Cameron County, Texas

Not to be confused with Cameron, Texas.

Cameron County, Texas
County
County of Cameron
The current Cameron County Courthouse in Brownsville
Seal Logo
Location in the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1848
Named for	Ewen Cameron
Seat	Brownsville
Largest city	Brownsville
Area
• Total	1,276 sq mi (3,305 km2)
• Land	891 sq mi (2,308 km2)
• Water	386 sq mi (1,000 km2), 30%
Population (est.)
• (2017)	423,725 density_sq_mi = 476
Congressional district	34th
Time zone	Central: UTC−6/−5
Website	www.co.cameron.tx.us

Cameron County, officially the County of Cameron, is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2017 census, its population was 423,725 ^[1] Its county seat is Brownsville.^[2]

The county was founded in 1848 and is named for Captain Ewen Cameron,^[3] a soldier during the Texas Revolution and in the ill-fated Mier Expedition. During the later 19th century and through World War II, Fort Brown was a US Army outpost here, stimulating the development of the city of Brownsville.

Cameron County is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville, TX Combined Statistical Area.

Contents

• 
  1 Geography
  
  
  
  • 
    1.1 Major highways
    
  
  
  • 
    1.2 Adjacent counties and municipalities
    
  
  
  • 
    1.3 National protected areas
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  2 Demographics
  


• 
  3 Government and infrastructure
  


• 
  4 Politics
  


• 
  5 Education
  


• 
  6 Economy
  


• 
  7 Media
  
  
  
  • 
    7.1 Radio stations
    
  
  
  • 
    7.2 Newspapers
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  8 Communities
  
  
  
  • 
    8.1 Cities
    
  
  
  • 
    8.2 Towns
    
  
  
  • 
    8.3 Village
    
  
  
  • 
    8.4 Census-designated places
    
  
  
  • 
    8.5 Other unincorporated communities
    
  
  
  • 
    8.6 Ghost town
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  9 See also
  


• 
  10 References
  


• 
  11 External links
  

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,276 square miles (3,300 km²), of which 891 square miles (2,310 km²) is land and 386 square miles (1,000 km²) (30%) is water.^[4] To the east, the county borders the Gulf of Mexico.

Major highways

• 
  Interstate 2
  


• 
  Interstate 69E/U.S. Highway 77
  


• 
  Interstate 169/State Highway 550
  


• 
  U.S. Highway 83
  


• 
  U.S. Highway 281
  


• 
  State Highway 4
  


• 
  State Highway 48
  


• 
  State Highway 100
  


• 
  State Highway 107
  


• 
  State Highway 345
  

Adjacent counties and municipalities

• 
  Willacy County, Texas (north)


• 
  Hidalgo County, Texas (west)


• 
  Matamoros Municipality, Tamaulipas, Mexico (south)

National protected areas

• 
  Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (part)


• 
  Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge (part)


• Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	8,541		—
1860	6,028		−29.4%
1870	10,999		82.5%
1880	14,959		36.0%
1890	14,424		−3.6%
1900	16,095		11.6%
1910	27,158		68.7%
1920	36,662		35.0%
1930	77,540		111.5%
1940	83,202		7.3%
1950	125,170		50.4%
1960	151,098		20.7%
1970	140,368		−7.1%
1980	209,680		49.4%
1990	260,120		24.1%
2000	335,227		28.9%
2010	406,220		21.2%
Est. 2017	423,725	[5]	4.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1850–2010[7] 2010–2014[1]

As of the census^[8] of 2010, there were 406,220 people, 119,631 households, and 96,579 families residing in the county. The population density was 370 people per square mile (143/km²). There were 141,924 housing units at an average density of 132 per square mile (51/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.0% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.8% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. 88.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 119,631 households out of which 50.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.80% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.3% were non-families. 16.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.36 and the average family size was 3.80.

In the county, the population was spread out with 33.0% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.6 years. For every 100 females there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,264, and the median income for a family was $33,770. Males had a median income of $21,410 versus $15,597 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,695. About 30.0% of families and 34.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.8% of those under age 18 and 24.8% of those age 65 or over.

A 2000 Texas A&M study stated that of the residents of Cameron County, 43% do not have basic literacy skills.^[9]

Government and infrastructure

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates the Port Isabel Service Processing Center, located in an unincorporated area adjacent to the Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport,^[10] which is itself owned and operated by the county.^[11] The airport has four runways and offers fuel and other general aviation services.^[12]

U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen stated in 2013 that the corruption in the county judiciary and legal system was so pervasive that most people would not believe it "unless they heard it themselves."^[13]

County Judge Carlos Cascos will step down after eight years in the position in January 2015 to become Secretary of State of Texas in the new administration of Governor Greg Abbott. Cascos had just won a third term as county judge in the same November 4, 2014 general election in which Abbott defeated the Democrat Wendy R. Davis. In 2006, Cascos had unseated County Judge Gilberto Hinojosa, who in 2012 became the state chairman of the Texas Democratic Party.^[14]

