Lockhart, Texas

Lockhart, Texas
City
Caldwell County Courthouse
Nickname:  Barbecue Capital Of Texas
Motto:  City with a vision
Location of Lockhart, Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Caldwell
Government Home rule city
• Type	Council - Manager
• Mayor	James "Jimmy" Bertram
• Mayor Pro Tem	Frank Estrada
Area
• Total	11.3 sq mi (29.2 km2)
• Land	11.2 sq mi (29.1 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	515 ft (157 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	11,615
• Density	1,032.7/sq mi (398.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	78644
Area code	512
FIPS code	48-43240Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1374644Template:GR
Website	www.lockhart-tx.org

Lockhart is a city in Caldwell County, Texas, United States. It is the county seat of Caldwell County. According to the 2000 census the population of Lockhart was 11,615. As of 2007 the estimated population is 12,013. Lockhart and Caldwell County are within the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan areaTemplate:GR.

History

The city of Lockhart is named after Byrd Lockhart, an assistant surveyor of Green DeWitt and reportedly the first Anglo to set foot in Caldwell County. Lockhart was the site of a victory of the Texans over the Comanche, at the Battle of Plum Creek in 1840. Lockhart was originally called "Plum Creek" but the name was later changed to Lockhart. The town's economic growth began with the arrival of the railroad in the late 19th century at which time the town became a regional shipping center for local cotton. Following the arrival of the railroad, various immigrants, some Jews among them, arrived in Lockhart and opened various businesses.

Notoriety

The Texas Legislature proclaimed Lockhart as The Barbecue Capital of Texas. Lockhart has four major barbecue restaurants. The 1996 Christopher Guest comedy film Waiting for Guffman and the 1993 drama What's Eating Gilbert Grape were filmed partly in Lockhart, including the historic courthouse square. Also, the city's Wal-Mart store was featured in the 2000 film Where the Heart Is. Lockhart has played host to many film sets as this quaint small town is located within miles of Austin. Productions filmed in Lockhart include: The Faculty, Temple Grandin, Waking Life, Secondhand Lions, Stop-Loss, Where the Heart Is, Waiting for Guffman, The Newton Boys, Rolling Kansas, The Great Waldo Pepper, She Fought Alone, The Only Thrill, Ball & Chain, The Garage, Altitude Falling, Hard Promises, A Small Town in Texas, Screen Door Jesus, Abrupt Decision, Angora Ranch, Theft, and more. Dr. Eugene Clark Library is the oldest operating public library in Texas.

Geography

Lockhart is located at 29°52′55″N 97°40′34″W (29.881870, -97.676040)Template:GR. Located near central Texas, Lockhart is 25 miles southeast of Austin on Hwy 183. It is 74 miles northeast of San Antonio and 158 miles from Houston.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.3 square miles (29 km²), of which, 11.2 square miles (29 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it (0.18%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 11,615 people, 3,627 households, and 2,691 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,032.7 people per square mile (398.6/km²). There were 3,871 housing units at an average density of 344.2 per square mile (132.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.42% White, 12.68% African American, 0.67% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 18.00% from other races, and 2.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 47.41% of the population.

There were 3,627 households out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,762, and the median income for a family was $41,111. Males had a median income of $29,329 versus $20,923 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,621. About 12.2% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Lockhart is served by the Lockhart Independent School District and home to the Lockhart High School Lions.

Significant historic buildings

• Dr. Eugene Clark Library, the oldest continuously operating public library in the State of Texas.
• Caldwell County Courthouse,
• Caldwell County Jail,
• Adams Gym,
• Brock Building

Notable people

• Billy Grabarkewitz, Major League Baseball player
• Lily Cahill, actress
• Justin Trevino, musician

External links

• City of Lockhart website
• Lockhart Chamber of Commerce