Gatesville, Texas
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2010) |
Gatesville, Texas | |
|---|---|
 Coryell County courthouse | |
| Nickname: Spur Capital of Texas | |
 Location of Gatesville, Texas | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| County | Coryell |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • City Council | Mayor David Byrom Jimmy Knox Ollie Inmon Timothy Woodlock Gary Chumley Peter Wasson Sandra Shepherd-Cain |
| • City Manager | Roger L. Mumby |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.7 sq mi (22.5 km2) |
| • Land | 8.7 sq mi (22.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 807 ft (246 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 15,591 |
| • Density | 1,794.2/sq mi (692.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes | 76528 |
| Area code | 254 |
| FIPS code | 48-29168Template:GR |
| GNIS feature ID | 1357921Template:GR |
| Website | ci.gatesville.tx.us ] |
Gatesville is a city in and the county seat of Coryell County in Central Texas, United States of America. The population was 15,591 at the 2000 census.Template:GR The city has five of the eight prisons and state jails for women operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and one of the facilities, the Mountain View Unit, has the state's death row for women.
Gatesville is home to the Mitchell Collection that is said to be the largest spur collection in the world and earned Gatesville the title "Spur Capital of Texas", as well as one of the last fully operational, full-time drive-in theaters in Texas.
In 2000, The Gatesville Hornets won the Texas State 3A High School Football Championship.
Former President George W. Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch is less than 25 miles northeast of Gatesville in nearby McLennan County.
The Leon River runs past Gatesville and crosses under Main Street (U.S. 84) on the west end of town.
Economy
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Two manufacturing companies are located in Gatesville: Kalyn Siebert (a division of Heil Trailer, which is owned by Dover Corporation) manufactures trailers for commercial and military use, and Laerdal manufactures plastic medical teaching supplies.
Gatesville is the home of several prisons operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, including the Mountain View Unit which houses the women's death row. Gatesville is located on the northern edge of Fort Hood, and as such is also dependent on the military for a part of its economy (besides Fort Hood, a large military vehicle repair facility is located on the east side of town).
Geography
Gatesville is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Gatesville is located at 31°26′12″N 97°44′7″W / 31.43667°N 97.73528°W (31.436755, -97.735257).Template:GR
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.7 square miles (23 km2), of which, 8.7 square miles (23 km2) of it is land and 0.11% is water.
History
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2010) |
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 15,591 people, 2,640 households, and 1,752 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,794.2 people per square mile (692.7/km²). There were 2,963 housing units at an average density of 341.0 per square mile (131.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.20% White, 27.00% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 8.49% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.73% of the population.
There were 2,640 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 11.7% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 53.9% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 63.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 59.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,534, and the median income for a family was $36,543. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $17,073 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,152. About 12.4% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.
Due to the establishment of Texas Department of Criminal Justice, from 1980 to 2010 the population doubled. As of 2000 about 9,000 of the 15,591 residents were state prisoners.[1]
Government and infrastructure
State representation
Of the eight Texas Department of Criminal Justice general correctional facilities for women, which include five prisons and three state jails,[2] Five of the units,[3] including four prisons and one state jail,[2] are in the City of Gatesville.[3][4]
The Christina Crain Unit prison (formerly Gatesville Unit),[5] the Hilltop Unit prison,[6] the Dr. Lane Murray Unit prison,[7] and the Linda Woodman Unit state jail are co-located amongst one another.[8] In addition the Mountain View Unit, a prison with the State of Texas female death row, is in Gatesville.[9] One male prison, the Alfred D. Hughes Unit, is in Gatesville.[10]
Mountain View Unit opened in July 1975,[9] Crain opened in August 1980,[5] Hilltop opened in November 1981,[6] and Hughes opened in January 1990.[10] The Murray unit opened in November 1995,[7] and the Woodman unit opened in June 1997.[8]
Gatesville previously hosted the Gatesville State School and the Mountain View State School, juvenile correctional centers of the Texas Youth Council (TYC).[11][12] The Mountain View State School closed in 1975,[12] and the Gatesville State School closed in 1979.[11] The buildings were transferred to the Texas Department of Corrections (TDC) and were used as prisons for adults.[11][12]
Federal representation
The United States Postal Service operates the Gatesville Post Office.[13]
Education
The Gatesville Independent School District operates public schools.
The Gatesville Public Library serves Gatesville.[14]
References
- ^ Perkinson, Robert. Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire. First Edition. Metropolitan Books, 2010. 34. ISBN 978-0-8050-8069-8.
- ^ a b "Unit Directory." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
- ^ a b Gately, Paul "Former Downtown Waco Executive Director Moved to Gatesville." KWTX-TV. November 22, 2008. Retrieved on May 20, 2010.
- ^ "Gatesville city, Texas." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
- ^ a b "Crain Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
- ^ a b "Hilltop Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
- ^ a b "Murray Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
- ^ a b "Woodman Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
- ^ a b "Mountain View Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
- ^ a b "Hughes Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Gatesville State School for Boys." Handbook of Texas. Retrieved on July 23, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Mountain View School for Boys." Handbook of Texas. Retrieved on July 23, 2010.
- ^ "Post Office Location - GATESVILLE." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 30, 2010.
- ^ "Gatesville Public Library." City of Gatesville. Retrieved on May 30, 2010.
External links
- City of Gatesville - Official site.
- Gatesville Chamber of Commerce
- Gatesville, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
Municipalities and communities of Coryell County, Texas, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
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| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |