated)

See also

• List of museums in North Texas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Wise County, Texas

External links

• Wise County Genealogy Resources
• Wise County on the Web
• Wise County government's website
• "The Blog" - A Local Blog About Wise County
• Wise County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas