Crystal City, Texas
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| Crystal City, Texas | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Zavala |
| Area | |
| - Total | 3.6 sq mi (9.4 km²) |
| - Land | 3.6 sq mi (9.4 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation | 558 ft (170 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 7,190 |
| - Density | 1,974.1/sq mi (762.2/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 78839 |
| Area code(s) | 830 |
| FIPS code | 48-18020[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1355449[2] |
Crystal City is a city in Zavala County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,190 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Zavala County[3]. The mascot of Crystal City High School is the Javelina.
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[edit] History
Originally settled by American farmers and ranchers producing cattle and various crops, eventually spinach became a dominant industry and by March 26, 1937, spinach growers erected a statue of the cartoon character Popeye in the town because his reliance on spinach for strength led to greater popularity for the vegetable which had become a staple of the local economy. See the Popeye statue web entry.
During World War II, Crystal City was home to the largest alien internment camp housing American civilians of German and Japanese and to a lesser extent Italian ancestry, as well as enemy aliens of similar backgrounds. However most internees were South American citizens of German, Italian and mainly Japanese descent.
Starting with a stream of refugees fleeing the Mexican Civil Wars and later added to by Mexican migrant workers lured by the local spinach industry the demographics of the small rural city began to shift over the years since it's 1910 incorporation due to it's natural location close to the U.S./Mexico border. By 1963 Crystal City, Texas experienced a tumultuous Mexican-American electoral victory, as the swiftly emerging Mexican-American majority elected fellow Mexican-Americans to the city council, led by Juan Cornejo, a local representative of the Teamsters Union at the Del Monte cannery in Crystal City. The newly elected all-Mexican-American city council and the succeeding administration had trouble governing the city because of political factions among the new officials. Cornejo was selected mayor from among the five new council members, but eventually his apparent quest for total control of city government led to his loss of support. Although these five elected officials known as "Los Cinco" only held office for two years, many consider this "spark" the starting point of what became known as the Chicano Movement. See the Crystal City Revolts History Entry. A new group made up of both Caucasians and Mexican-Americans, the Citizens Association Serving All Americans, announced its plans to run candidates for countywide offices in 1964 and won.
In the late 1960s, Crystal City, Texas would become the location of continued civil rights activism among its Mexican-American majority population and the birthplace of the third party political movement known as La Raza Unida Party founded by three Chicanos including José Angel Gutiérrez over a conflict about the ethnicity of cheerleaders at Crystal City High School. 200 Mexican-American students went out on strike with their parents' support. La Raza Unida and related organizations won election to most offices in Crystal City and Zavala County, Texas in the period between 1969 and 1980 when the party declined at the local level. See the Handbook of Texas History Entry
In the 1970s, following protests of charges (thus non-payment) on the part of La Raza Unida, Crystal City's natural gas supply was shut off by the supplier and Crystal City residents shifted to mostly wood burning stoves and individual propane gas tanks. To this day there is no natural gas in Crystal City, although most residents purchase propane from the city.
Early in its history the area known as the "Winter Garden District" was deemed the "Spinach Capital of the World." The first Spinach Festival was held in 1936. It was put on hold during World War II and later years. The Festival was resumed in 1982. The Spinach Festival is held to this day on the second weekend in November and draws former residents (many of them former migrant farm workers) from Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, Washington State and beyond.
Tomas Rivera, noted author, poet and educator hailed from Crystal City and is buried at the Benito Juarez Cemetery. He and Gutierrez as well as the city's founding Wagner and Bookout families (the Bookouts also responsible for the cannery which eventually sold to Del Monte) are the city's most famous and notable former residents along with Popeye.
[edit] Geography
Crystal City (Zavala County) is located at (28.684412, -99.827851)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.4 km²), all of it land. Major bodies of water near Crystal City include the Nueces River and Averhoff Reservoir.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 7,190 people, 2,183 households, and 1,781 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,974.1 people per square mile (762.7/km²). There were 2,500 housing units at an average density of 686.4/sq mi (265.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.96% White, 0.67% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 28.33% from other races, and 2.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 94.97% of the population.
There were 2,183 households out of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 25.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.25 and the average family size was 3.67.
In the city the population was spread out with 34.9% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $15,400, and the median income for a family was $17,555. Males had a median income of $22,217 versus $14,591 for females. The per capita income for the city was $8,899. About 39.8% of families and 44.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 51.3% of those under age 18 and 43.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
Crystal City is served by the Crystal City Independent School District.
[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.
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
Crystal City Internment Camp
- Handbook of Texas online entry on WWII internment camps in Texas.
- Resolution by State Representative Tracy King, regarding the facts of internment and national reunion for Crystal City families.
- Aerial and other photographs showing civilian families and cenotaph of Crystal City Internment Camp.
- German-American Internee Coalition section on Crystal City
- Houston Star Bulletin story on Crystal City, written by descendant of internees
- Crystal City, Texas is at coordinates Coordinates:
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