Texas

As white settlers pushed toward Texas during the 19th century, many Indian groups moved west and south into the region. The most notable tribes were the Comanche, Wichita, Kiowa, Apache, Choctaw, and Cherokee. Also entering in significant numbers were the Kickapoo and Potawatomi from Illinois, the Delaware and Shawnee from Missouri, the Quapaw from Arkansas, and the Creek from Alabama and Georgia. One of the few Texas tribes that has survived to the present time as an identifiable group is the Alabama-Coushatta, who inhabit a 4,351-acre (1,761-hectare) reservation in Polk County, 90 mi (145 km) northeast of Houston. The Tigua, living in Texas since the 1680s, were recognized by a federal law in 1968 that transferred all responsibility for them to the state of Texas. The two Indian reservations number about 500 persons each. Overall, at the 2000 census, there were 118,362 American Indians living in Texas.

Blacks have been integral to the history of Texas ever since a black Moor named Estevanico was shipwrecked near present-day Galveston in 1528. By 1860, Texas had 182,921 blacks, or 30% of the total population, of whom only 355 were free. Once emancipated, blacks made effective use of the franchise, electing two of their number to the state senate and nine to the house in 1868. After the return of the Democratic Party to political dominance, however, the power of blacks steadily diminished. Since then, their numbers have grown, but their proportion of the total population has dwindled, although Houston and Dallas were, respectively, about 25% and 26% black at the 2000 census. In 2000, 2,404,566 blacks lived in the state, which ranked 2nd behind New York in the size of its black population.

Hispanics and Latinos, the largest minority in Texas, numbered 6,669,666 in 2000, representing 32% of the population, an increase over 1990, when Texans of Hispanic origin represented 25.5% of the total. Mostly of Mexican ancestry, they are nevertheless a heterogeneous group, divided by history, geography, and economic circumstances. Hispanics have been elected to the state legislature and to the US Congress. In 1980, the Houston independent school district, the state's largest, reported more Hispanic students than Anglos for the first time in its history.

Altogether, Texas has nearly 30 identifiable ethnic groups. Certain areas of central Texas are heavily Germanic and Czech. The first permanent Polish colony in the US was established at Panna Maria, near San Antonio, in 1854. Texas has one of the largest colonies of Wends in the world, principally at Serbin in central Texas. Significant numbers of Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians have also settled in Texas.

