Pharr

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Pharr
FEMA employees during Hurricane Dolly (2008)
FEMA employee during Hurricane Dolly (2008)
Location in Texas
Hidalgo County Pharr.svg
Basic data
Foundation : February 22, 1916
State : United States
State : Texas
County : Hidalgo County
Coordinates : 26 ° 12 ′  N , 98 ° 11 ′  W Coordinates: 26 ° 12 ′  N , 98 ° 11 ′  W
Time zone : Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 )
Residents : 70,400 (as of 2010)
Population density : 1,306.1 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 53.9 km 2  (approx. 21 mi 2 ) of
which 53.9 km 2  (approx. 21 mi 2 ) is land
Height : 34 m
Postal code : 78577
Area code : +1 956
FIPS : 48-57200
GNIS ID : 1343930
Website : pharr-tx.gov
Mayor : Ambrosio "Amos" Hernandez

Pharr is a city in Hidalgo County in the US state of Texas . The city is located near the Mexican border , had around 75,000 inhabitants in 2016 and, together with McAllen , Mission and the administrative center of Edinburgh, is one of the four large cities in the district.

description

growth of population
Census Residents ± in%
1920 1565 -
1930 3225 106.1%
1940 4784 48.3%
1950 8690 81.6%
1960 14,106 62.3%
1970 15,829 12.2%
1980 21,381 35.1%
1990 32,921 54%
2000 46,660 41.7%
2010 70,400 50.9%

Pharr is geographically located in the Gulf Coast hinterland - close to the alluvial land in the lower Rio Grande Valley, which is favorable for arable farming . The city is part of a series of towns and cities that run along US Highway 83 parallel to the Rio Grande and stretch from Mission in the west to Brownsville regional center in the east. The second major road link is US Highway 281, which runs close to the Rio Grande, makes a 90 degree turn south of Pharr, and runs north through the city. The regional airport McAllen International Airport is five kilometers east of Pharr : The city is also connected to Reynosa on the Mexican side of the river via a bridge . The climate in the region is subtropical and subhumid . The temperature data for the neighboring town of McAllen ranging 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.

The urban area is part of the statistical metropolitan area Area Edinburg-McAllen and lies in its southeastern part. Eastern neighbors are San Juan and Alamo. In the south, the urban area extends with a spur to the Mexican border. The city territory consists of two parts, which are connected to each other by a connecting piece on both sides of US 281 . The settlement in the northern part is much more dense than that in the southern urban area enclave. The city center has a population density of up to 6,800 inhabitants per square mile, the urban areas surrounding it a density of between 1,800 and 4,300 inhabitants per square mile. The population density within the urban area enclave close to the river, on the other hand, is significantly lower and averages between 500 and 1,800 inhabitants per square mile.

The first settlement activities go back to the 18th century - by Juan José Hinojosa, whose descendants sold their land at the end of the 19th century . The actual founders of the later city of Pharr were the sugar cane planter Henry M. Pharr and the businessman John C. Kelley. Pharr set up an irrigation system for the cultivation of sugar cane , Kelley devoted himself to the structural progress of the settlement. The settlement officially received the rank of city in 1916. The population at that time was around 600; the village also had a hotel , a bank , various shops and a primary school for Mexicans. Pharr's sugar cane growing plans failed in the wake of the collapse of sugar cane agriculture in the Rio Grande Valley. However, his partner Kelley took over the established irrigation system and continued to supply the surrounding cotton and vegetable farms with water . The number of inhabitants of the city grew steadily in the following decades. In a 1956 vote, the residents rejected a merger with the neighboring McAllen. In 1970 Pharr had a population of 15,829 and around 200 companies - including manufacturing companies that produced mattresses , clay objects , irrigation systems, food products and construction materials such as concrete .

The ethnic segregation that had become the norm within the city proved to be a social explosive . As early as 1925, Hispanic students demanded that they be allowed to attend school with other children . Separate schools for Hispanics and whites were common practice until the 1970s . The proponents of this system mentioned language and cultural differences , the opponents the associated poor access to education . In addition to the separate schools, ethnic segregation had meanwhile led to a spatially separate division of the city: While Anglo-Saxon residents mainly settled south of the railway tracks, Hispanic residents lived mainly in the northern part of the city. On February 6, 1971, the situation escalated in the so-called Pharr Police Riot: Hispanic residents, the number of which had grown from 300 to 3,000 at first, demonstrated in front of the city's police station , whereupon tear gas, sticks and finally firearms were used. Alfonso Loredo Flores, a spectator, died as a result of the shots fired at him by an assistant sheriff . Media attention led to an investigation and subsequent reorganization of the city government.

In 2008, Hurricane Dolly also caused major damage in Pharr. With 127 families in need, Pharr provided more than half of the needy in Hidalgo County.

Demographics

According to data from the United States Census Bureau , the population was 75,172 in 2016. 35,384 of these were male , 39,788 female . 48,494 inhabitants were 18 years of age or older, 26,678 children or adolescents , 8,593 older than 65 years. The median age was 28.3 years. 70,402 or 93.7% of respondents identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino , 4,376 or 5.8% as white , 142 or 0.2% as Asian-American, and 17 as African-American (0.0%). Finally, 42 or 0.1% stated that they belong to more than one ethnic group. The median income per household was 32,100 US dollars (USD) according to the census . The determined median income is well below that of the US as a whole (USD 53,000) and that for the state of Texas (USD 51,900). The census showed 31.1% of people living in poverty and 32.7% of people without health insurance .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Population of Pharr, TX . population.us, accessed January 26, 2018
  2. See overview at statisticalatlas.com and on Google Maps
  3. ^ Hidalgo County . Alicia A. Garza, Texas State Historical Association, June 15, 2010 (English)
  4. ^ Population of Pharr, Texas . Overview map of the population distribution on statisticalatlas.com, accessed on January 26, 2018 (English)
  5. a b Pharr, TX . Alicia A. Garza, Texas State Historical Association, June 15, 2010 (English)
  6. 1971: Police Riot and Protest Match in Pharr, TX . South Texas Rabble Rousers History Project, April 29, 2015 (English)
  7. Center played key role in Hurricane Dolly relief . Steve Taylor, Rio Grande Guardian, March 26, 2016 (English)
  8. ^ Pharr city, Texas . ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates, 2016, American FactFinder, accessed January 26, 2018
  9. ^ Household Income in Pharr, Texas . Household income overview on statisticalatlas.com, accessed January 26, 2018
  10. ^ Pharr city, Texas . Information on the website of the United States Census Bureau, accessed on January 26, 2018 (English)

Web links