Calvert, Texas

Calvert, Texas
City
Nickname:  Calvy
Location of Calvert, Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Robertson
Area
• Total	3.9 sq mi (10.1 km2)
• Land	3.9 sq mi (10.1 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	328 ft (100 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	1,192
• Density	366.6/sq mi (141.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	77837
Area code	979
FIPS code	48-11992Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1353586Template:GR

Calvert is a city in Robertson County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area. Calvert is located in west-central Texas and encompasses a total area of 3.9 square miles (10 km²). The city's schools are part of the Calvert Independent School District. The Robertson County News reports the local news.

For the last 35 years Calvert has enjoyed a relative success as an antique “capital.” Steady traffic on Highway 6 and the towns halfway position between Waco and Bryan College Station has helped.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,400 people, 509 households, and 374 families residing in the city. The population density was 366.6 people per square mile (141.5/km²), and there were 675 housing units at an average density of 186.6 per square mile (72.1/km²).

The city has 36.7% White, 49.1% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 8.77% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race are 16.3% of the population.

There were 584 households. In the city, 27.4% of households had children under the age of 18, 34.7% were married couples living together, 25.4% were households led by single females, and 34.7% were non-related groups. In the city, 32.4% of all households consisted of individuals and 16.6% of households were single people at least 65 years old. The average household size was 2.44 people and the average family size was 3.07 people.

The average age of the population varied, with 20.7% of residents under the age of 18, 7.1% between the ages of 18 to 24, 21.9% aged 25 to 44, 22.1% aged 45 to 64, and 19.1% at least 65 years of age. The median age was 38 years of age. For every 100 female residents there were 85.2 male residents, but for every 100 female residents age 18 and over, there were only 78.0 male residents.

The median household income was $18,105, and the median family income was $23,214. Median income for males was $24,722 and $17,885 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,165. About 30.3% of families and 36.9% of the population are below the poverty line including 53.4% of residents under age 18 and 32.6% of those age 65 or over.

Population in 2012: 1,180 (0% urban, 100% rural). Population change since 2000: -17.3%.Males: 574 (48.7%) Females: 606 (51.3%) Black alone - 585 (49.1%) White alone - 438 (36.7%) Hispanic - 153 (12.8%) Two or more races - 9 (0.8%) Asian alone - 3 (0.3%) Other race alone - 4 (0.3%)

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Calvert-Texas.html#ixzz367JRGb5u

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Calvert-Texas.html#ixzz367J8Y7l1

History

The earliest known white settler in the area was Joseph Harlan whose 1837 land grant laid five miles south of what is now the City of Calvert. In 1850 Robert Calvert, for whom the town was named, established a plantation west of the town. Calvert, who was a former Texas Representative and area farmers urged the Houston and Texas Central Railway to build through the area. A railroad was completed in 1868. The City of Calvert was founded that same year after a group of investors purchased land at the town site and platted the community. In January, the town was named in honor of Robert Calvert. The post office opened in 1868, and the first trains arrived in 1869. Calvert incorporated with an alderman form of government in 1870 and, that same year, founded its first school.

From 1870 to 1879, Calvert replaced Owensville as county seat due to Reconstruction in Robertson County.

The Republican party in the county drew much of its strength from black voters on the plantations in the Calvert area, and, for a number of years, the party was able to elect black people from Calvert to county and state office. As a rail center and as county seat, Calvert prospered. In 1871, the town claimed to have the largest cotton gin in the world, and cotton planters (many of whom arrived in the area following the Civil War) established huge plantations with reputations for prosperity and Southern hospitality. Many of these families later moved from plantations located in the Brazos River Bottoms into the city of Calvert. These families built large Victorian style mansions, many of which are still in existence today. In 1873 a severe yellow fever epidemic killed many in the community. The county jail, built in 1875 and now known as The Hammond House, is still a local landmark.

By 1878, Calvert was a thriving community with 52 businesses. The next year, in 1879, the town of Morgan replaced Calvert as the county seat, but Calvert continued to prosper as a commercial center. By 1884, Calvert had an estimated 3,000 inhabitants with Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, and Catholic churches, a public school system, two banks, an opera house, and a newspaper, the Weekly Courier. The community remained a major cotton center with many gins, cotton compresses, and cottonseed oil mills, until 1899, when the town was damaged by floods. In 1901, a fire destroyed much of Calvert's remaining business district.

Many of Calvert's former residents visited the city in 1968 to help celebrate its centennial anniversary.

Calvert's population was reported as 3,322 in 1900, and has since decrease to 1,426 in 2000. The population decline is summarized below.

• 1910 -- 2,579
• mid-1920's -- 2,099
• 1940 -- 2,366
• 1950 -- 2,561
• 1960 -- 2,073
• 1980 -- 1,714
• 1990 -- 1,536
• 2000 -- 1,426

Attractions

• Calvert Historic District
• Katy Hamman-Stricker Women's Heritage Center – Historic library and museum honoring the efforts of the American Woman's League in Calvert, Texas.
• Ken Wilkinson - Cocoamoda

Notable people

• Chalie Boy (rapper) — Charles Williams of Dirty 3rd records
• Tom Bradley — Mayor of Los Angeles, California
• Rube Foster — Baseball player, manager and pioneer executive in the Negro Leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981
• Tex McCrary — Originator of the talk-show format, adviser to presidents
• Joe Sneed — U.S. federal Judge.

Public Safety

Calvert is served by the Calvert Police Department.

Calvert is served by the Calvert Fire Department and the Robertson County EMS.

Bibliography

• J. W. Baker, History of Robertson County, Texas (Franklin, Texas: Robertson County Historical Survey Committee, 1970).

External links

• Texas Tourism
• City of Calvert – official website.
• Calvert Chamber of Commerce
• Calvert Fire Department
• Handbook of Texas
• Calvert Tour of Homes [1] is one of the main events held in Calvert, Texas. Tours are held in the winter and spring, featuring different houses.