# Henderson County, Texas

Henderson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 82,150. The county seat is Athens. The county is named in honor of James Pinckney Henderson, the first attorney general of the Republic of Texas, and secretary of state for the republic. He later served as the first governor of Texas. Henderson County was established in 1846, the year after Texas gained statehood. Its first town was Buffalo, laid out in 1847. Henderson County comprises the Athens micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Dallas-Fort Worth combined statistical area.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 948 sq mi (2,460 km$^2$), of which 75 sq mi (190 km$^2$) (7.9%) are covered by water.

### Major highways

* U.S. Highway 175
* State Highway 19
* State Highway 31
* State Highway 155
* State Highway 198
* State Highway 274
* State Highway 334

### Adjacent counties

* Kaufman County (north)
* Van Zandt County (north)
* Smith County (east)
* Cherokee County (southeast)
* Anderson County (south)
* Freestone County (southwest)
* Navarro County (west)
* Ellis County (northwest)

## Communities
### Cities

* Athens (county seat)
* Brownsboro
* Chandler
* Eustace
* Gun Barrel City
* Log Cabin
* Malakoff
* Moore Station
* Murchison
* Seven Points (small part in Kaufman County)
* Star Harbor
* Tool
* Trinidad

### Towns

* Berryville
* Caney City
* Coffee City
* Enchanted Oaks
* Mabank (mostly in Kaufman County)
* Payne Springs
* Poynor

### Census-designated place

* Sunrise Shores

### Unincorporated communities

* Aley
* Antioch
* Baxter
* Bethel
* Big Rock
* Buffalo
* Crescent Heights
* Cross Roads
* Dauphin
* Evelyn
* Fincastle
* Harmony
* LaRue
* Leagueville
* Mankin
* New Hope
* New York
* Opelika
* Pauline
* Pickens
* Pine Grove
* Ruth Springs
* Shady Oaks
* Stockard
* Summer Hill
* Union Hill
* Virginia Hill

### Ghost towns

* Centreville
* Corinth

## Demographics

Henderson County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. :
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
| White alone (NH) | 62,214 | 63,494 | 61,854 | 84.78% | 80.85% | 75.29% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 4,811 | 4,813 | 4,705 | 6.57% | 6.13% | 5.73% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 334 | 349 | 414 | 0.46% | 0.44% | 0.50% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 220 | 318 | 510 | 0.30% | 0.40% | 0.62% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 19 | 27 | 31 | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.04% |
| Other Race alone (NH) | 24 | 76 | 211 | 0.03% | 0.10% | 0.26% |
| Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH) | 674 | 965 | 3,183 | 0.92% | 1.23% | 3.87% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 5,071 | 8,490 | 11,242 | 6.92% | 10.81% | 13.68% |
| Total | 73,277 | 78,532 | 82,150 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the census of 2000, 73,277 people, 28,804 households, and 20,969 families were residing in the county. Its population density was 84 people/sq mi (32 people/km$^2$). The 35,935 housing units averaged 41 units per square mile (16/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 88.50% White, 6.61% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 2.75% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. About 6.92% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. At the 2020 census, its population increased to 82,150 with a predominantly non-Hispanic white population; the Hispanic or Latino population of any race increased to 13.68% reflecting nationwide demographic trends.

## Government

* County Judge: Wade McKinney
* Commissioner Pct. 1: Wendy Spivey
* Commissioner Pct. 2: Scott Tuley
* Commissioner Pct. 3: Charles "Chuck" McHam
* Commissioner Pct. 4: Mark Richardson
* County Clerk: Mary Margret Wright
* District Clerk: Betty Herriage
* County Attorney: Clint Davis
* District Attorney: Jenny Palmer
* County Auditor: Ann Marie Lee
* County Treasurer: Michael Bynum
* County Court at Law #1 Judge: Scott Williams
* County Court at Law #2 Judge: Nancy Perryman
* 3rd District Court Judge: Mark Calhoon
* 173rd District Court Judge: Dan Moore
* 392nd District Court Judge: R. Scott McKee
* Justice of the Peace Pct. 1: Randy Daniel
* Constable Pct. 1: Thomas Goodell
* Justice of the Peace Pct. 2: Kevin Pollock
* Constable Pct. 2: Jason Ramsey
* Justice of the Peace Pct. 3: James "Tony" Duncan
* Constable Pct. 3: David Grubbs
* Justice of the Peace Pct. 4: Milton Adams
* Constable Pct. 4: John Floyd
* Justice of the Peace Pct. 5: Tanya Norris
* Constable Pct. 5: Brad Miers
* Sheriff: Botie Hillhouse
* Tax Assessor/Collector: Peggy Goodall
* Elections Administrator: Paula Ludtke
* Fire Marshal/Emergency Management Coordinator: Shane Renburg

