Gun Barrel City, Texas

Gun Barrel City, Texas
City
Location of Gun Barrel City, Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Henderson
Area
• Total	5.2 sq mi (13.5 km2)
• Land	5.1 sq mi (13.3 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	351 ft (107 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	5,145
• Density	1,000.5/sq mi (386.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	75156
Area code(s)	430, 903
FIPS code	48-31592Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1337131Template:GR

Gun Barrel City is a city in Henderson County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,145 at the 2000 census.

The town began as an unincorporated community in the 1960s after completion of Cedar Creek Reservoir. It was incorporated in the early 1970s so it could legally sell beer and wine. The city takes its name from a former road, Gun Barrel Lane (which is now State Highway 198), as well as its motto, "We Shoot Straight with You" and its symbol (a rifle). Gun Barrel Lane acquired its name during the 1920's and 30's when outlaws frequented the area. It was considered a backwoods safeplace during Prohibition when the likes of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker hung out in the area. A Mr. C. L. Wait lived along the road and was known for sitting at the window of his house with a shotgun sticking out the window. It was his way of deterring those he deemed unwelcome on this back country road.

History

Gun Barrel City gained national attention in May 2000 by electing recent Johnson & Wales University graduate and then newspaper owner/publisher R. Tye Thomas as mayor. Thomas was 21 years old at the time of his election. While the first few months of Thomas' administration were marked by significant accomplishment, widespread support, and national media attention, community support began to diminish when Henderson County District Attorney Donna R. Bennett (ousted in 2008 by R. Scott McKee in the Primary Election, facing no Democratic opponent) and Texas Ranger Steve Foster launched an investigation focusing on Thomas. The allegations included misuse of city equipment and perjury.

A Henderson County Grand Jury indicted Thomas in April 2001 for one count of misdemeanor (Class A) perjury. The same week, Thomas was arrested for public intoxication - a Class C misdemeanor. He entered a plea of no contest and paid a US$350 fine.

A few weeks later, after serving 54 weeks in office, Thomas resigned as mayor. All criminal charges associated with the Texas Ranger investigation were dismissed. Mayor Pro-Tem Bob Bennington was elevated to the office of mayor after Thomas' resignation. Thomas moved to Dallas in 2002.

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Gun Barrel City is also home to Friends NightClub which has been named to the Top 50 Gay Clubs in the World by Out Magazine's October 2007 edition.

In addition, Gun Barrel City has Fuddruckers opening Summer 2008, in addition to several other major restaurants, such as Chili's.

Geography

Gun Barrel City is located at 32°19′44″N 96°8′11″W (32.328980, -96.136406)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.5 square kilometers (5.2 sq mi). 13.3 km² (5.1 sq mi) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.0 sq mi) of it (0.96%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 5,145 people, 2,163 households, and 1,498 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,000.5 people per square mile (386.5/km²). There were 2,736 housing units at an average density of 532.0/sq mi (205.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.23% White, 1.11% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 1.32% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.60% of the population.

There are 2,163 households, of which 24.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% are classified as non-families by the United States Census Bureau. Of 2,163 households, 78 are unmarried partner households: 63 heterosexual, 6 same-sex male, and 9 same-sex female households. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,075, and the median income for a family was $34,321. Males had a median income of $33,872 versus $21,563 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,046. About 13.1% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Gun Barrel City is within the Mabank Independent School District. Elementary schools include Southside Elementary, Central Elementary, and Lakeview Elementary.

A new high school campus opened in the fall of 2007. The new campus is adjacent to the old high school in Mabank.

Lakeview Elementary School (Gun Barrel City), Mabank Middle School (Mabank), Mabank Junior High School (Mabank), and Mabank High School (Mabank) serve Gun Barrel City.

External links

• Gun Barrel City Economic Development Corporation website
• Gun Barrel City website
• Gun Barrel City, TX from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Cedar Creek Pilot --local newspaper
• Mabank Monitor --local newspaper
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