Merkel (Texas)

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Merkel
Nickname : Windmill City of West Texas
TXMap-doton-Merkel.PNG
Location of Merkel in Texas
Basic data
Foundation : 1880
State : United States
State : Texas
County : Taylor County
Coordinates : 32 ° 28 ′  N , 100 ° 1 ′  W Coordinates: 32 ° 28 ′  N , 100 ° 1 ′  W
Time zone : Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 )
Residents : 2,637 (as of: 2000)
Population density : 517.1 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 5.1 km 2  (approx. 2 mi 2 ) of
which 5.1 km 2  (approx. 2 mi 2 ) is land
Height : 570 m
Postal code : 79536
Area code : +1 915
FIPS : 48-47796
GNIS ID : 1374885

Merkel is a city in Taylor County in the US state of Texas in the United States .

geography

The city is located in central northwest Texas, on Interstate 20, about 30 km west of Abilene , in the northwest of the county and has a total area of ​​5.1 km 2 without any significant water surface.

history

The place was founded as Windmill Town around 1880 when the Texas and Pacific Railway laid their tracks here. In 1881 it was renamed Merkel after the first settler in this area, the German-born SM Merkel . The first general store opened in 1882 and the first post office in 1883. The population was 25 in 1885 and 400 in 1890, when the place already had four churches and a school. From 1887 onwards, the site housed a college for four years, and a hospital from 1926 until the 1960s. The weekly Merkel Mail has been published since 1890 .

economy

Since its foundation, Merkel has been shaped by agriculture and cattle breeding. While agriculture continues to play an important role, many residents are also employed in the petroleum industry or in supplying the military at nearby Dyess Air Force Base .

Demographics

Population development

Historical population figures
year Residents
1885 25th
1890 400
1897 600
1933 1,848
1940 2.005
1950 2,314
1992 2,469

present

According to the 2000 census, 2,637 people in 1,012 households and 719 families lived here. The population density was 519.5 people per km 2 . The racial the population was composed of 89.42% White, 1.14% African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, and 6.33% other ethnic groups. About 2.16% were mixed race and 14.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 1,012 households, 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 54.7% of these were married couples living together. 13.3% were single mothers and 28.9% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were single households and there were people living in 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.08.

28.2% of the population were under 18 years old, 8.3% 18 to 24, 27.0% 25 to 44, 20.7% 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females of all age groups, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 women aged 18 and over there were 80.3 men.

The median income for a household in the city is $ 29,083 , and the median income for a family is $ 34,250. Males had a median income of $ 30,000 versus women of $ 16,620. The per capita income was $ 13,292. 13.6% of the population and 9.9% of families are below the poverty line. Of these, 14.6% were children and adolescents under 18 years of age and 14.0% were 65 or older.

See also

literature

  • Abilene Remembered: Our Centennial Treasury Book, 1881–1981 . Abilene Reporter News, Abilene 1981.
  • Paul D. Lack et al .: The History of Abilene . McMurry College, Abilene 1981.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d Shelly Slyker / Angela Thomas: Merkel, Texas. In: The Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), 1999 ff (English, tshaonline.org ).