Victoria (Texas)
| Victoria | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Victoria County Courthouse |
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| Location in Texas | |||
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| Basic data | |||
| Foundation : | 1909 | ||
| State : | United States | ||
| State : | Texas | ||
| County : | Victoria County | ||
| Coordinates : | 28 ° 49 ′ N , 97 ° 0 ′ W | ||
| Time zone : | Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 ) | ||
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Inhabitants : - Metropolitan Area : |
62,592 (as of 2010) 99,984 (as of 2016) |
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| Population density : | 729.5 inhabitants per km 2 | ||
| Area : | 85.9 km 2 (approx. 33 mi 2 ) of which 85.8 km 2 (approx. 33 mi 2 ) is land |
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| Height : | 29 m | ||
| Postcodes : | 77901-77905 | ||
| Area code : | +1 361 | ||
| FIPS : | 48-75428 | ||
| GNIS ID : | 1370631 | ||
| Website : | www.victoriatx.org | ||
| Mayor : | Richard Deases | ||
Victoria is a city in Victoria County in the US state of Texas in the United States. It is the location of the University of Houston-Victoria and Victoria College , a community college . Victoria is also the seat of the county seat of Victoria County.
The city was named after General Guadalupe Victoria , the first president of independent Mexico .
geography
Victoria is 28 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico and a two hour drive from the cities of Corpus Christi , Houston , San Antonio and Austin . With its location in the middle of these major cities, the city serves as a regional center for seven counties .
history
On April 8, 1824, Don Martin De León applied to the provincial council to settle 41 Mexican families and founded the city of Nuestra Señora Guadalupe de Jesús Victoria . Approval was granted on April 13th. His wife Patricia De León contributed $ 9,800, cows, horses and mules that she inherited from her father. The city was the only predominantly Mexican colony in Texas and, as a Mexican citizen, De Leon received legal privilege several times in the numerous border disputes with the American settlements that enclosed Guadalupe Victoria.
In 1829 he received a second contract to settle 150 more families and founded the city of Victoria. Victoria was incorporated under the Republic of Texas in 1839 and is the second oldest incorporated city in Texas.
The city served as the capital of the Provisional Government of the Republic of the Rio Grande for a brief period in 1840 .
| growth of population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Residents | ± in% | |
| 1850 | 1440 | - | |
| 1870 | 2500 | - | |
| 1890 | 3046 | - | |
| 1900 | 4010 | 31.6% | |
| 1910 | 3673 | -8.4% | |
| 1920 | 5957 | 62.2% | |
| 1930 | 7421 | 24.6% | |
| 1940 | 11,566 | 55.9% | |
| 1950 | 16,126 | 39.4% | |
| 1960 | 33,047 | 104.9% | |
| 1970 | 41,349 | 25.1% | |
| 1980 | 50,695 | 22.6% | |
| 1990 | 55,076 | 8.6% | |
| 2000 | 60,603 | 10% | |
| 2010 | 62,592 | 3.3% | |
| 1850-2000, 2010 | |||
Victoria received international attention on May 14, 2003 when 19 illegal immigrants died while being smuggled into the United States. 74 illegal immigrants were to be driven in a trailer from the Mexican-American border to Houston. Lack of ventilation resulted in dehydration and heat damage . Truck driver Tyrone Williams was pulled over by motorists a few minutes south of Victoria because they could see people in the trailer signaling help needed. The driver stopped at a gas station, detached the trailer and drove off, leaving the immigrants inside. 17 died in the trailer and two more later died in the nearby hospital.
Demographics
According to the United States Census 2000 , 55,245 residents lived in 22,220 households. The population was composed of 93.35% white, 1.73% Asian and 1.22% black. Hispanics or Latinos made up 5.33% of the population. The per capita income was $ 23,877 and 5.4% of the population was below the poverty line .
religion
Victoria is the seat of the Diocese of Victoria in Texas .
traffic
Known as the South Texas Crossroads , Victoria is located at the intersection of three major highways :
- The US Highway 59 (future Interstate 69 ) leads southwest to Laredo and north-east to Houston, where he on the Interstate 10 and 45 meet. It is also known as the Lloyd M. Bentsen Highway .
- The US Highway 77 runs north of Dallas and Fort Worth , where he on the Interstate 35 and 37 meet, and to the south into the Rio Grande Valley .
- The US Highway 87 leads northwest to San Antonio and the Interstate 35 and southeast of Port Lavaca .
Victoria Regional Airport is also located in Victoria .
Town twinning
Victoria is twinned with the Spanish city of Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Basque Country .
sons and daughters of the town
- Edward F. Knipling (1909-2000), entomologist
- Frankie Miller (born 1931), country musician
- Matt Prokop (born 1990), actor
- Cowboy Troy (* 1970), real name Troy Coleman, country rapper
Individual evidence
- ↑ Texas Transportation Commission, Texas State Travel Guide, 2008 , p. 72
- ↑ Texas Almanac (PDF; 1.2 MB). Retrieved October 4, 2012
- ↑ US Census ( Memento of the original from May 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved October 16, 2012
- ↑ Vitoria-Gasteiz website
