College Station, Texas
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| City of College Station | |
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| Nickname: Aggieland | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Brazos |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Ben White |
| Area | |
| - City | 40.34 sq mi (64.84 km²) |
| - Land | 40.3 sq mi (64.91 km²) |
| - Water | .04 sq mi (.07 km²) |
| Elevation | 338 ft (103 m) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - City | 82,429 |
| - Density | 3,262.9/sq mi (1,259.8/km²) |
| - Metro | 192,603 |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 77840-77845 |
| Area code(s) | 979 |
| FIPS code | 48-15976[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1354786[2] |
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| Website: www.cstx.gov | |
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in Central Texas. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. The population estimate as of 2006 is 82,429.
College Station and Bryan together make up the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area, the sixteenth largest Metropolitan area in Texas with 203,371 people.
College Station is home to the main campus of Texas A&M University, one of the premier universities of Texas and the flagship institution of The Texas A&M University System. The city owes both its name and existence to the university's location along the railroad. Texas A&M's triple designation as a Land-, Sea-, and Space-Grant institution reflects the broad scope of the research endeavors it brings to the city, with ongoing projects funded by agencies such as NASA, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.
Due largely to the size of Texas A&M University, College Station was named by Money Magazine in 2006 as the most educated city in Texas, and the 11th most educated city in the United States.[3]
[edit] Law and government
The City of College Station was incorporated in 1938 and has been operated under a council-manager form of government. The council-manager form is the system of local government that combines strong political leadership, representative democracy through elected officials, and professional management. The form establishes a representative form of government by concentrating all power in the elected city council. The council hires a professionally trained and educated city manager to oversee the delivery of public services and the daily operations of the City. Council members are part time volunteers who serve as the policy making board for the City's government.
[edit] Historical events
- 1860: The Houston and Texas Central Railway built through the area.
- 1871: The site was chosen as the location for the proposed A&M College of Texas.
- 1876: The first public institution of higher education in Texas was opened, Texas A&M University.
- 1910: Electric Interurban service is established between Texas A&M College and Bryan, Texas
- 1910: Business district known as Northgate began development.
- 1920: The interurban was replaced by the city bus system.
- 1930: Community north of College Station (North Oakwood) incorporated with Bryan, Texas
- 1938: College Station is incorporated ( John H. Binney was the first mayor )
- 1939: A zoning commission was established for the city.
- 1940: Population reaches 2,184.
- 1942: Ernest Langford, called by some the "Father of College Station," was elected mayor, an office he held for the next twenty-six years.
- 1943: College Station moved to council-manager city government.
- 1965: The local IG&N line is abandoned.
- 1996: SH 47 built.
- 1997: George Bush Presidential Library opens in College Station
- 1999: Twelve are killed and 27 injured when a huge bonfire structure under construction at the Texas A&M University campus collapses. (See: Aggie Bonfire)
- 2006: SH 40 opened. (also named William Fitch parkway)
- 2006:Population estimate puts College Station at 250,000+ by 2025.
[edit] Geography and climate
College Station is located at (30.601433, -96.314464)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.3 square miles (104.4 km²), of which 40.3 sq mi (104.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04 sq mi (0.1 km²) of it (0.10%) is water.
Area Lakes cover 180,000 acres (730 km²) and include Somerville Lake, Lake Conroe, Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Lake Limestone, Lake Bryan and many others.
The local climate is subtropical and temperate and winters are mild with periods of low temperatures usually lasting less than two months. Snow and ice are extremely rare. Summers are warm and hot with occasional showers being the only real variation in weather.
- Average annual rainfall: 39 inches (1000 mm)
- Average elevation: 367 feet (112 m) above sea level
- Average Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C)
- Agricultural Resources: Cattle, corn, cotton, eggs, hay, sorghum
- Mineral Resources: Sand, gravel, lignite, gas, oil
| Weather averages for College Station, Texas | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 86 (30) | 99 (37) | 84 (29) | 94 (34) | 100 (38) | 104 (40) | 109 (43) | 108 (42) | 106 (41) | 98 (37) | 89 (32) | 86 (30) | 109 (43) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 61 (16) | 66 (19) | 73 (23) | 79 (26) | 85 (29) | 92 (33) | 96 (36) | 96 (36) | 91 (33) | 82 (28) | 71 (22) | 63 (17) | 80 (27) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 40 (4) | 44 (7) | 50 (10) | 57 (14) | 65 (18) | 72 (22) | 74 (23) | 73 (23) | 69 (21) | 59 (15) | 49 (9) | 42 (6) | 63 (17) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 7 (-14) | 14 (-10) | 17 (-8) | 28 (-2) | 42 (6) | 53 (12) | 58 (14) | 60 (16) | 44 (7) | 29 (-2) | 19 (-7) | 2 (-17) | 2 (-17) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 3.32 (84.3) | 2.38 (60.5) | 2.84 (72.1) | 3.20 (81.3) | 5.05 (128.3) | 3.79 (96.3) | 1.92 (48.8) | 2.63 (66.8) | 3.91 (99.3) | 4.22 (107.2) | 3.18 (80.8) | 3.23 (82) | 39.67 (1,007.6) |
| Source: weather.com [5] 2008-01-10 | |||||||||||||
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 67,890 people, 24,691 households, and 10,370 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,686.5/sq mi (651.1/km²). There were 26,054 housing units at an average density of 647.2/sq mi (249.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.53% White, 5.45% African American, 0.30% Native American, 7.29% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 4.47% from other races, and 1.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any ethnicity/nationality were 9.96% of the population.