Texas Counties, County Seats, and County Areas and Populations

COUNTY	COUNTY SEAT	LAND AREA (SQ MI)	POPULATION (2002 EST.)	COUNTY	COUNTY SEAT	LAND AREA (SQ MI)	POPULATION (2002 EST.)
Anderson	Palestine	1,077	54,585	Duval	San Diego	1,795	12,811
Andrews	Andrews	1,501	12,951	Eastland	Eastland	924	18,210
Angelina	Lufkin	807	80,582	Ector	Odessa	903	122,312
Aransas	Rockport	280	22,928	Edwards	Rocksprings	2,120	2,081
Archer	Archer City	907	8,996	Ellis	Waxahachie	939	120,052
Armstrong	Claude	910	2,145	El Paso	El Paso	1,014	697,562
Atascosa	Jourdanton	1,218	40,948	Erath	Stephenville	1,080	33,077
Austin	Bellville	656	24,596	Falls	Marlin	770	18,091
Bailey	Muleshoe	827	6,480	Fannin	Bonham	895	31,672
Bandera	Bandera	793	19,153	Fayette	La Grange	950	22,304
Bastrop	Bastrop	895	63,934	Fisher	Roby	897	4,246
Baylor	Seymour	862	3,929	Floyd	Floydada	992	7,455
Bee	Beeville	880	32,277	Foard	Crowell	703	1,545
Bell	Belton	1,055	244,668	Ft. Bend	Richmond	876	399,537
Bexar	San Antonio	1,248	1,446,333	Franklin	Mt. Vernon	294	9,699
Blanco	Johnson City	714	8,866	Freestone	Fairfield	888	18,595
Borden	Gail	900	701	Frio	Pearsall	1,133	16,249
Bosque	Meridian	989	17,535	Gaines	Seminole	1,504	14,312
Bowie	Boston	891	89,894	Galveston	Galveston	399	261,219
Brazoria	Angleton	1,407	257,256	Garza	Post	895	4,976
Brazos	Bryan	588	156,099	Gillespie	Fredericksburg	1,061	21,607
Brewster	Alpine	6,169	9,009	Glasscock	Garden City	900	1,369
Briscoe	Silverton	887	1,716	Goliad	Goliad	859	7,075
Brooks	Falfurrias	942	7,766	Gonzales	Gonzales	1,068	18,884
Brown	Brownwood	936	37,957	Gray	Pampa	921	22,088
Burleson	Caldwell	668	16,874	Grayson	Sherman	934	113,860
Burnet	Burnet	994	36,889	Gregg	Longview	273	113,255
Caldwell	Lockhart	546	35,050	Grimes	Anderson	799	24,740
Calhoun	Port Lavaca	540	20,595	Guadalupe	Seguin	713	94,215
Callahan	Baird	899	12,762	Hale	Plainview	1,005	35,900
Cameron	Brownsville	905	353,561	Hall	Memphis	876	3,662
Camp	Pittsburg	203	11,643	Hamilton	Hamilton	836	8,079
Carson	Panhandle	924	6,582	Hansford	Spearman	921	5,288
Cass	Linden	937	30,133	Hardeman	Quanah	688	4,490
Castro	Dimmitt	899	8,075	Hardin	Kountze	898	48,988
Chambers	Anahuac	616	27,244	Harris	Houston	1,734	3,557,055
Cherokee	Rusk	1,052	47,450	Harrison	Marshall	908	62,534
Childress	Childress	707	7,571	Hartley	Channing	1,462	5,464
Clay	Henrietta	1,085	11,396	Haskell	Haskell	901	5,909
Cochran	Morton	775	3,482	Hays	San Marcos	678	109,570
Coke	Robert Lee	908	3,844	Hemphill	Canadian	903	3,332
Coleman	Coleman	1,277	8,906	Henderson	Athens	888	75,797
Collin	McKenney	851	566,798	Hidalgo	Edinburg	1,569	614,474
Collingsworth	Wellington	909	3,103	Hill	Hillsboro	968	33,701
Colorado	Columbus	964	20,384	Hockley	Levelland	908	22,838
Comal	New Braunfels	555	85,109	Hood	Granbury	425	44,149
Comanche	Comanche	930	13,565	Hopkins	Sulphur Springs	789	32,299
Concho	Paint Rock	992	3,854	Houston	Crockett	1,234	23,225
Cooke	Gainesville	893	37,634	Howard	Big Spring	901	33,215
Coryell	Gatesville	1,057	74,495	Hudspeth	Sierra Blanca	4,566	3,341
Cottle	Paducah	895	1,797	Hunt	Greenville	840	79,361
Crane	Crane	782	3,874	Hutchinson	Stinnett	871	23,061
Crockett	Ozona	2,806	3,807	Irion	Mertzon	1,052	1,757
Crosby	Crosbyton	898	6,865	Jack	Jacksboro	920	8,965
Culberson	Van Horn	3,815	2,839	Jackson	Edna	844	14,364
Dallam	Dalhart	1,505	6,184	Jasper	Jasper	921	35,776
Dallas	Dallas	880	2,283,953	Jeff Davis	Ft. Davis	2,258	2,211
Dawson	Lamesa	903	14,712	Jefferson	Beaumont	937	248,890
Deaf Smith	Hereford	1,497	18,396	Jim Hogg	Hebbronville	1,136	5,173
Delta	Cooper	278	5,362	Jim Wells	Alice	867	39,945
Denton	Denton	911	488,481	Johnson	Cleburne	731	136,332
DeWitt	Cuero	910	20,067	Jones	Anson	931	20,284
Dickens	Dickens	907	2,702	Karnes	Karnes City	753	15,411
Dimmet	Carrizo Springs	1,307	10,200	Kaufman	Kaufman	788	77,954
Donley	Clarendon	929	3,887	Kendall	Boerne	663	25,390