### Politics

United States presidential election results for Henderson County, Texas :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 31,379 | 81.29% | 6,919 | 17.92% | 305 | 0.79% |
| 2020 | 28,911 | 79.50% | 7,060 | 19.41% | 397 | 1.09% |
| 2016 | 23,650 | 78.72% | 5,669 | 18.87% | 726 | 2.42% |
| 2012 | 21,231 | 76.85% | 6,106 | 22.10% | 290 | 1.05% |
| 2008 | 20,857 | 71.94% | 7,913 | 27.29% | 223 | 0.77% |
| 2004 | 20,210 | 70.05% | 8,505 | 29.48% | 134 | 0.46% |
| 2000 | 16,607 | 64.80% | 8,704 | 33.96% | 316 | 1.23% |
| 1996 | 10,345 | 45.43% | 10,085 | 44.29% | 2,342 | 10.28% |
| 1992 | 8,368 | 34.49% | 9,105 | 37.53% | 6,788 | 27.98% |
| 1988 | 11,005 | 52.61% | 9,819 | 46.94% | 94 | 0.45% |
| 1984 | 12,725 | 63.38% | 7,302 | 36.37% | 49 | 0.24% |
| 1980 | 7,903 | 48.47% | 8,199 | 50.29% | 203 | 1.25% |
| 1976 | 4,658 | 36.01% | 8,245 | 63.73% | 34 | 0.26% |
| 1972 | 6,263 | 69.49% | 2,741 | 30.41% | 9 | 0.10% |
| 1968 | 2,315 | 29.19% | 3,119 | 39.32% | 2,498 | 31.49% |
| 1964 | 1,988 | 29.61% | 4,697 | 69.96% | 29 | 0.43% |
| 1960 | 2,521 | 42.23% | 3,411 | 57.14% | 38 | 0.64% |
| 1956 | 2,479 | 44.51% | 3,065 | 55.04% | 25 | 0.45% |
| 1952 | 2,534 | 36.33% | 4,439 | 63.65% | 1 | 0.01% |
| 1948 | 540 | 12.24% | 3,669 | 83.14% | 204 | 4.62% |
| 1944 | 427 | 10.12% | 3,219 | 76.28% | 574 | 13.60% |
| 1940 | 803 | 16.34% | 4,111 | 83.66% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 260 | 7.38% | 3,259 | 92.45% | 6 | 0.17% |
| 1932 | 219 | 5.82% | 3,522 | 93.67% | 19 | 0.51% |
| 1928 | 1,128 | 39.52% | 1,726 | 60.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 405 | 9.41% | 3,819 | 88.73% | 80 | 1.86% |
| 1920 | 538 | 18.62% | 1,684 | 58.29% | 667 | 23.09% |
| 1916 | 268 | 11.11% | 1,790 | 74.18% | 355 | 14.71% |
| 1912 | 137 | 6.84% | 1,370 | 68.36% | 497 | 24.80% |

## Media

Henderson County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth DMA. Local media outlets are: KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, and KFWD-TV. Other nearby stations that provide coverage for Henderson County come from the Tyler/Longview/Jacksonville market and they include: KLTV, KTRE-TV, KYTX-TV, KFXK-TV, KCEB-TV, and KETK-TV.
Newspaper coverage of the area can be found in the Athens Daily Review, based in Athens; The Monitor is published in Mabank, which is primarily in Kaufman County, but also covers news in parts of Henderson County, as well.

## Crime

Paul Knight of the Houston Press said in a 2009 article that some people blamed the development of the artificial Cedar Creek Lake, which opened in 1965, and development of the area surrounding the lake for the initial influx of crime and recreational drugs into the county and the East Texas region. Carroll Dyson, a retired pilot and Henderson County resident interviewed by the Houston Press, said in 2009 that the lake attracted "white flight" from metropolitan areas. Dyson added, "When all your rich people from Dallas and Houston move out here, the thieves are just drawn to them." Ray Nutt, the sheriff of Henderson County, said that the area around the lake has "a lot of good people," yet it was also where "a lot of criminals tend to flow."