There were 24,691 households out of which 21.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.2% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 58.0% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 14.4% under the age of 18, 51.2% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 9.4% from 45 to 64, and 3.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $21,180, and the median income for a family was $53,147. Males had a median income of $38,216 versus $26,592 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,170. About 15.4% of families and 37.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Districts
[edit] Northgate
- A mixed use district just north of Texas A&M University and what some may call the original downtown of College Station. Northgate is a vibrant part of the city and is known for its live music scene and mix of restaurants and bars.
[edit] Wolf Pen Creek District
- A high quality commercial development located adjacent to Post Oak Mall and between the city's two main commercial thoroughfares, Earl Rudder Freeway and Texas Avenue. The area consists of an elaborate greenway with trails, a $1.5 million amphitheater and entertainment area, a small lake, The Arctic Wolf Ice Skating Complex and is home to the Arts Council of the Brazos Valley.
[edit] Business parks
- Business Center at College Station
- A 200 acre (800,000 m²), Class "A" Business Center just five miles (8 km) from the University. Current residents include firms involved in telecommunications, software development and technology manufacturing.
- Spring Creek Corporate Campus
- A 100 acre (400,000 m²), Class "A" Business Center just minutes from the University. A green-belt surrounds most of the Campus will provide a buffer between the new development and adjacent land uses which include the Pebble Creek Country Club and Woodland Hills Subdivision.
- Texas A&M University Research Park
- This 324 acre (1.3 km²) Research Park was established to provide businesses direct partnering opportunities with Texas A&M University. Several companies and non-profit research interests have located in the park including Hewlett Packard, Schlumberger, Lynntech, AdventGX, the Institute of Food Science and Engineering, the Electron Beam Food Research Facility and the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program to name just a few.
- Crescent Pointe
- Crescent Pointe is a master planned, mixed-use development made up of approximately 192 acres (777,000 m²). The development has frontage on University Drive (Highway 60) and Harvey Road (Highway 30).
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Mass transit
- The District (formerly Brazos Valley Transit Authority) provides public bus transportation in the Bryan/College Station area.
- Texas A&M Transportation Services provides bus transportation throughout College Station and Bryan for students, faculty, and staff of Texas A&M University. On Texas A&M football game days, the department provides additional park-and-ride service to and from Kyle Field.
[edit] Airports
[edit] Regional
- Easterwood Airport (CLL) is located in the north-western part of College Station, on the Texas A&M University campus. Easterwood provides multiple scheduled flights daily to Dallas and Houston.
- Coulter Field (CFD) is located in east Bryan and is owned by the city of Bryan.
[edit] International
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is located in the northern part of Houston, Texas, less than 1.5 hours from College Station off Interstate 45.
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is located in the southern part of Austin, Texas, less than 2 hours from College Station off Interstate 35.
[edit] Major roads
- State Highway 6: Earl Rudder Freeway (East Bypass)
- State Highway 6 Business: Texas Avenue South
- State Highway 30: Harvey Road
- State Highway 40: William D. Fitch Parkway
- State Highway 47
- State Highway 308: College Avenue
- Farm to Market Road 60: University Drive / Raymond Stotzer Parkway
- Farm to Market Road 2154: Wellborn Road
- Farm to Market Road 2347: George Bush Drive
- Farm to Market Road 2818: Harvey Mitchell Parkway (West Bypass)
[edit] Railroads
- Union Pacific Rail line: Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)
[edit] Economy
- Local unemployment hovers under two percent, among the lowest in the nation. This is driven in large part by the significant role the university plays in the local economy. People rarely move to College Station unless they already have an offer of employment; those without employment either depart for other cities, or exit the job-seeking market. The rate of underemployment, particularly of spouses of university faculty and hospital employees, is a significant problem the city currently faces.[citation needed]
- There is also a mall called Post Oak Mall.
