Cass County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 28,454. The county seat is Linden. The county was named for Lewis Cass, a United States Senator representing Michigan who favored the U.S. annexation of Texas in the mid-19th century.
History Cass County was formed in 1846 from sections of Bowie County and houses some outskirts of Texarkana. It was named for Lewis Cass, a U.S. Senator from Michigan who had favored the annexation of Texas to the United States and became the first presidential candidate to win the state.
The county was originally developed by planters for cotton plantations. By 1860, the majority of the population were enslaved African Americans. After the war, freedmen worked largely as tenant farmers and sharecroppers into the early 20th century. Black residents faced violence and discrimination in Cass County, which was the location of nine lynchings, the fifth-highest total among Texas' 254 counties.
From 1861 to 1871, this county was known as Davis County, after Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America, as opposed to Jeff Davis County in West Texas.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.4%) is water.
Cass County, Texas is one of only three counties in Texas to border two other U.S. states (the others are Bowie and Dallam counties). Cass County forms part of the tripoint of Texas-Arkansas-Louisiana.
Adjacent counties and parish Bowie County (north) Miller County, Arkansas (northeast) Caddo Parish, Louisiana (southeast) Marion County (south) Morris County (west)
Major highways U.S. Highway 59 Interstate 369 is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 59 in most places. U.S. Highway 67 State Highway 8 State Highway 11 State Highway 43 State Highway 77 State Highway 155 Loop 236 Farm to Market Road 248 Farm to Market Road 250
State protected area Atlanta State Park
Communities Cities Atlanta Hughes Springs (small part in Morris County) Linden (county seat) Queen City
Towns Avinger Bloomburg Domino Douglassville Marietta
Census-designated places
Bivins McLeod
Unincorporated communities
Almira Antioch Bryans Mill Carterville Cass Cornett Cusseta Dalton Fairview Gum Springs Huffins Kildare Lanark Lanier New Colony Nickleberry O'Farrell Patman Pruitt Red Hill Roach Smyrna Springdale Three States (extends into Arkansas and Louisiana)
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Cass County, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)22,66123,46423,54223,52221,02877.00%78.26%77.34%77.21%73.90%Black or African American alone (NH)6,3586,0205,9155,2994,51821.60%20.08%19.43%17.39%15.88%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)511011301331550.17%0.34%0.43%0.44%0.54%Asian alone (NH)152344891190.05%0.08%0.14%0.29%0.42%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census4410xx0.01%0.01%0.04%Other race alone (NH)911115860.03%0.00%0.04%0.05%0.30%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2663491,202xx0.87%1.15%4.22%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3363735261,0531,3361.14%1.24%1.73%3.46%4.70%Total29,43029,98230,43830,46428,454 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 28,454. The median age was 45.9 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.9 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 75.5% White, 16.0% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.0% from some other race, and 5.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.7% of the population.
19.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 80.6% lived in rural areas.
There were 11,738 households in the county, of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.9% were married-couple households, 18.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 13,870 housing units, of which 15.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.6% were owner-occupied and 24.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.7%.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, the county had 30,464 residents and 12,190 households, out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.90% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families; 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95. The median income for a household in the county was $28,441, and the median income for a family was $35,623. Males had a median income of $30,906 versus $19,726 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,777. About 14.70% of families and 17.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.20% of those under age 18 and 17.90% of those age 65 or over. Education
The following school districts serve Cass County: - Text list - 2010 map and 2010 list
Atlanta ISD Avinger ISD (small portion in Marion County) Bloomburg ISD Hughes Springs ISD (small portion in Morris County) Linden-Kildare CISD McLeod ISD Pewitt CISD (mostly in Morris County, small portion in Titus County) Queen City ISD
Marietta Independent School District was formerly in operation. It consolidated into Pewitt ISD in 2008."CONSOLIDATIONS, ANNEXATIONS AND NAME CHANGES FOR TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS ." Texas Education Agency. Updated August 1, 2016. Retrieved on February 23, 2017.
The majority of Cass County is in the service area of Texarkana College. Areas in Avinger ISD, Hughes Springs ISD, and Pewitt CISD within Cass County are instead assigned to Northeast Texas Community College.Texas Education Code, "Sec. 130.203. TEXARKANA COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA." and "Sec. 130.192. NORTHEAST TEXAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA."
Politics Cass County is located within District 1 of the Texas House of Representatives. Cass County is located within District 1 of the Texas Senate.
In popular culture Don Henley named his 2015 album Cass County, as he had grown up here.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Cass County, Texas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Cass County
References
External links
Cass County Radio Station KPYN am900 Cass County TV Station KAQC TV 20