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Dimmit County, Texas

Dimmit County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 10,248. It is named for Philip Dimmitt, a major figure in the Texas Revolution. The reason the county name differs is because the bill creating the county misspelled Dimmitt's name. The same situation resulted in the 19th century in Kearney, Nebraska, when that community was named for Mexican War General Stephen W. Kearny.

The seat of the county is Carrizo Springs.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,334 square miles (3,456 km²), of which, 1,331 square miles (3,447 km²) of it is land and 3 square miles (9 km²) of it (0.27%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Zavala County (north)
Frio County (northeast)
La Salle County (east)
Webb County (south)
Maverick County (west)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 10,248 people, 3,308 households, and 2,646 families residing in the county. The population density is 8 people per square mile (3/km²). There are 4,112 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county is 76.95% White, 0.88% Black or African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 18.23% from other races, and 2.51% from two or more races. 84.97% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 3,308 households out of which 42.00% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% are married couples living together, 17.20% have a female householder with no husband present, and 20.00% are non-families. 18.00% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.30% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.06 and the average family size is 3.48.

In the county, the population is spread out with 33.20% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 24.70% from 25 to 44, 20.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $21,917, and the median income for a family is $24,579. Males have a median income of $25,000 versus $15,370 for females. The per capita income for the county is $9,765. 33.20% of the population and 29.70% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 40.30% of those under the age of 18 and 31.50% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. The county's per-capita income makes it one of the poorest counties in the United States.

Politics

While the state of Texas went strongly for Republican George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election, Dimmit County, a traditional stronghold of the Democratic Party, supported U.S. Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, with 2,365 votes for Kerry to 1,188 for Bush.