Alamo (Texas)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alamo
Nickname : The Refuge to the Valley
Hidalgo County Alamo.svg
Location in Texas
Basic data
Foundation : 1924
State : United States
State : Texas
County : Hidalgo County
Coordinates : 26 ° 11 ′  N , 98 ° 7 ′  W Coordinates: 26 ° 11 ′  N , 98 ° 7 ′  W
Time zone : Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 )
Residents : 19,442 (as of 2017)
Population density : 1,056.6 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 18.4 km 2  (about 7 mi 2 ) of
which 18.4 km 2  (about 7 mi 2 ) is land
Height : 30 m
Postal code : 78516
Area code : +1 956
FIPS : 48-01576
GNIS ID : 1329296
Website : www.alamotexas.org
Mayor : Diana Martinez

Alamo is a city in southern, densely populated central Hidalgo County , Texas . The city - which should not be confused with the mission complex of the same name in San Antonio and the battle that fought there during the Texan War of Independence , but which was named after them - was founded in 1908, is considered an agricultural transport and processing center within the region and, according to the US, had -Census 2017 a population of 19,442.

description

Standing water in the nearby Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

Alamo is located in the densely populated southern center of Hidalgo County - which in turn is part of an urban agglomeration zone that stretches along the lower Rio Grande and extends from Brownsville ( Cameron County ) to Rio Grande City and Roma ( Starr County ). The main traffic axis is the US Highway 83 , which runs parallel to the Rio Grande and connects the settlement centers in the southern part of the Rio Grande Valley . The urban area covers almost 20 square kilometers. It is east of neighboring San Juan and extends with a smaller half on the north side and a larger one on the south side of the US highway. The northwestern town of North Alamo and the southeastern South Alamo are separate statistical units; as unincorporated places , they are only grouped together for mail delivery purposes. Other neighboring towns and cities are Donna in the east and Scissors in the southwest. The outer southern part of the urban area and most of the neighboring South Alama are three Colonias taken - residential settlements with defizitiärer energy and water supply , consist mainly of (new) immigrants live.

In terms of landscape, the Alamo is part of the lower Rio Grande Valley - a flat, fertile river bordering region, in which mainly citrus fruits and vegetables are intensively grown . The climate in the region is subtropical and subhumid . The temperature data for the not far away regional metropolis McAllen range from an average of 8 ° C in January to 35 ° C in July. The average annual temperature is 23 ° C. The average rainfall is 23 centimeters per month. The main rainy months are May and September.

Alamo was founded in the 1900s - in the wake of the development boom that followed the introduction of commercial, irrigation-supported agriculture in the lower Rio Grande Valley. Between 1902 and 1909 the two property speculators Peter Ebenezer and George Hawkins bought a large area of ​​land together. By 1908 the floor plans of the future city , a railway station and a landing stage for ships were created. The first settlers were initially accommodated in a kind of camp . In 1909 the two investors sold the area to the Alamo Land and Sugar Company . The company moved the town center further away from the river . The city was built under the aegis of the Alamo Townside Company, whose owners - CH Swallow and Rentfro B. Creager - tried to attract new settlers. The place that was first called Forum and later Swallow was eventually renamed the Alamo. The incorporated city rights Alamo received in 1924. The population, which in 1924 had been around 200 people, rose to 1,018 by 1936. In economic terms, it distinguished itself primarily as a dispatch center for citrus fruits harvested in the region and other agricultural products.

Demographics

growth of population
Census Residents ± in%
1930 1018 -
1940 1944 91%
1950 3017 55.2%
1960 4121 36.6%
1970 4291 4.1%
1980 5831 35.9%
1990 9415 61.5%
2000 15,492 64.5%
2010 18,353 18.5%

Until 1980 the population development of Alamos was characterized by a slow, continuous increase. As a result of the wave of immigration from Mexico and other Central American countries that began in the 1980s, the population of the Alamo rose rapidly - as did almost all cities and towns in Hidalgo County: from 5,831 in 1980 to 9,412 a decade later and on 18,353 in 2010. According to the US census , 19,442 people lived in the city in 2017 . Of these, 9,281 were male , 10,161 female , 12,818 adults , 6,624 children or adolescents and 3,180 were older than 65 years. The median age was 31.1 years. 16,937 inhabitants or 87.1% described themselves as Hispanic or Latino , 2,468 as white (12.7%) and 37 as African American (0.2%). Members of the statistically smaller groups Asians , Indian natives and more than one ethnic group were not represented in the survey.

The median income per household was 36,239 US dollars (USD) according to Quickfact information on the census website . The census showed 29.3% of people living in poverty and 30.7% of people without health insurance . The determined median value was well below that of the state of Texas (USD 54,700) and that of the USA as a whole (USD 55,300). Compared with other median income values in the McAllen area, the Alamo was in the middle range: the values ​​for Edinburgh , McAllen and Progreso Lakes were 43,800, 45,600 and 86,400 USD, in some cases significantly above the median value determined for the Alamo. Other cities and towns, on the other hand, such as San Juan , Scissors and Citrus City, with values ​​of 34,900, 21,500 and 15,000 USD, in some cases significantly below.

Education and sights

The Independent School District Pharr-San Juan-Alamo is responsible for school supplies in the city. The ISD, founded in 1919, covers the eastern part of the agglomeration region in central-southern Hidalgo County and offers various elementary , middle school and high school facilities as well as special courses - for example as part of university preparation and adult education. According to the ISD website, the number of students is currently 32,000.

As a cultural institution, the city maintains a museum (City of Alamo Museum), a city ​​library (Sgt. Fernando De La Rosa Memorial Library) and a park (Alamo Nature Park) . The Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge , located south of the city directly on the Rio Grande, is known nationwide as a nature conservation reservoir . The area covers 2,088 hectares and is home to almost 400 species of birds , most of the species of butterflies found in North America, and other wild animals , some of which are threatened with extinction , such as specimens of the ocelot . According to the city's website, the number of visitors to the refuge is around 165,000 annually.


Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See overview map of Hidalgo County of the Texas Almanac (PDF) and representation on Google Maps . Accessed on January 4, 2019.
  2. ↑ See details on Google Maps , accessed on January 4, 2019.
  3. ↑ Rio Grande Valley . David M. Vigness and Mark Odintz, Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), June 15, 2010; Upgrade: October 5th, 2015
  4. ^ Hidalgo County . Alicia A. Garza, Texas State Historical Association, June 15, 2010 (Engl.)
  5. ^ Alamo, TX . Alicia A. Garza, Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), June 9, 2010 (Engl.)
  6. ↑ a b Population of Alamo, TX . population.us, accessed January 2, 2019
  7. ^ Alamo, Texas . ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates, 2017, American FactFinder, accessed January 4, 2019.
  8. ↑ Alamo, Texas , brief overview on the website of the United States Census Bureau, accessed January 4, 2019.
  9. ^ Household Income in Alamo, Texas . Overview of household income on statisticatlas.com, accessed on January 4, 2019 (Engl.).
  10. ↑ Inside PSJA ISD . 'Pharr – San Juan – Alamo Independent School District, accessed January 4, 2019
  11. ↑ Departments . alamotexas.org, accessed January 4, 2019
  12. ↑ Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge . alamotexas.org, accessed January 4, 2019

Web links