Lampasas, Texas

Lampasas, Texas
City
Location of Lampasas, Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Lampasas
Incorporated	1883
Government
• Mayor	Judith Hetherly
• City Manager	Michael Stoldt
Area
• Total	6.2 sq mi (16.1 km2)
• Land	6.2 sq mi (16.0 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	1,027 ft (313 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	6,786
• Density	1,097.3/sq mi (423.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	76550
Area code	512
FIPS code	48-41188Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1360911Template:GR
Website	http://www.cityoflampasas.com

Lampasas is a city in Lampasas County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,786 at the 2000 census. It is the seat of Lampasas CountyTemplate:GR.

Lampasas is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

For his services in the Texas Revolution, John Burleson received 1,280 acres (5.2 km²) of land and established a permanent settlement in the 1850s. The city was first named Burleson; however, the name was gradually changed to Lampasas Springs because of the existence of seven mineral springs. When the county was created in 1856, the law specified “The county seat shall be same name as the county.” The city of Lampasas was officially incorporated in 1883.

Several theories attempt to explain how the name Lampasas came to be. The Texas Almanac states the word came from a Spanish word for “lilies” that are found in nearby streams. Another source states the word comes from the Spanish word “Lampazos.” The name was given to the local river by the Spanish Aquayo Expedition in 1721. It is believed the name was inspired by a Mexican town that also had beautiful springs. The town was also the location of the birth of the Farmers' Alliance, founded in 1876. And the Spring Ho festival.

The first Spring Ho festival was held in 1972 from an idea conceived by Gary Martin and Milton Boone to give the community of Lampasas “something to do”, “a community get together” “entertainment”, “a take off from the old hayloft parties”. Milton Boone was the president of the Chamber of Commerce at that time and letters were sent to local service organizations in Lampasas County to attend a meeting at Martin’s Restaurant to discuss starting a festival. A large group attended and everyone was in favor. Spring Ho had real community support. The first committee to serve consisted of the following: Gary Martin, Milton Boone, Ruby Jones, Ruth Eakin, Luis Azopardi and Tennye Bullion. The committee continues to be composed of local citizens donating countless hours of their time.

A festival naming contest was held, with a prize of $25 for the person who suggested the name which was chosen. No one knows for sure who suggested the festival be called “Spring Ho”, as the person requested to remain anonymous when donating the $25 back to the Spring Ho festival. With $25 in the bank – the Spring Ho festivities began, with something for everybody. All profits the first year were given back to Spring Ho and Spring Ho covered any losses

Geography

Lampasas is located at 31°3′57″N 98°11′0″W (31.065868, -98.183444)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0 square miles (16.1 km²), of which, 6.2 square miles (16.0 km²) of it is yes and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.64%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 6,786 people, 2,554 households, and 1,711 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,097.3 people per square mile (424.0/km²). There were 2,799 housing units at an average density of 452.6/sq mi (174.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.78% White, 2.03% African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 10.06% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.11% of the population.

There were 2,554 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,898, and the median income for a family was $31,012. Males had a median income of $26,606 versus $19,959 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,409. About 18.3% of families and 21.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.5% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Lampasas is served by the Lampasas Independent School District.

References in pop culture

Lampasas is mentioned in the Hank Williams, Jr. song "Texas Women."

External links

• Official City Website