The 1928 Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide Page: 57
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THE TEXAS ALMANAC. 57
lation Texas may absorb is a matter of
speculation, but in view of above figures,
it seems easily possible that Texas will
continue to grow rapidly until it has
reached a density comparable to the den-
sity of the United States as a whole. At
present the density for the country as a
whole is about twice the density of popu-
lation of Texas. Until such density is
reached it seems reasonable to assume
that Texas will grow more rapidly than
the average for the United States. If
Texas had had as dense population as the
average for the entire country in 1920 its
total population would have been about
9,300,000. With a population as dense as
that of Ohio, Texas would have 37,000,000
inhabitants; with a population as dense as
that of Massachusetts, Texas would have
within its confines about 126,000,000 peo-
ple. These comparative figures are given
not as a prediction that Texas will attain
such density of population at any near
future date, but to show just how great
is the opportunity for expansion in the
Lone Star State.
Characteristics of Texas Population.
The population of Texas is predomi-
nantly native born white of Anglo-Saxon
extraction. Texas has drawn its popula-
tion largely from Alabama, Georgia, Mis-
sissippi and other States of the older
South with, however, a very appreciable
movement from the Middle West also.
Early Texas Population.
Early estimates of the population of
Texas are indefinite In Yoakum's History
it is stated that the population of the
State was probably about 1,500 in 1744.
At this time the population was centered
largely about San Antonio, though there
had been a few small settlements in East
Texas near Nacogdoches. These estimates,of course, include all European, Mexican
and American settlers.
Yoakum estimates the population of
Texas at 7,000 in 1806, and it was not
much greater fifteen years later when
Stephen F. Austin founded his colony on
the banks of the Brazos. The era of colo-
nization of the period 1821-35 brought
many settlers to the State. In 1831
Yoakum estimates the population at 20,-
000. The vote for the first President of
the Republic in 1836 would indicate a
population of about 50,000, and the vote
of 1845, the last year of the Republic, in-
dicated a population of approximately
125,000 A partial enumeration was made
in 1847, showing 135,000 population, of
which 39,000 were slaves.
Effect of Civil War.
Settlement of Texas was rapid until the
period of the Civil War, which tempo-
rarily halted the westward movement of
population throughout the United States.
The decade 1860-70 shows the smallest in-
crease of population of any of the seven
decennial periods for which enumeration
of population has been made. Follow-
ing the Civil War, however, conditions in
the Old South gave impetus to the west-
ward movement. With the institution of
slavery gone and the agricultural indus-
try revolutionized many planters turned
their faces west, and cast their for-
tunes with, the great new empire in the
West. It is not surprising that the pop-
ulation of Texas increased 94.5 per cent
between 1870 and 1880. The Texas
total population in 1920 was 7.7 per cent
foreign born, while 20.7 per cent was
born in other States of the United States.
(See tables.) In previous years, however,
much larger proportions of the population
was native of other States, esrocially of
the States of the Old South. Until com-
paratively recent years, in fact, the TexasI 1 I I I
POPULATION SHOWING RELATE INCREASE IN MNATVE W ITE,
S FORGE Ii 80 WBR0ITE, AND n0N -WIiTE. ..
4000000 POPUL NATION I' TE.XAS. .. 'NANT wE \A/E::-: : : .
GoREn1880 1890 1900
1910 \920
1860 1870
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The 1928 Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide, book, 1928~; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth123786/m1/60/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.