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Nacogdoches, Texas

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Nacogdoches, Texas
City
City of Nacogdoches
Nickname: 
"Champ City"
Location of Nacogdoches, Texas within Nacogdoches County
Location of Nacogdoches, Texas within Nacogdoches County
Country United States of America
State Texas
CountyNacogdoches
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
 • City councilMayor Roger Van Horn
Shelley Brophy
Roy Boldon
David Norton
Bob Dunn
 • City managerJim Jeffers
Area
 • Total
27.01 sq mi (69.96 km2)
 • Land26.91 sq mi (69.76 km2)
 • Water0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation
302 ft (92 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total
32,996
 • Density1,221.5/sq mi (471.6/km2)
DemonymNacogdochian
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
75961-75965
Area code936
FIPS code48-50256[1]
GNIS feature ID1363573[2]
Websiteci.nacogdoches.tx.us
Nacogdoches proclaims itself as "the oldest town" in Texas; it is the home of Stephen F. Austin University.
Nacogdoches historic clock
Nacogdoches water tower

Nacogdoches (/ˌnækəˈdoʊtʃ[invalid input: 'ɨ']s/ NAK-ə-DOH-chiss) is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 U.S. Census recorded the city's population to be 32,996.[3] It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County[4] and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Nacogdoches is the home of Stephen F. Austin State University and Texas' largest Azalea garden.

Geography

Nacogdoches is located at 31°36′32″N 94°39′3″W / 31.60889°N 94.65083°W / 31.60889; -94.65083 (31.608855, -94.650862).[5] Its location is approximately 140 miles (225 km) NNE of Houston, 180 miles (290 km) SE of Dallas and 90 miles (145 km) SW of Shreveport.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.3 square miles (66 km2), of which 25.2 square miles (65 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.24%) is water. The city center is located just to the north of the fork of two creeks, the LaNana and Banita.

Lake Nacogdoches is located 10 miles (16 km) west of the city.

Climate

Nacogdoches, Texas
Climate chart (explanation)
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█ Precipitation totals in inches
Source: Weather.com / NWS
Metric conversion
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█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm
  • On average, the warmest month is August.
  • The highest recorded temperature was 112 °F in 2000.
  • The average coolest month is January.
  • The lowest recorded temperature was 3 °F in 1989.
  • The most precipitation on average occurs in May.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1850468—
18604853.6%
18705003.1%
1880333−33.4%
18901,138241.7%
19001,82760.5%
19103,36984.4%
19203,5465.3%
19305,68760.4%
19407,53832.5%
195012,32763.5%
196012,6742.8%
197022,54477.9%
198027,14920.4%
199030,87213.7%
200029,914−3.1%
201032,99610.3%
2014 (est.)33,687[6]2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of census 2010 Nacogdoches had a population of 32,996. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 51.2% White, 28.4% Black, 0.5% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% reporting some other race, 2.3% reporting two or more races and 16.8% Hispanic or Latino.[8]

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 29,914 people, 11,220 households, and 5,935 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,185.9 people per square mile (457.8/km²). There were 12,329 housing units at an average density of 488.7 per square mile (188.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.98% White, 25.06% African American, 1.13% Asian, 0.34% Native American, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 5.84% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.82% of the population.

There were 11,220 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.7% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.1% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the age distribution of the population shows 20.2% under the age of 18, 30.9% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,700, and the median income for a family was $37,020. Males had a median income of $28,933 versus $22,577 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,546. About 20.9% of families and 32.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.4% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.

A person who lives in Nacogdoches, or is a native of Nacogdoches, is known as a "Nacogdochian."

History

The recently renovated historic Nacogdoches train depot
Old Stone Fort, Nacogdoches, Texas (postcard, circa 1923) downtown Nacogdoches

Local promotional literature from the Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau describes Nacogdoches as "the oldest town in Texas." Evidence of settlement at the same site dates back to 10,000 years ago. It is near or on the site of Nevantin, the primary village of the Nacogdoche tribe of Caddo Indians.[9][10]

Nacogdoches remained a Caddo Indian settlement until the early 19th century. In 1716 when Spain established a mission there, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de los Nacogdoches. That was the first European construction in the area. The "town" of Nacogdoches got started after the French had vacated the region (1760s, following the French and Indian War), and Spanish officials decided that maintaining the mission was too costly. In 1772 they ordered all settlers in the area to move to San Antonio. Some were eager to escape the wilderness, but others had to be forced from their homes by soldiers. It was one of the original European settlements in the region, populated by Adaeseños from Fort Los Adaes.[11]