Texas Counties, County Seats, and County Areas and Populations

COUNTY	COUNTY SEAT	LAND AREA (SQ MI)	POPULATION (2002 EST.)	COUNTY	COUNTY SEAT	LAND AREA (SQ MI)	POPULATION (2002 EST.)
Kenedy	Sarita	1,389	419	Refugio	Refugio	771	7,724
Kent	Jayton	878	807	Roberts	Miami	915	857
Kerr	Kerrville	1,107	44,857	Robertson	Franklin	864	16,044
Kimble	Junction	1,250	4,502	Rockwall	Rockwall	128	50,858
King	Guthrie	914	333	Runnels	Ballinger	1,056	11,123
Kinney	Brackettville	1,359	3,447	Rusk	Henderson	932	47,541
Kleberg	Kingsville	853	31,145	Sabine	Hemphill	486	10,370
Knox	Benjamin	845	4,061	San Augustine	San Augustine	524	8,922
Lamar	Paris	919	49,079	San Jacinto	Coldspring	572	23,247
Lamb	Littlefield	1,013	14,662	San Patricio	Sinton	693	67,492
Lampasas	Lampasas	714	18,846	San Saba	San Saba	1,136	6,148
La Salle	Cotulla	1,517	5,876	Schleicher	Eldorado	1,309	2,944
Lavaca	Hallettsville	971	18,935	Scurry	Snyder	900	15,877
Lee	Giddings	631	16,329	Shackelford	Albany	915	3,338
Leon	Centerville	1,078	15,885	Shelby	Center	791	25,439
Liberty	Liberty	1,174	73,739	Sherman	Stratford	923	3,285
Limestone	Groesbeck	931	22,263	Smith	Tyler	932	181,437
Lipscomb	Lipscomb	933	3,103	Somervell	Glen Rose	188	7,224
Live Oak	George West	1,057	12,014	Starr	Rio Grande City	1,226	56,686
Llano	Llano	939	17,758	Stephens	Breckenridge	894	9,453
Loving	Mentone	671	64	Sterling	Sterling City	923	1,346
Lubbock	Lubbock	900	247,574	Stonewall	Aspermont	925	1,493
Lynn	Tahoka	888	6,325	Sutton	Sonora	1,455	4,117
McCulloch	Brady	1,071	7,885	Swisher	Tulia	902	8,082
McLennan	Waco	1,031	217,713	Tarrant	Ft. Worth	868	1,527,366
McMullen	Tilden	1,163	856	Taylor	Abilene	917	125,647
Madison	Madisonville	473	13,105	Terrell	Sanderson	2,357	988
Marion	Jefferson	385	11,081	Terry	Brownfield	886	12,723
Martin	Stanton	914	4,673	Throckmorton	Throckmorton	912	1,711
Mason	Mason	934	3,771	Titus	Mt. Pleasant	412	28,405
Matagorda	Bay City	1,127	37,954	Tom Green	San Angelo	1,515	103,018
Maverick	Eagle Pass	1,287	48,651	Travis	Austin	989	850,813
Medina	Hondo	1,331	40,924	Trinity	Groveton	692	14,088
Menard	Menard	902	2,329	Tyler	Woodville	922	20,743
Midland	Midland	902	117,669	Upshur	Gilmer	587	36,499
Milam	Cameron	1,019	24,880	Upton	Rankin	1,243	3,287
Mills	Goldthwaite	748	5,133	Uvalde	Uvalde	1,564	26,508
Mitchell	ColoradoCity	912	9,348	Val Verde	Del Rio	3,150	45,903
Montague	Montague	928	19,237	Van Zandt	Canton	855	50,124
Montgomery	Conroe	1,047	328,449	Victoria	Victoria	887	84,932
Moore	Dumas	905	20,350	Walker	Huntsville	786	62,388
Morris	Daingerfield	256	13,240	Waller	Hempstead	514	34,057
Motley	Matador	959	1,336	Ward	Monahans	836	10,507
Nacogdoches	Nacogdoches	939	59,514	Washington	Brenham	610	30,626
Navarro	Corsicana	1,068	46,792	Webb	Laredo	3,363	207,611
Newton	Newton	935	14,946	Wharton	Wharton	1,086	41,329
Nolan	Sweetwater	915	15,172	Wheeler	Wheeler	905	5,022
Nueces	Corpus Christi	847	314,696	Wichita	Wichita Falls	606	129,964
Ochiltree	Perryton	919	9,048	Wilbarger	Vernon	947	14,027
Oldham	Vega	1,485	2,156	Willacy	Raymondville	589	19,990
Orange	Orange	362	84,364	Williamson	Georgetown	1,137	289,924
Palo Pinto	Palo Pinto	949	27,306	Wilson	Floresville	807	34,548
Panola	Carthage	812	22,734	Winkler	Kermit	840	6,892
Parker	Weatherford	902	94,618	Wise	Decatur	902	52,926
Parmer	Farwell	885	9,877	Wood	Quitman	689	38,053
Pecos	Ft. Stockton	4,776	16,421	Yoakum	Plains	800	7,305
Polk	Livingston	1,061	44,449	Young	Graham	919	17,725
Potter	Amarillo	902	116,093	Zapata	Zapata	999	12,788
Presidio	Marfa	3,857	7,681	Zavala	Crystal City	1,298	11,556
Rains	Emory	243	10,236			—————	——————
Randall	Canyon	917	106,822	totals		262,017	21,779,893
Reagan	Big Lake	1,173	3,182
Real	Leakey	697	2,999
Red River	Clarksville	1,054	13,941
Reeves	Pecos	2,626	12,478

As of 2000, foreign-born Texans numbered 2,899,642 (13.9% of the total population). In the same year, Asians numbered 562,319 (the 3rd-largest Asian population among the 50 states). The 2000 census counted 105,829 Chinese (nearly double the 1990 total of 55,023), 58,340 Filipinos, 129,365 Asian Indians (more than triple the 1990 figure of 40,506), 45,571 Koreans, 17,120 Japanese, and 10,114 Laotians. Of the 134,961 Vietnamese (up from 60,649 in 1990), many were refugees who resettled in Texas beginning in 1975. Pacific Islanders numbered 14,434 in 2000.

The term "Anglos" denotes all whites except Spanish-surnamed or Spanish-speaking individuals.