Politics

As of 2006, officeholders tend to be Democrats. As of 2006, about 20,000 to 30,000 people in Cameron County vote in primary elections, and Presidential elections have higher turnouts.^{[citation needed]}Politiqueras, women hired to help elderly people vote, are crucial in South Texas elections. Cecilia Ballí of Texas Monthly wrote that voters expect to get favors from politicians they vote for, and if they do not get these favors they become resentful of politicians as a whole.^[15]

Presidential elections results

Presidential elections results^[16]

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2016	32.0% 29,472	64.5% 59,402	3.5% 3,205
2012	33.9% 26,099	65.0% 49,975	1.1% 821
2008	35.1% 26,671	63.7% 48,480	1.2% 926
2004	50.3% 34,801	49.2% 33,998	0.5% 357
2000	44.8% 27,800	53.5% 33,214	1.7% 1,043
1996	32.6% 18,434	61.8% 34,891	5.6% 3,168
1992	34.1% 20,123	49.8% 29,435	16.1% 9,499
1988	43.7% 24,263	55.8% 30,972	0.6% 317
1984	52.6% 29,545	47.0% 26,394	0.3% 187
1980	47.6% 22,041	50.1% 23,200	2.3% 1,044
1976	39.1% 16,448	60.1% 25,310	0.8% 353
1972	60.7% 20,816	38.9% 13,340	0.4% 144
1968	39.8% 11,759	53.3% 15,726	6.9% 2,042
1964	37.1% 9,531	62.6% 16,056	0.3% 72
1960	45.0% 10,190	54.8% 12,416	0.2% 34
1956	56.9% 11,952	42.0% 8,829	1.2% 241
1952	64.9% 14,018	35.0% 7,559	0.1% 25
1948	39.5% 4,689	57.2% 6,778	3.3% 392
1944	44.8% 5,309	50.6% 5,998	4.6% 539
1940	35.7% 3,370	64.0% 6,035	0.3% 28
1936	26.3% 2,160	71.7% 5,887	1.9% 159
1932	19.9% 1,785	79.5% 7,146	0.6% 54
1928	52.5% 3,544	47.4% 3,202	0.2% 11
1924	34.5% 1,266	60.7% 2,225	4.8% 176
1920	49.2% 909	49.8% 920	0.9% 17
1916	24.5% 420	73.4% 1,260	2.1% 36
1912	6.1% 149	88.4% 2,146	5.5% 134

Education

Cameron County is served by several school districts. They include:

• Brownsville Independent School District


• Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District


• La Feria Independent School District


• Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District


• 
  Lyford Consolidated Independent School District (partially)


• Point Isabel Independent School District


• Rio Hondo Independent School District


• San Benito Consolidated Independent School District


• Santa Maria Independent School District


• Santa Rosa Independent School District

In addition, residents are eligible to apply to South Texas Independent School District's magnet schools.

Economy

SpaceX has been approved by the FAA to build a private spaceport east of Brownsville on the Gulf Coast.^[17]
The SpaceX South Texas Launch Site is projected to employ 75–100 full-time workers in the early years with up to 150 full-time employees/contractors by 2019.^[18] In 2014, Space-X acquired additional land near Boca Chica which they consolidated into a subdivision labelled "Mars Crossing," possibly named after the novel by science-fiction writer Geoffrey A. Landis.^[19]

Media

Radio stations

• KFRQ 94.5FM^[20]
  


• KKPS 99.5FM^[21]
  


• KNVO 101.1FM^[22]
  


• KVLY 107.9FM^[23]
  


• KVMV 96.9FM^[24]
  

Newspapers

• 
  The Brownsville Herald (A Freedom Communications, Inc. newspaper based in Brownsville, TX)^[25]
  


• 
  Valley Morning Star (A Freedom Communications, Inc. newspaper based in Harlingen, TX)^[26]
  


• 
  El Nuevo Heraldo (AIM Media Texas newspaper based in Brownsville, TX)^[27]
  

Communities

Cities

• 
  Brownsville (county seat)


• Harlingen


• La Feria


• Los Fresnos


• Palm Valley


• Port Isabel


• Rio Hondo


• San Benito

Towns

A picture of the Cameron County Courthouse (1912), the Dancy Building, in Brownsville, Texas which served as the County Courthouse before the construction of the current Courthouse. It was restored in 2006 and now houses County Court at Law No 1 as well as some county offices.