Old Stone Fort Museum in Nacogdoches, On The SFASU campus

Colonel Antonio Gil Y'Barbo, a prominent Spanish trader, emerged as the leader of the settlers, and in the spring of 1779, he led a group back to Nacogdoches. Later that summer, Nacogdoches received designation from Spain as a pueblo, or town, thereby making it the first "town" in Texas. Y'Barbo, as lieutenant governor of the new town, established the rules and laws for local government. He laid out streets with the intersecting El Camino Real (now State Highway 21) and La Calle del Norte/North Street (now Business U.S. Highway 59-F) as the central point. On the main thoroughfare, he built a stone house for use in his trading business. The house, or Old Stone Fort as it is known today, became a gateway from the United States to the Texas frontier.[12]

Sterne-Hoya House Museum and Library; Adolph Sterne was the first mayor of Nacogdoches.

The city has been under more flags than the state of Texas, claiming nine flags. In addition to the Six Flags of Texas, it also flew under the flags of the Magee-Gutierrez Republic, the Long Republic, and the Fredonian Rebellion. People from the United States began moving to settle in Nacogdoches in 1820 and Texas' first English-language newspaper was published there.[13] However, the first newspaper published (in the 1700s) was in Spanish. An edition of the newspaper (in Spanish) is preserved and shown at the local Museum.

In 1832, the battle of Nacogdoches brought many local settlers together, as they united in their stand to support a federalist form of government. Their successful venture drove the Mexican military from east Texas.

Thomas Jefferson Rusk was one of the most prominent early Nacogdoches Anglo settlers. A veteran of the Texas Revolution, hero of San Jacinto, he signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and was secretary of war during the Republic of Texas. He was president of the Texas Statehood Commission and served as one of the first two Texas U.S. Senators along with Sam Houston. He worked to establish Nacogdoches University, which operated from 1845 to 1895.[14] The Old Nacogdoches University Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.[14] Rusk suffered from depression as a result of the untimely death of his wife and killed himself on July 29, 1857.[15]

Sam Houston lived in Nacogdoches for four years prior to the Texas Revolution (1836) and opened a law office downtown. He courted Ana Raguet, daughter of one of the leading citizens, but Ana rejected him after finding that he was not divorced from his first wife Eliza Allen of Tennessee.

William Goins (Goyens, Goings, Going), the son of a white mother and black father, operated a local inn, trucking service, blacksmith works and maintained a plantation outside Nacogdoches on Goins Hill. He was married to a white woman and owned slaves.[16] He was appointed as an agent to treat with the Cherokees and was prominent in providing assistance to the Texas Army during the Revolution.

Adolphus Sterne was a merchant of German Jewish extraction who maintained the finest home in town. Frequently visited by famous luminaries such as Sam Houston, Thomas Rusk, Chief Bowles, David Crockett and many others, his diary is one of the best sources for early Nacogdoches history.

In 1859, the first oil well in Texas began operation here, but it was never so well known as Spindletop, drilled in 1901 near Beaumont.[17] Lyne Taliaferro Barret began this operation, which was interrupted by the American Civil War. However, after the war Barret returned to Oil Springs, an area about 13 miles east of Nacogdoches, to resume his project by acquiring another drilling contract in 1865. Barret struck oil on September 12, 1866, at a depth of 106 feet. The well produced around 10 barrels of oil per day, but was recorded to produce anywhere from 8 to 40 barrels. In 1868, the price of oil dropped so low that Barret lost his financial backing, and was forced to resign the project. The fields then laid dormant for another 20 years, until 1889 when various drilling companies had 40 wells on the site. The site was never very productive, only yielding 54 barrels in 1890. However, it remains the first and oldest Oil well in Texas, with production being recorded into the 1950s.[18]