[edit] List of major employers
- Texas A&M University System - Educational - 12,000
- St. Joseph Health System - Healthcare - 2,400
- Sanderson Farms - Poultry processing - 1,696
- College Station Independent School District - Educational - 1,100
- Reynolds & Reynolds (formerly UCS)/Rentsys - Computer - 850
- City of College Station - Government - 800
- West Corporation - Call Center - 800
[edit] Sports facilities
- Football: Kyle Field (Largest Crowd: 88,253)
- Racing: Texas World Speedway (Capacity 23,000)
- Basketball: Reed Arena (Largest Crowd: 13,151)
- Baseball: Olsen Field (Largest Crowd: 11,052)
- Volleyball: G. Rollie White Coliseum (Largest Crowd: 8,608)
- Soccer: Aggie Soccer Stadium (Largest Crowd: 8,204)
- Track and Field: Anderson Track and Field Complex (Capacity: 3,500)
- Tennis: George P. Mitchell Tennis Center (Largest Crowd: 2,339)
- Softball: Aggie Softball Complex (Largest Crowd: 2,341)
- Hockey: The Arctic Wolf Ice Center (Capacity: 500)
- Golf: Texas A&M Traditions Club
[edit] Media and journalism
[edit] Television stations
Local channels are KBTX, ABC40, and FOX28
[edit] Radio stations
College Station is part of the Bryan-College Station Arbitron market #238.
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[edit] Area newspapers
- The Bryan/College Station Eagle (City newspaper)
- The Battalion (Texas A&M University newspaper)
- Maroon Weekly (Student-run independent newspaper)
- The Touchstone (Left/Progressive, Alt/Indy newspaper)
[edit] Area magazines
- 12th Man Magazine
- Aggieland Illustrated
- Insite Magazine
- AgriLeader Magazine
[edit] Education
- See also: Bryan, Texas#Education
[edit] Area colleges and universities
- Texas A&M University (approximately 46,000 students)
[edit] Area school districts
[edit] Tallest buildings
- Buildings with 7 or more floors
- Plaza Hotel: 17 floors
- Kyle Field: 180 feet (55 m)
- Oceanography & Meteorology Building: 15 floors
- Albritton Bell Tower: 138 feet (42 m)
- Rudder Tower: 12 floors
- College Station Hilton: 11 floors
- Adam Corporation Building (formally First American Bank Headquarters): 11 floors (under construction)
- College Station Conference Center and Marriott Hotel: 10 floors (planned construction)
- Richardson Petroleum Engineering: 10 floors
- CE/Texas Transportation Institute: 8 floors
- Regents Building: 8 floors
- Brown Engineering: 7 floors
- Harrington: 7 floors
- Bright Building: 7 floors
- McFerrin Indoor Athletic Practice Facility: 80 feet (24 m)
[edit] Surrounding cities
[edit] Nearest cities
- Cities within 30 miles (50 km)
- Bryan, Texas 5.7 miles (9 km)
- Wixon Valley, Texas 11.1 miles (18 km)
- Snook, Texas 13.2 miles (21 km)
- Navasota, Texas 21.5 miles (35 km)
- Somerville, Texas 23.1 miles (37 km)
- Anderson, Texas 23.8 miles (38 km)
- Caldwell, Texas 27.0 miles (43 km)
- Hearne, Texas 27.2 miles (44 km)
[edit] Nearest major cities
- Cities with population over 500,000 within 200 miles (300 km)
- Houston, Texas 95.1 miles (152 km) (Population: 1,953,631, Metro Population: 4,986,399)
- Austin, Texas 107.7 miles (173 km) (Population: 656,562)
- San Antonio, Texas 169 miles (267 km) (Population: 1,144,646)
- Fort Worth, Texas 173 miles (278 km) (Population: 534,694, Metro Population: 5,222,000)
- Dallas, Texas 187 miles (268 km) (Population: 1,188,580, Metro Population: 5,222,000)
[edit] Notable residents
- See also: List of Texas A&M University people
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
The following people have lived or are currently living in College Station:
- Matthew Berry — ESPN fantasy analyst
- David Bereit — Anti-abortion activist
- J.H. Galloway — vice president of Exxon Oil Corporation
- Ross King — worship leader
- Patrick Zurek — Bishop of Amarillo, founding pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish
- R.C. Slocum — Former Texas A&M University head football coach (1989 - 2002)
[edit] Points of interest
[edit] Sister cities
Greifswald, Germany
Kazan, Russia
Zuazua, Mexico
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Top 25 most educated cities", Money Magazine, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Monthly Averages for College Station, TX. Retrieved on Jan 10, 2008.
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Bryan-College Station Visitors & Convention Bureau
- Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce
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