Wise County, Texas

Wise County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 68,632. Its county seat is Decatur. Wise County is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area. Its Wise Eyes crime-watch program, eventually adopted by mostly rural counties in several states, was started in 1993 by then-Sheriff Phil Ryan.WCMessenger.com: Wise Eyes expands its vision

History On November 10, 1837, the Battle of the Knobs was fought in what is now Wise County between about 150 Native American warriors and 18 Republic of Texas soldiers under Lieutenant A. B. Benthuysen. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Texan soldiers held their ground, killing or wounding an estimated 50 Native Americans and losing 10 of their own men. More settlers began coming into the area not long afterward, with people relocating mostly from the Upland South, especially Tennesseans and Kentuckians. Wise County was not founded until 1856. It was named after Virginia Congressman Henry A. Wise, who had supported annexation of Texas by the United States. He was elected governor of Virginia in 1856.

As few residents of Wise County were slaveholders, opinions were mixed at the time of the Civil War, and many people opposed secession. Unionists were persecuted in North Texas, and some were lynched. Forty-two men were murdered in the Great Hanging at Gainesville in October 1862, over the course of several days in neighboring Cooke County. This was one of the worst examples of vigilante justice in American history.

In recent years, Wise County allowed an increase in hydraulic fracturing. In 2011, the Parr family and others filed a lawsuit against several energy companies, including Republic Energy, Inc. and Ryder Scott Petroleum, claiming the extracting processes have created health complications for their family and neighbors."Wise County Family Sues over Natural Gas Fracking", CBS.com, March 8, 2011 In April 2014, the Parrs won a $2.9 million award from a Dallas jury.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (2.0%) are covered by water.

Adjacent counties Montague County (north) Cooke County (northeast) Denton County (east) Tarrant County (southeast) Parker County (south) Jack County (west)

National protected area Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland (majority)

Communities Cities

Aurora Bridgeport Decatur (county seat) Fort Worth (mostly in Tarrant County with small parts in Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise Counties) Lake Bridgeport New Fairview Newark (small part in Tarrant County) Paradise Rhome Runaway Bay

Towns Alvord Boyd Chico Crafton

Census-designated places Briar (partly in Tarrant and Parker Counties) Pecan Acres (mostly in Tarrant County)

Unincorporated communities Allison Balsora Boonsville Cottondale Greenwood Slidell Sycamore

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Wise 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)24,98531,34041,99147,12250,49594.02%90.37%86.06%79.70%73.57%Black or African American alone (NH)1523875845736570.57%1.12%1.20%0.97%0.96%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)861893093414740.32%0.54%0.63%0.58%0.69%Asian alone (NH)25791072343720.09%0.23%0.22%0.40%0.54%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 Census211512xx0.04%0.03%0.02%Other race alone (NH)112120351720.04%0.06%0.04%0.06%0.25%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census5136952,756xx1.05%1.18%4.02%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,3162,6635,24810,11213,6944.95%7.68%10.76%17.10%19.95%Total26,57534,67948,79359,12768,632 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 68,632. The median age was 39.8 years; 24.5% of residents were under 18 and 16.1% were 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.5 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 78.8% White, 1.0% Black or African American, 1.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 7.6% from some other race, and 11.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 20.0% of the population.

About 9.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 90.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 24,306 households in the county, of which 34.8% had children under 18 living in them, 60.1% were married-couple households, 15.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The county had 26,813 housing units, of which 9.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.5% were owner-occupied and 20.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.3%.

2023 American Community Survey estimates The United States Census Bureau estimated that in 2023, Wise County's population was 78,097. RaceTotalPercentageHispanic or Latino16,78921.5%NH White57,40973.5%NH Black1,4281.8%NH Asian5060.6%Native American5640.7%Pacific Islander570.1%NH Multiracial1,3441.7%

2010 census A Williams Institute analysis of 2010 census data found about 3.4 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.

2000 census In the 2000 census, 48,793 people, 17,178 households, and 13,467 families were residing in the county. The population density was . The 19,242 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 91.01% White, 1.23% Black, 0.75% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 5.07% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. About 10.76% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. By 2020, its population increased to 68,632; the racial and ethnic makeup of the county in 2020 was predominantly non-Hispanic White and Hispanic or Latino American of any race.

Politics Wise County, like most rural counties in Texas, votes reliably for Republican candidates in statewide and national elections.

Wise County is located within District 64 of the Texas House of Representatives. Wise County is located within District 12 of the Texas Senate.

Education These school districts lie entirely within Wise County: Alvord Independent School District Boyd Independent School District Bridgeport Independent School District Chico Independent School District Decatur Independent School District Paradise Independent School District Slidell Independent School District

This private educational institution serves Wise County: Victory Christian Academy

This higher education institution serves Wise County: Weatherford College

Transportation Major highways U.S. Highway 81 U.S. Highway 287 U.S. Highway 380 State Highway 101 State Highway 114 State Highway 199 Loop 373 Loop 444

Airports These public-use airports are located in the county: Bishop Airport (76T) Bridgeport Municipal Airport (XBP) Decatur Municipal Airport (LUD) Heritage Creek Airstrip (58T) Rhome Meadows Airport (T76)

Wise County, Texas

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