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McLennan County, Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| McLennan County, Texas | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of Texas |
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 Texas's location in the USA |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1850 |
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| Seat | Waco |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,060 sq mi (2,745 km²) 1,042 sq mi (2,699 km²) 18 sq mi (47 km²), 1.73% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
213,517 205/sq mi (79/km²) |
| Website: www.co.mclennan.tx.us | |
McLennan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 213,517; in 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to be 223,567. Its seat is Waco6. The county is named for Neil McLennan, an early settler.
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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,746 km² (1,060 sq mi). 2,698 km² (1,042 sq mi) of it is land and 48 km² (18 sq mi) of it (1.73%) is water.
- Hill County (north)
- Limestone County (east)
- Falls County (southeast)
- Bell County (south)
- Coryell County (southwest)
- Bosque County (northwest)
As of the census² of 2000, there were 213,517 people, 78,859 households, and 52,914 families residing in the county. The population density was 79/km² (205/sq mi). There were 84,795 housing units at an average density of 31/km² (81/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 72.17% White, 15.19% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 9.21% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. 17.91% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 78,859 households out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.70% were married couples living together, 13.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.60% under the age of 18, 14.60% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 19.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,560, and the median income for a family was $41,414. Males had a median income of $30,906 versus $21,978 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,174. About 12.40% of families and 17.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.70% of those under age 18 and 11.30% of those age 65 or over.
McLennan County was created by the Texas Legislature in 1850 out of Milam County. The county seat, Waco, had been founded originally as an outpost of the Texas Rangers, laid out by George Erath, and was known by 1850 as "Waco Village." According to local lore, the first sustained flight did not occur in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, but just outside Tokio (a small community in McLennan County) by a man flying a gyrocopter. During World War I, McLennan County was home to at least one military airfield, Rich Field. In the aftermath of World War I, racial violence disrupted county life, culminating in two major Ku Klux Klan marches (one in Waco and another in Lorena) and the public lynching of numerous Black citizens. (One such public lynching is the catalyst behind a "Lynching Resolution" being discussed by both the Waco City Council and the McLennan County Commissioners Court.) McLennan County's contributions to World War II include the reopening of Rich Field, Doris Miller (awarded the Navy Cross for his heroicism at Pearl Harbor, also the first African American to earn such distinction), and James Connally (a locally famous World War II fighter pilot).
In 1886, Baylor University relocated from Independence, Texas, to Waco and merged with Waco University. During the early 20th century, McLennan County was home to as many as five colleges; in addition to Baylor, the other colleges included the predecessor to what is now known as Texas Christian University (now in Fort Worth), Paul Quinn College (relocated since to Dallas), and two other short-lived colleges. In the 1960s, the Texas Legislature created the first community college to use those words in the name, McLennan Community College. Around the same time, what is now the flagship institution of Texas State Technical College was founded as James Connally Technical Institute, as a member of the Texas A&M University System. Today, Baylor, McLennan Community College, and Texas State Technical College remain in McLennan County and absorb a large portion of the college-bound high school graduates from the County and the surrounding areas.
Crush, Texas, was a short-lived town in McLennan County, about 15 miles north of Waco. It was established to stage a publicity stunt concocted by William George Crush and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. The stunt involved the collision of two 35-ton steam locomotives. After heavy promotion, over 40,000 people showed up at the site for the event on September 15, 1896. The two trains traveled a four mile track and thunderously crashed into one another. The boilers not unexpectedly exploded and sent steam and flying debris into the crowd. Three people were killed and about six were injured. A few years later ragtime composer Scott Joplin commemorated the event with "The Great Crush Collision." Texas composer and singer, Brian Burns, wrote and recorded a song about the collision, The Crash at Crush in 2001.
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† Partly in Falls County
†† Mostly in Falls County
††† Mostly in Bosque County
- Axtell Independent School District
- Bosqueville Independent School District
- China Spring Independent School District
- Crawford Independent School District
- Connally Independent School District
- Hallsburg Independent School District
- La Vega Independent School District
- Lorena Independent School District
- McGregor Independent School District
- Midway Independent School District
- Moody Independent School District
- Riesel Independent School District
- Robinson Independent School District
- Waco Independent School District
- West Independent School District
- The Official Website of McLennan County, Texas
- McLennan County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas
- Read Neil McLennan's entry in the Biographical Encyclopedia of Texas hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
