Barton Creek is a tributary that feeds the Colorado River as it flows through the Texas Hill Country . The creek passes through some of the more scenic areas in Greater Austin , surrounded in many parts by a greenbelt of protected lands that serves as a habitat for many indigenous species of flora and fauna. The creek passes through Barton Creek Greenbelt and is fed by Barton Springs .
27-546: The creek begins in northern Hays County and flows 40 miles (64 km) east through Austin, draining into the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone in southwest Austin. The stream then reemerges at Barton Springs and proceeds toward Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake), where it joins with the Colorado River. The main entrance to Airmen's Cave is in the banks of Barton Creek. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Barton Creek
54-585: A commander . In 1708 he was elected by a council to lead the expedition of Antonio de Olivares and Isidro de Espinosa to San Antonio, Texas and the Colorado River of Texas . The expeditionary team included fourteen soldiers. The purpose of the expedition was to establish a colony in San Antonio and make an agreement with the Tejas Indians, a Native American people who had been sighted on
81-494: Is believed to have hosted Tonkawa and Comanche Indian camps. The creek is named after William Barton, who built a house near Barton Springs in 1837. As Austin grew the springs became a popular resort, and the natural swimming hole was replaced with a pool some time during the 1930s. Development in Austin in the 1970s and 1980s began to threaten both the creek's water quality and wildlife. Heavy rainfall often led to contamination of
108-609: Is named for Tennessee native Captain John Coffee Hays of the Texas Rangers . San Marcos was named as the county seat. The legislature established Blanco from part of Hays in 1858, but incorporated part of Comal into Hays. Risher and Hall Stage Lines controlled 16 of 31 passenger and mail lines in Texas. In 1861, voters in the county favored secession from the Union. The next year,
135-468: Is the designated community college for the whole county. It operates three distance-learning centers that offer basic and early college start classes, along with testing centers for online classes. As of the 2015 Texas population estimate program, the county's population was 193,963: non-Hispanic Whites , 106,919 (55.1%); non-Hispanic Blacks , 5,860 (3.0%); other non-Hispanics, 6,624 (3.4%); and Hispanics and Latinos (of any race), 74,560 (38.4%). As of
162-848: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has an area of 680 sq mi (1,800 km ), of which 1.9 sq mi (4.9 km ) (0.3%) are covered by water. The county is predominantly in the Edwards Plateau , with the southeast portion in the Texas Blackland Prairies . School districts in Hays County include: As of 2020, the county has six high schools, 10 middle schools, and 24 elementary schools. Higher education in Hays County includes one four-year institution, Texas State University , in San Marcos. Austin Community College
189-470: The census of 2000, 97,589 people, 51,265 households, and 22,150 families resided in the county. The population density was 144 people per square mile (56 people/km ). The 55,643 housing units averaged 53 units per square mile (20/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 78.92% White, 3.68% Black or African American, 0.69%Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 13.36% from other races, and 2.49% from two or more races. About 29.57% of
216-669: The I-35 Corridor and communities East. Communities West of the I-35 Corridor lean Republican. San Marcos, home of Texas State University , and the city of Kyle generally vote Democratic. Driftwood, Dripping Springs, Wimberley, and Woodcreek generally vote Republican. Elections within the county are often decided by margins in Bear Creek, Belterra, Buda, and the county's northcentral border along Travis County. 30°04′N 98°02′W / 30.06°N 98.03°W / 30.06; -98.03 Pedro de Aguirre Pedro de Aguirre
243-559: The area were explorers and missionaries from the Spanish Empire . Father Isidro Félix de Espinosa , Father Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares , and Pedro de Aguirre traveled through the area in 1709. A few years later, French-Canadian Louis Juchereau de St. Denis was attacked by Comanches in 1714. More permanent European influence was established in 1755, when the Mission San Francisco Xavier de los Dolores
270-491: The average family size was 3.21. A Williams Institute analysis of 2010 census data found about 7.4 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county. The county's population was distributed as 24.5% under 18, 20.5% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.30 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 99.50 males. The county's median household income
297-730: The banks of the Colorado River of Texas. This agreement would require the Tejas to monitor the territory and inform the explorers if the French were trading there as they suspected (since the French wanted to occupy Texas and trade between Latin America and foreign territories was illegal). The group began its journey on April 5, 1709 at the San Juan Bautista mission on the Sabinas River (in present-day Mexico). Upon arriving in San Antonio, they explored
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#1732855754286324-461: The central portion of the U.S. state of Texas . It is part of the Austin - Round Rock metropolitan area . As of the 2020 census , its official population had reached 241,067. The county seat is San Marcos . Hays, along with Comal and Kendall Counties, was listed in 2017 as one of the nation's fastest-growing counties with a population of at least 10,000. From 2015 to 2016, Hays County, third on
351-636: The creek runs through Barton Creek Greenbelt , a public recreation space of protected land surrounding the creek. In 1994 The Nature Conservancy purchased land surrounding the upper creek to establish the Barton Creek Habitat Preserve, a 4,084-acre (1,653 ha) habitat maintained in cooperation with local residents. The reserve is home to old-growth stands of juniper, oak, cedar and elm trees, rare woodland flowers and plants such as Heller's marbleseed and gravelbar brickellbush , endangered golden-cheeked warblers and black-capped vireos , and