In 1912, the Marx Brothers came to town to perform their singing act at the old Opera House (now the SFA Cole Art Center). Their performance was interrupted by a man who came inside shouting, "Runaway mule!" Most of the audience left the building, apparently thinking a runaway mule would provide better entertainment. When they filed back in, Julius (later known as Groucho) began insulting them, saying "Nacogdoches is full of roaches!" and "The jackass is the flower of Tex-ass!" Instead of becoming angry, audience members laughed. Soon afterward, Julius and his brothers decided to try their hand at comedy instead of singing, at which they had barely managed to scrape together a living. A historic plaque commemorating the event is posted in downtown Nacogdoches. Given the location of this formative experience, the Brothers' later decision, during the making of Duck Soup, to name the imaginary country "Freedonia" hardly seems coincidental. In the edition of March 8, 1950 of You Bet Your Life Groucho states "I was once pinched in Nacogdoches for playing Euchre on the front porch of a hotel. It happened to be on a Sunday. You're not allowed to play Euchre in Nacogdoches on a Sunday. As a matter of fact, the way I played it they shouldn't have allowed it on Saturday either." Groucho appeared to have a humorous preoccupation with the word Nacogdoches and would often mention it in the show if any contestant came from Texas. John Wayne appeared to have had a similar preoccupation,[citation needed] as he mentioned the town in some of his movies e.g. Big Jake.

The historic downtown Main Theater

In 1997, singer Willie Nelson came to Nacogdoches to perform with his friend, Paul Buskirk, a renowned mandolin player. During his stay, Nelson recorded a number of jazz songs at Encore Studios. In 2004, he released those recordings on an album called Nacogdoches.

On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, depositing debris across Texas. Much of the debris landed in the Nacogdoches area,[19] and much of the media coverage of the recovery efforts focused on Nacogdoches.

On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita struck Nacogdoches as a Category 1 hurricane.[20][21][22] Nacogdoches experienced the same problems Houston was having because of the unprecedented number of people evacuating the Houston-Galveston area. The city's local shelters were already overwhelmed with evacuees that had come from New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina. Long lines at gas stations, shortages of supplies, food and fuel were widespread. Many Houstonians took the Eastex Freeway (U.S. Highway 59) (Future Interstate 69) out of Houston to evacuate through East Texas. Travel times between Nacogdoches and Houston were reported taking about 24–36 hours,[citation needed] when normal travel time is about 2 hours. As a result of Hurricane Rita, U.S. Highway 59 (Future Interstate 69) has been designated as an evacuation route by TXDOT, with all of it lanes to be used for contraflow traffic. Nacogdoches was designated as the north end terminus of the contraflow/evacuation route.[23]

On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike struck Nacogdoches as a Category 1 hurricane.

Nacogdoches hosts the Texas Blueberry Festival on the second Saturday in June.[24] The county is the top blueberry producer in Texas.[citation needed] The city recently tagged itself as the "Capital of the Texas Forest Country." The community is one of the first Texas Certified Retirement Communities.[25] The community celebrates a host of other events year round visitnacogdoches.com

Once a Democratic stronghold, Nacogdoches has in recent years moved steadily toward the Republican Party, being represented in the United States Congress and the Texas State Legislature by Republicans. The city in general is very moderate with the co-existence of students of Stephen F. Austin with a left-of-center persuasion and conservative right-of-center city residents.

Nacogdoches has been in the Texas Main Street Program since 1998. It is preserve America Community and a Texas Treasures Award winner. Nacogdoches Downtown was named the "Best Historic Venue" by Texas Meetings and Events magazine. Nacogdoches was nominated as one of the "Friendliest Towns in America" by Rand McNally and USA Today.

Nacogdoches is the headquarters of the Texas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, the Air Force Auxiliary. CAP provides emergency services, such as search and rescue for airplane crashes; aerospace education; and cadet programs throughout the United States. Texas Wing has 1516 Senior (adult) Members and 1636 Cadet (teenage) Members.

Economy

Pilgrim's Pride is the No. 1 employer in Nacogdoches
Commercial Bank of Texas at 4929 North Street in downtown Nacogdoches

The economy of Nacogdoches is heavily dependent on Stephen F. Austin State University. Like many college towns in the United States, Nacogdoches businesses heavily depends on university students as customers and regularly employs them.[26][27] Other large sectors of the local economy is healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, and lumber.[28]

