Caldwell County

Caldwell County, Texas

Caldwell County, Texas

City Park Pier in the City of Lockhart, Caldwell County, Texas. Photograph by Ray Shrewsberry, Pixabay.
Caldwell County, Texas

Caldwell County, Texas

Map of Caldwell County, Texas. Image Credit: Robert Plocheck.

Caldwell County, 120 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico in south central Texas, is bordered by Bastrop, Fayette, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, and Travis counties. Lockhart, the county seat, is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 183 and Farm Road 20, thirty miles south of Austin and seventy miles northeast of San Antonio. The county's center lies four miles southeast of Lockhart at approximately 29°50' north latitude and 97°37' west longitude. The county comprises roughly 546 square miles of flat to rolling terrain with elevations ranging from 375 to 500 feet above sea level. It is bisected from southwest to northeast by the Luling-Darst Creek fault zone. The northwest part of the county is in the blackland prairie region, where the terrain is low-rolling to flat and tall grasses and mesquite flourish in the black, waxy soils. The southeastern half of the county is more hilly, and the sandy soils support a wider variety of vegetation, including hardwoods such as oak and elm as well as mesquite and grasses. The county is almost entirely within the Guadalupe River basin; it is drained primarily by Plum Creek and its tributaries, and by the San Marcos River, which forms the boundary with Guadalupe County. Wildlife in the area includes deer, javelinas, coyotes, bobcats, beavers, otters, foxes, raccoons, skunks, turkeys, squirrels, and a variety of small birds, fish, and reptiles. Among the county's mineral resources are clay, industrial sand, gravel, oil, and gas. The climate is subtropical and humid, with an average minimum temperature of 38° F in January and an average high temperature of 96° F in July. The growing season averages 274 days annually, and the rainfall averages thirty-five inches.

Although Caldwell County is on the border between Central Texas and the Coastal Plains, its archeological record is more closely related to that of Central Texas. The region has supported human habitation for several thousand years. Archeological evidence suggests that hunting and gathering peoples established themselves in the area as early as 10,000 years ago. Some of these may have been ancestors of the Tonkawa Indians, who appear to have been native to the region. Other Indian groups included the Karankawas, who sometimes ranged as far inland as Gonzales and Caldwell counties, and the Comanches, who migrated from north and west Texas in the early nineteenth century.

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Vivian Elizabeth Smyrl | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Caldwell County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

315 ft – 736 ft

Size

Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does

  • Land Area: 545.3 mi²
  • Total Area: 547.2 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 37.8°F
July mean maximum: 94.8°F

Rainfall, 2019

35.9 inches

Population Count, 2019

43,664

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

19,148

Unemployment, 2019

7.4%

Property Values, 2019

$3,576,867,106 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$33,668 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$388,422,490 USD

Wages, 2019

$88,812,292 USD

Caldwell County

Highlighted:
  • Caldwell County
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Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
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Town 50 (2014) Yes
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Town 300 (2014) Yes
Town 150 (2014) Yes
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Town 70 (2014) Yes
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Town 14,844 (2021) Yes
Town 5,518 (2021) Yes
Town 300 (2014) Yes
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Town 1,209 (2021) Yes
Town 500 (2014) Yes
Town 90 (2014) Yes
Town 50 (2014) Yes
Town 100 (2014) Yes
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Town 966 (2021) Yes
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Town 671 (2021) Yes
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Town 320 (2014) Yes
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Town 520 (2014) Yes
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Town 68,580 (2021) Yes
Town 75 (2014) Yes
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Town 150 (2014) Yes
Town 35 (2014) Yes
Town 35 (2014) Yes
Town 60 (2014) Yes
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Town 1,667 (2021) Yes
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