378-457: The first Democratic presidential nominee to carry Hays County despite losing the presidential election since 1968. Until 2020, when Joe Biden won the county with 54.4% of the vote, the last Democrat to carry Hays County in a presidential election was Bill Clinton , with a plurality of 39.8% of the vote in 1992. The last Democrat to win a majority of the vote in the county before 2020 was Jimmy Carter , with 54.4% in 1976. Lloyd Bentsen had been
405-550: The last Democratic Senate candidate to carry the county, winning 69.2% of the vote in 1988, until 2018, when Beto O'Rourke carried the county with 57.1% of the vote. Ann Richards in 1990 was the last Democratic gubernatorial candidate to win the county, when she took 56.6% of the vote that year, until 2018 , when Lupe Valdez won with a 49.6% plurality. In the 2022 elections, Democrats won all but one race in Hays County; They flipped several countywide seats previously held by Republicans. Democratic voters mostly reside along
432-514: The national list, had nearly 10,000 new residents during the year. The county is named for John Coffee Hays , a Texas Ranger and Mexican–American War officer who fought the Texas- Comanche wars of the 1800s. Hays County has been inhabited for thousands of years. Evidence of Paleo-Indians found in the region goes as far back as 6000 BC. Archeological evidence of native agriculture goes back to 1200 AD. The earliest Europeans to arrive in
459-403: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 33,410 households, 34.0% had children under 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were not families; 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.69, and
486-629: The region. In this place, they discovered the San Pedro Springs and the San Antonio de Padua river, which were named with their modern names. As they progressed on their journey, the group made contact with several indigenous peoples they did not know, particularly with the Yojuanes and their allies, the Simonos and the Tusonibi . The Amerindians insisted on taking the group to their villages, located along
513-425: The state legislature transferred more of Comal County to Hays County. In 1867, the first cattle drive from Hays County to Kansas occurred. The International-Great Northern Railroad was completed from Austin to San Marcos in 1880. Camp Ben McCulloch , named after a brigadier general, was organized in 1896 for reunions of United Confederate Veterans . A teacher's college, Southwest Texas State Normal School ,
540-951: The stream due to runoff and sewer line seepage from the upstream subdivisions entering the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. Following public outcry, the Austin City Council passed the Barton Creek watershed ordinance in 1980 and the Comprehensive Watersheds Ordinance in 1986. Proposals in 1990 to develop land in the watershed resulted in more public outcry, which spurred passage of the Save Our Springs Citizens' Initiative of 1992, which severely limited construction, curtailed tax exemptions , established pollution control standards and implemented methods for reducing accidental contamination. The middle part of
567-460: The threatened Guadalupe bass . During rainy seasons, upper Barton Creek hosts water recreation including kayaking, tubing, and swimming. The Lower Barton Creek Greenbelt features these water sports year-round with swimming in Barton Springs Pool , and kayaking and canoeing in the creek fed with the discharge from the springs. Hays County, Texas Hays County is a county in
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#1732855754286594-474: Was $ 45,006 and the median family income was $ 56,287. Males had a median income of $ 35,209 versus $ 27,334 for females. The county's per capita income was $ 19,931. About 6.40% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line , including 10.30% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over. Hays County currently leans towards the Democratic Party in federal elections. The county
621-675: Was a Basque Spanish military man and explorer. He led the Espinosa-Olivares-Aguirre expedition in Texas. Aguirre was born in Arantza , a small town located in the autonomous community of Navarre , Spain , to Pedro de Aguirre and María Sagardia. Aguirre joined the Spanish Navy in his youth and was promoted to captain. Later, he was sent to Coahuila to work at the Presidio de San Juan Bautista del Río Grande del Norte, where he served as
648-473: Was established among the Apache tribe. In 1831, Coahuila y Tejas issued a land grant to Juan Martín de Veramendi , to Juan Vicente Campos in 1832, and to Thomas Jefferson Chambers in 1834. The Mexican government issued a land grant to the first Anglo-American settler in the county, Thomas G. McGhee of Tennessee , in 1835. On March 1, 1848, the legislature formed Hays County from Travis County . The county
675-507: Was established in San Marcos in 1899. Wonder Cave opened to the public in 1900. The current Hays County Courthouse in San Marcos was erected in 1908 in Beaux-Arts style by architect C.H. Page and Bros. The Aquarena Springs tourist site opened in 1928 in San Marcos. Lyndon Baines Johnson graduated from Southwest Texas State Teachers College in 1930. In 1942, construction of San Marcos Army Air Field began. San Marcos Army Air Field
702-521: Was renamed Gary Air Force Base in 1953 to honor Second Lieutenant Arthur Edward Gary, the first San Marcos resident killed in World War II . The state legislature resurveyed the Hays and Travis County lines, adding 16,000 acres (65 km ) to Hays County, in 1955. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson announced the establishment of a Job Corps center based at the deactivated Gary Air Force Base. According to
729-494: Was strongly Democratic-leaning before the 1970s, then (like some other suburban counties in the state) began trending towards the Republican Party in the 1970s. The county began trending Democratic again in the late 2010s and early 2020s. It has backed Democrats in most statewide races since 2018, including for President (in 2020 and 2024), despite Democrats losing all statewide races in Texas. In 2024, Kamala Harris became
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