De Leon, Texas

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Coordinates: 32°6′35″N 98°32′19″W / 32.10972, -98.53861
De Leon, Texas
Location of De Leon, Texas

Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Comanche
Area
- Total	2.1 sq mi (5.4 km²)
- Land	2.1 sq mi (5.4 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	1,280 ft (390 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	2,433
- Density	1,175.1/sq mi (453.7/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	76444
Area code(s)	254
FIPS code	48-19672^[1]
GNIS feature ID	1334129^[2]

De Leon is a city in Comanche County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,433 at the 2000 census.

The town was laid out in April 1881 by surveying crews of the Texas Central Railway as it constructed a line from Ross just north of Waco, Texas to an undecided destination in Eastland County, Texas with the ultimate goal of extending the line to Colorado. The first city lots were auctioned on July 7, 1881 by Robert Morris Elgin, the Texas Central's Land Agent and for whom the town of Elgin, Texas had been named.

Initially incorporated by an election held on August 30, 1890, the town government appears to have dwindled over the years and the community was reincorporated in an election held August 29, 1899. The first mayor elected under the new incorporation was former Comanche County Judge John Lambert who took office in April 1900.

The population of De Leon remained under 1,000 until 1910 when a branch line of the Texas Central, then leased by the MKT, was extended from De Leon to Rising Star and Cross Plains. De Leon then became the center point for the Texas Central between Waco and Albany, Texas, thereby relocating numerous railroad crew members and their families to the city. The census early that year showed 1,015 citizens.

On Labor Day night 1918, oil was discovered north of De Leon just inside the Comanche County line near Desdemona. During the next two years nearly a thousand wells were drilled in the area and the population of De Leon rose to an estimated 5,000 plus people. But the boom was shortlived, and by the time of the actual cenus taken in 1920, the population was only 3,302. Since World War II De Leon's population has stabilized at around 2,500.

Ranching dominated Comanche County until the coming of the Texas Central in 1881. Cotton soon became the primary crop as immigrants from the southern states and in particular the area around Oxford and Pontotoc, Mississippi came to the De Leon vacinity starting in 1890. When the boll weevil began to make inroads to the area after 1910, farmers just west of town began to plant the small Spanish peanut. That quickly became the dominate crop and in 1913, the De Leon Peanut Company was organized. Over time, De Leon and Comanche County became the leading peanut producing county in the U.S. Coupled with production around the neighboring community of Gorman in Eastland County most of the peanuts went into candy, particularly Curtis Candies' Baby Ruth and Butterfinger candy bars. Nabisco eventually purchased the De Leon Peanut Company. In the last two decades peanut production has dropped dramatically.

De Leon boast one of the oldest festivals in Texas, the De Leon Peach and Melon Festival which had its beginnings in 1914. Celebrated during the first full week in August, it features a free melon slicing, dances, and the Melon Patch Bicycle Tour--"a peach of a ride"--that draws about a thousand riders that travel the backroads of the area. The current watermelon seed spitting distance record as recongnized by the Guiness Book of World Records of 78 feet 6 inches was set at the festival on August 12, 1995 by Jason Schaynot then of Georgetown, Texas. Schaynot is a decendent of two long time De Leon families.

Among De Leon's unique events is the only paid appearance by Elvis Presley in which he sang only gospel music. It occurred at Hodges Park on July 4, 1955 when he followed his friends, the Blackwood Brothers at the Battle of Songs show. The Blackwoods had lost family members in a plane crash in Alabama the previous year just prior to a scheduled appearance in De Leon and had remembered them in a performance immediately preceeding Elvis' performance. Elvis followed with more gospel music. It was one of three appearances Elvis made that day for promoter W.B. Nowlin, then Mayor of De Leon. The other two were in Stephenville and Brownwood, Texas.

Included among De Leon's most distinguished citizens are former Texas Speaker of the House and later Lt. Governor Ben Barnes and 1955 Pulitizer Prize winner William White who wrote "The Taft Story" about presidential candidate Robert Taft. Robert Lee Moore, composer and singer of "Don't Let the Stars Get In Your Eyes" was raised just north of De Leon. He is better known under his stage name of Slim Willet.

Buried in the De Leon Cemetery is Cyrus Campbell, an early resident who as a blacksmith made the leg irons placed on Santa Anna following his capture at the battle of San Jacinto. Campbell's family tradition is that he and his three brothers were the men who actually captured Santa Anna the day following the battle.

The town motto of "Busiest Town, Friendliest People" is a reminder of the slower paced lifestyle still available in a few communities in this country.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Education
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Geography

De Leon is located at 32°6′35″N, 98°32′19″W (32.109746, -98.538488)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), all of it land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 2,433 people, 949 households, and 605 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,175.1 people per square mile (453.8/km²). There were 1,127 housing units at an average density of 544.3/sq mi (210.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.72% White, 0.12% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 10.69% from other races, and 2.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.54% of the population.

There were 949 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $19,563, and the median income for a family was $29,167. Males had a median income of $25,802 versus $19,583 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,451. About 23.4% of families and 25.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.1% of those under age 18 and 20.1% of those age 65 or over.