Fayette County

Fayette County, Texas

Fayette County, Texas

Fayette County Courthouse, in La Grange, Texas. Photograph by Jim Evans.

Fayette County is on Interstate Highway 10 sixty miles southeast of Austin in the Blackland Prairies region of south central Texas. The center of the county lies at 29°55' north latitude and 96°55' west longitude. La Grange is the county seat and largest community. In addition to Interstate 10, transportation needs are served by U.S. highways 77, 90, and 290 and State highways 71, 95, 159, and 237. The county's terrain varies from level land to steep slopes, with altitude ranging from 200 to 600 feet. The Colorado River, which bisects the county from northwest to southeast, is fed by several major creeks: Rabb's, Cedar, and Baylor on the east and Buckner's and Williams on the west. Cummins Creek flows through the eastern part of the county and the East and West Navidad rivers through the southern part. Potable groundwater is readily available from the Carrizo-Wilcox and Catahoula-Oakville aquifers at relatively shallow depths. The county covers 950 square miles and is composed of three land resource areas—Blackland Prairies (63 percent), the Post Oak Belt (30 percent), and the Colorado river bottom (7 percent). Within the Blackland Prairie on the uplands are the clayey blacklands and loamy claypen areas. The bottomlands contain dark loamy and clayey soils. The Post Oak Belt contains the Texas Claypan Area with uplands of gray, slightly acid sandy loam and sandy to clayey bottomland soils. Scattered outcrops of the Willis Formation form gravelly ridges along the Colorado River and large areas of gravelly soils in the northern half of the county. The vegetation is a mixture of the post oak savannah and Blackland Prairie region, with tall grasses, oak, and elms predominating. Also commonly found are eastern red cedars, pecans, cottonwoods, and sycamores. Some hickory, walnut, mesquite, and yaupon grow in diverse areas. The north central section is forested by loblolly pine, a continuation of the Lost Pines Forest of neighboring Bastrop County. Whitetail deer are native to the area, especially in the timbered areas, and raccoon, beaver, and possum live along the many creeks. Coyotes are so numerous that a control program has been instigated. Game species found in this district include squirrel, quail, dove, and water fowl. Southern bald eagles traverse the county, particularly along the Colorado River. Natural resources include timber, lignite, sand, gravel, bleaching clays, volcanic ash, oil, and gas. The climate is subtropical humid, with hot summers and mild winters. The average annual precipitation is thirty-six inches. Temperatures range from an average low of 41° F in January to an average high of 96° in July, and the average growing season is 277 days. Flooding is common along the Colorado River; major floods in 1869, 1870, 1900, 1938, and 1992 caused considerable damage to crops and property.

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

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County Map of Texas

Fayette County

Highlighted:
  • Fayette County

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Fayette County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

200 ft – 590 ft

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Noteworthy Place Type
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Colorado City Town
Content Town
Cottonwood Town
Cozy Corner Town
Cunningham's Town
Dubina Town
Electra Town
Ellinger Town
Elm Grove Town
Engle Town
Fayette County Reservoir Lake
Fayetteville Town
Flatonia Town
Florida Town
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Freyburg Town
Gay Hill Town
German Settlement Town
Grassmyers Town
Groos Town
Halamiceks Store Town
Hall Town
Halsted Town
Haw Creek Town
Heath Town
High Hill Town
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Ingrams Prairie Town
Joiner Town
Jones Town
Kirtley Town
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Ledbetter Town
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Live Oak Hill Town
Long Prairie Town
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Oldenburg Town
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Oso Town
Oso Town
Oxford Town
Park Town
Pecan Town
Petersville Town
Pin Oak Town
Plum Town
Praha Town
Prairie Valley Town
Primm Town
Rabbs Prairie Town
Reaganville Town
Rek Hill Town
Richers Town
Ross Prairie Town
Rossville Town
Round Prairie Town
Round Top Town
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Schulenburg Town
Shult's Store Town
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Spiers' Town
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Thulemeyer's Town
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Whiteside's Prairie Town
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Winchester Town
Winedale Town
Wood's Prairie Town
Wursten Town
Young's Store Town
Zapalac Town
Zapp Town

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Fayette County by the Numbers

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Population Counts

Fayette County
Pop. Year Source
25,346 2019 United States Census Bureau

Civilian Labor Counts

Fayette County
People Year Source
11,324 2019 Texas Workforce Commission

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Per Capita Income (USD) Year Source
$53,564 2019 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

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Property Values

Fayette County
USD ($) Year Source
6,910,143,625 2019 State Property Tax Board

Retail Sales

Fayette County
USD ($) Year Source
489,599,371 2019 State Comptroller of Public Accounts

Wages

Fayette County
USD ($) Year Source
105,173,443 2019 Texas Workforce Commission

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Unemployment Percentage Year Source
5.2 2019 Texas Workforce Commission

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Rainfall (inches) Year Source
40.5 2019 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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Min. (January Average, °F) Max. (July Average, °F) Year Source
39.2 95.5 2019 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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Land Area

Fayette County
Area (square miles) Year Source
950.0 2019 United States Census Bureau

Total Area

Fayette County
Area (square miles) Year Source
959.8 2019 United States Census Bureau