According to the City's 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[29][needs update] the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees 2013 # of Employees 2004 Rank 2004
1 Pilgrim's Pride 1,725 2,407 1
2 Stephen F. Austin State University 1,609 1,400 2
3 Nacogdoches Independent School District 985 875 4
4 Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital 694 675 5
5 Etech, Inc. 455 900 3
6 Nacogdoches Medical Center 512 604 6
7 Wal-Mart 345 460 9
8 City of Nacogdoches 311 308 10
9 NIBCO 275 390 7
10 Nacogdoches County 271 (not specified)
Foretravel Motorcoach (not specified) 382 8

Government

Nacogdoches City Hall

The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:

Department Director
City Manager Jim Jeffers
Municipal Court Administrator Juanita Springer
City Secretary Jan Vinson
City Engineer Steve Barlett
Finance Director Pam Curbow
City Planner Larissa Philpot
Fire Chief Keith Kiplinger
Police Chief Jim Sevey
Community Services Director Brian Bray
Communications Director Amy Mehaffy

Local government

County Government

According to the county’s most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Fund Financial Statements, the county’s various funds had $23.5 million in Revenues, $23.6 million in expenditures, $57 million in total assets, and $15 million in total liabilities. The county had $7.3 million in investments.[29]

State government

Nacogdoches is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Robert Nichols, District 3, and in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican Travis Clardy, District 11.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Nacogdoches District Parole Office in Nacogdoches.[30]

Federal government

At the Federal level, the two U.S. Senators from Texas are Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz; Nacogdoches is part of Texas's 1st congressional district, which is currently represented by Republican Louie Gohmert. The county has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1972.

The United States Postal Service operates the Nacogdoches Post Office.[31]

Education

Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches

The City of Nacogdoches is served by the Nacogdoches Independent School District. A portion also goes into the Woden ISD[32] Central Heights ISD,Douglass ISD,Garrison ISD and Cushing ISD.

Nacogdoches is home to Stephen F. Austin State University, which is a state institution of about thirteen thousand students, and is one of the leading forestry schools in the world[citation needed]. Stephen F. Austin is also home of the East Texas Historical Association.

Newspaper

Points of interest

Nacogdoches Historic Town Center and Visitor's Center

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ^ "Lufkin, Nacogdoches see moderate growth in 2010". Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ^ 2010 general profile of population and housing characteristics of Nacogdoches from the US census
  9. ^ Bolton, Herbet E. The Hasinais: Southern Caddoans As Seen by the Earliest Europeans. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2002. ISBN 978-0-8061-3441-3.
  10. ^ "Nacogdoche Indian Tribe History". Access Genealogy. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
  11. ^ "Los Adaes". Louisiana Office of Tourism. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  12. ^ "Nacogdoches - Oldest Town in Texas". VisitNacogdoches.org. August 1, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  13. ^ The Cambridge Gazeteer of the United States and Canada. p. 430
  14. ^ a b Robert Bruce Blake (June 15, 2010). "NACOGDOCHES UNIVERSITY". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  15. ^ History Exhibit, Nacogdoches Visitors Bureau, Nacogdoches, Texas
  16. ^ R. B. Blake, "GOYENS, WILLIAM", Handbook of Texas Online, accessed June 27, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
  17. ^ Cambridge Gazeteer. p. 430
  18. ^ "First Lone Star Discovery". American Oil and Gas Historical Society. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  19. ^ Bruton, Dan (February 1, 2003). "The Space Shuttle Columbia". Physics.sfasu.edu. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  20. ^ [NULL]. "Hurricanes: Science and Society: 2005- Hurricane Rita". hurricanescience.org. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  21. ^ [1] Archived 2008-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ [2] Archived 2009-03-24 at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ [3] Archived 2015-02-02 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ "Nacogdoches, Texas". Texas Blueberry Festival. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  25. ^ [4] Archived 2015-06-03 at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ Francesca Washington (August 23, 2013). "Nacogdoches businesses excited SFA students are back". ktre.com. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  27. ^ "Nacogdoches businesses feeling the crunch now that SFA students - KTRE.com - Lufkin and Nacogdoches, Texas". ktre.com. December 21, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  28. ^ Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce. "Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce : Nacogdoches Economy". nacogdoches.org. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  29. ^ a b "City of Nacogdoches Comprehensive Annual Financial Report" (PDF). 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  30. ^ "Parole Division Region I." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.
  31. ^ "Post Office Location - NACOGDOCHES." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.
  32. ^ http://tea-texas.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Solutions/s2.html?appid=8b1d6f13310a49f48aa7052fe13f505a
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