• Bayview


• Combes


• Indian Lake


• Laguna Vista


• Los Indios


• Primera


• Rancho Viejo


• Santa Rosa


• South Padre Island

Village

• Rangerville

Census-designated places

• Arroyo Colorado Estates


• Arroyo Gardens


• Bixby


• Bluetown


• Cameron Park


• Chula Vista


• Del Mar Heights


• El Camino Angosto


• Encantada-Ranchito-El Calaboz


• 
  Grand Acres (former)


• Green Valley Farms


• Iglesia Antigua


• Juarez


• La Feria North


• La Paloma


• La Tina Ranch


• Lago


• Laguna Heights


• Las Palmas II


• Lasana


• Laureles


• Lozano


• Olmito


• Orason


• Ratamosa


• Reid Hope King


• San Pedro


• Santa Maria


• Solis


• South Point


• Tierra Bonita


• Villa del Sol


• Villa Pancho


• Yznaga

Other unincorporated communities

• Arroyo City


• 
  Boca Chica Village^[18]
  

Ghost town

• Santa Rita

See also

• 
  Texas portal
  

• List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast


• National Register of Historic Places listings in Cameron County, Texas


• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Cameron County

References

1. 
   ^ ^ab "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 9, 2013..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
   


2. 
   ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
   


3. 
   ^ "DeWitt Colony Militia Captains". Tamu.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-01-10. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
   


4. 
   ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
   


5. 
   ^ "What's New & FAQs QuickFacts. Cameron County, Texas". Retrieved April 25, 2018.
   


6. 
   ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
   


7. 
   ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
   


8. 
   ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
   


9. 
   ^ Clark, Steve. "Borders liquidation to bring down local Waldenbooks." The Brownsville Herald. July 20, 2011. Retrieved on July 21, 2011.
   


10. 
    ^ "Port Isabel Service Processing Center." U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Retrieved on 21.July 2010.
    


11. 
    ^ "Texas Airport Directory - Port Isabel, Port Isabel-Cameron County (PIL)" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
    


12. 
    ^ FAA Airport Master Record for PIL (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration, Effective 26 April 2018.
    


13. 
    ^ Perez-Treviño, Emma. "Judge: Hard to believe depths of Cameron County corruption." Valley Morning Star at The Monitor. Wednesday, January 1, 2014. Retrieved on January 5, 2014.
    


14. 
    ^ John Reynolds and Reeve Hamilton (November 11, 2014). "Abbott Says He Will Name Cascos as Secretary of State". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
    


15. 
    ^ Ballí, Cecilia. "The Bad Guy With the Badge" (Archive). Texas Monthly. August 2006. Retrieved on May 25, 2016.
    


16. 
    ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
    


17. 
    ^
    Martinez, Laura (2012-04-10). "Brownsville area candidate for spaceport". The Monitor. Archived from the original on 2012-04-14. Retrieved 2012-05-12.
    


18. 
    ^ ^ab
    Nield, George C. (April 2014). Draft Environmental Impact Statement: SpaceX Texas Launch Site (PDF) (Report). 1. Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Commercial Space Transportation. Archived from the original on 2013-12-07.
    


19. 
    ^ Perez-Treviño, Emma (2014-02-19). "SpaceX continues local land purchases". Valley Morning Star. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
    


20. 
    ^ "Q945rocks.com".
    


21. 
    ^ "99.5 La Nueva FM KKPS musica regional Mexicana".
    


22. 
    ^ "Inicio - RADIO JOSE McAllen". 19 July 2012.
    


23. 
    ^ Staff, 107.9 Mix FM. "107.9 Mix FM - KVLY".
    


24. 
    ^ "Faith, Hope, and Love: KVMV 96.9FM". KVMV 96.9FM.
    


25. 
    ^ "Brownsville Herald".
    


26. 
    ^ "Valley Morning Star".
    


27. 
    ^ "El Nuevo Heraldo".
    

External links

Media related to Cameron County, Texas at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website


• Cameron County at Texas State Historical Association

Places adjacent to Cameron County, Texas
Willacy County Hidalgo County Cameron County, Texas Gulf of Mexico Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico

v t e Municipalities and communities of Cameron County, Texas, United States
County seat: Brownsville
Cities	Brownsville Harlingen La Feria Los Fresnos Palm Valley Port Isabel Rio Hondo San Benito
Towns	Bayview Combes Indian Lake Laguna Vista Los Indios Primera Rancho Viejo Santa Rosa South Padre Island
Village	Rangerville
CDPs	Arroyo Colorado Estates Arroyo Gardens Bixby Bluetown Cameron Park Chula Vista Del Mar Heights El Camino Angosto Encantada-Ranchito-El Calaboz Grand Acres Green Valley Farms Iglesia Antigua Juarez La Feria North La Paloma La Tina Ranch Lago Laguna Heights Las Palmas II Lasana Laureles Lozano Olmito Orason Ratamosa Reid Hope King San Pedro Santa Maria Solis South Point Tierra Bonita Villa del Sol Villa Pancho Yznaga
Other unincorporated communities	Arroyo City Boca Chica Village
Ghost towns	Santa Rita

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

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Coordinates: 26°09′N 97°27′W / 26.15°N 97.45°W / 26.15; -97.45

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