Anthony, Texas

Anthony, Texas
Town
Motto:  Gateway to Texas
Location of Anthony, Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	El Paso
Government Municipality
• Type	Mayor/Aldermen
• Mayor	Arturo Franco
Area
• Total	6.5 sq mi (16.9 km2)
• Land	6.5 sq mi (16.8 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	3,806 ft (1,160 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	3,850
• Density	592.5/sq mi (228.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code	79821
Area code	915
FIPS code	48-03432Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1372307Template:GR

Anthony is a town in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,850 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Anthony is located at 31°59′41″N 106°35′51″W (31.994626, -106.597612)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 16.9 km² (6.5 mi²). 16.8 km² (6.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.31%) is water. Anthony, Texas and Anthony, New Mexico, to its north, are often considered twin cities, though Anthony New Mexico is not incorperated and neither are cities.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 3,850 people, 684 households, and 577 families residing in the town. The population density was 228.7/km² (592.5/mi²). There were 722 housing units at an average density of 42.9/km² (111.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 7.79% White, 3.87% African American, 1.32% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 82.78% of the population.

There were 684 households out of which 50.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.5% were non-families. 14.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.47 and the average family size was 3.84.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 12.7% from 18 to 24, 41.9% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 212.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 261.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,295, and the median income for a family was $28,295. Males had a median income of $21,667 versus $17,273 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,568. About 22.7% of families and 25.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.4% of those under age 18 and 29.6% of those age 65 or over.

Town Government

The Town of Anthony is a Mayor/Aldermen system. Currently there are five Aldermen representing the Townspeople. The mayor and aldermen are elected positions held for alternating two-year terms.

The Town of Anthony is comprised of the following Government Departments:

• Town Clerk
• Water/Sewer Department
• Streets/Parks Department
• Police Department
• Municipal Court

The Town of Anthony Government Facility is located at 401 Wildcat across from the Anthony Independent School District Complex. This multi-use facility houses the following Government Department Offices:

• Office of the Mayor
• Office of the Chief of Police
• Office of the Municipal Judge
• Office of the Town Clerk
• Office of the Anthony Water/Sewer Department
• Office of the Anthony Streets/Parks Department
• The Anthony Police Department Dispatch/Records Office
• The Anthony Municipal Court Office

The Government Facility additionally houses the Anthony Municipal Court Room. This courtroom hosts the Anthony Town Hall Meetings, voting, police meetings, and other events.

The Anthony Water Treatment Plant is located at the southern end of Omar Street and provides drinking water and sewage treatment for the Town of Anthony. The majority of Anthony's drinking water comes from wells located near the Rio Grande River.

The Anthony Street/Parks Work Yard is located on 1300 Antonio Street and houses the Department's machinery, vehicles, and other equipment.

Parks

Anthony is home to three municipal parks

• Ernesto Rasscon Memorial Baseball Park (Named after Anthony's only officer to have been killed in the line of duty)
• Triangle Park
• Richard White Park

The Town of Anthony recently secured a large State Grant (approx: $250,000) to increase the size of Richard White Park. Projected inprovements include soccor fields, jogging paths, nature walks, a skate park, and much more.

A large section of bare desert land on the north side of Antonio Street near the 1400-1600 block is designated to become a soccor field and Home to the Anthony Desert Rats soccor team. Projected completion is unspecified.

Transportation

MAJOR ROADWAYS

• Interstate 10 runs north/south thru the municipal jurisdiction of Anthony and is the major route to and from the town.

• Texas State Highway 20 runs parallel with I-10.

*TX 20 along the La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution and south of it is designated Doniphan Street *TX 20 north of La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution is designated Main Street *Main Street north of Washington Street is designated North Main *Main Street south of Washington Street is designated South Main

• North and South Desert Boulevards

*Considered frontage roads to I-10 *Run parallel alongside I-10 on each side *One Way roadways

• FM 1905 in Anthony begins at I-10 and runs west into New Mexico

*FM 1905 is designated as (from east to west)

       *I-10
       *Antonio Street
       *Franklin Street
       *South Main (TX 20)
       *East Washington

• Texas State Highway Spur 6

*Connects Antonio Street near the I-10 East on/off ramp to TX 20 *Designated as Wildcat Street

• Sandia Street

• Washington Street

*Washington Street East of Main Street is designated East Washington *Washington Street West of Main Street is designated West Washington *Part of FM 1905

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

• El Paso County Rural Transit

*Route 10

• Schedule Info: (915) 532-3474

*[Route 10 PDF]

Texas Travel Center

Anthony Texas is the home for one of Texas's 12 Travel and Information Centers. Overnight parking, information, restrooms, vending machines, on-site security, free Texas Travel maps and brochures, RVs/Big Rigs welcome.

Leap Year Capital of the World

Every four years, residents of Anthony, New Mexico, and Anthony, Texas, throw a birthday party for people born on Feb. 29, but they invite everyone to join in the celebration in the self-proclaimed Leap Year Capital of the World.

Anthony has claimed that title since 1988, when resident Mary Ann Brown—a Leap Year baby born in 1932—proposed the idea to the Anthony N.M. Chamber of Commerce as a way to promote the farming community that straddles the Texas-New Mexico border.

On Feb. 1, 1988, Brown and her neighbor, Birdie Lewis—who also was born on Leap Year Day—approached Chamber of Commerce officials with the idea of a Leap Year Festival, a Leap Year Birthday Club. The chamber agreed with the unique proposal. Later the governors of both Texas and New Mexico made proclamations declaring Anthony the Leap Year Capital of the World.

The first festival drew only nine Leap Year birthday celebrants from neighboring towns in Texas and New Mexico, who shared a birthday cake. By the time the next Leap Year rolled around, however, a few thousand people came to Anthony for a two-day festival, including “Leapies” (also known as “29ers”) from several U.S. states and as far way as Germany.

2004 marked Anthony’s fifth Worldwide Leap Year Festival. Festivities included a 10K race, chuck wagon breakfast, hot air balloon launch, crafts show, carnival, hayrides, golf tournament, concerts, a parade, and of course, a birthday party for those rare individuals born on Feb. 29.

Only about 4 million of the world’s 6 billion people were born on Feb. 29; about 200,000 of them live in the United States. The odds of being born on Feb. 29 are 1 in 1,461, which means that less than 1 percent of the population are Leap Year babies. The Worldwide Leap Year Birthday Club, founded by Brown, has more than 400 members worldwide.

Roman emperor Julius Caesar introduced Leap Year back in 46 B.C. as a way to account for the fact that the calendar was 365 days long, while the Earth’s rotation is 365 and 1/4 days long. Because of that discrepancy, months on the calendar were no longer matching up with the seasons. But Caesar’s calculations were a little off, and after 15 centuries, the dates were once again off kilter. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII tweaked the Leap Year rules a bit, fixing the problem and setting up the calendar system we still use today.

Dining

Anthony Texas is home to several well knows resturants and franchise chains.

HOME TOWN FAVORITES

• Red Rooster Cafe- featuring a wide variety of Mexican breakfast and lunch dishes
• Rose Garden- featuring authentic Mexican food
• Garsons- featuring home style Mexican food
• Home Style Pizzaria- hand made pizza and wings

Franchise Chains

• Subway (Inside Pilot Truck Stop)
• Subway (Inside Lowes La Feria)
• McDonald's
• Burger King
• Wendy's (Inside Pilot Truck Stop)
• KFC
• Pizza Pros
• La Cocina (Inside FINA)
• The Cookery (Inside the Flying J Truck Stop)

Entertainment

• Wet'n'Wild Water World- Area's only water park (open during warm weather months)
• Blockbuster Video- movie and game rentals
• Movie Gallery- movie and game rentals
• Nasty Jacks- biker styled bar with live music
• Rincon Norte- bar with pool and live mariachi music
• Brown Derby- night club with live mariachi music, live shows, pool tables
• Escandalo- night club with live mariachi music
• Welcome Inn- bar with pool tables

Lodging

Anthony Texas is the home of two hotel chains.

• Best Western
• Super 8

La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution

The Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Anthony, Texas, is a low security facility housing male inmates. An adjacent minimum security satellite prison camp houses male inmates. A separate low security facility is associated with the FCI and houses male inmates.

La Tuna is a Community Leader and has a strong relationship with the Anthony Police Department. La Tuna assists with several ongoing Town Projects thru the inmate worker programs.

La Tuna inmates helped build some of the Anthony Municipal Parks and regularly assist in the day to day maintainance of the Anthony Town Government Facility. La Tuna inmates assist Streets/Parks Department workers in a laborer capacity.

See also

• El Paso County, Texas
• Anthony Independent School District
• Leap Year
• Rio Grande
• Anthony Police Department
• Anthony, New Mexico

External links

• [Anthony ISD]
• [World Wide Leap Year Birthday Club]
• [La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution]