Joshua, Texas
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| Joshua, Texas | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Johnson |
| Area | |
| - Total | 6.5 sq mi (16.9 km²) |
| - Land | 6.5 sq mi (16.9 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation | 928 ft (283 m) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 5,574 |
| - Density | 857.5/sq mi (329.8/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 76058 |
| Area code(s) | 817 |
| FIPS code | 48-38080[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1338888[2] |
Joshua is a city in Johnson County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,574 as of 2006.
The proper pronunciation of the city is for the last syllable to have an "uh" sound, as opposed to a "aye". This fact is disputed by local elderly who refuse such pronunciation.
William Leech West, a Confederate veteran born in Alabama, but thereafter from Mississippi, brought his family to Texas during Reconstruction. He owned a large farm to the east of the town of Caddo Grove, along the Chisholm Trail. Family legend says that upon arriving in Texas, he temporarily left his wife and children safely in the wagon yards in Fort Worth and rode a horse south. His intent was to find an area where there were no fences. He journeyed for several days until he found the area he liked near the geographic feature of Caddo Peak in Johnson County.
W.L. West owned and operated a grocery store and post office in Caddo Grove until the railroad bypassed the small community. Along with the rest of the businessmen of Caddo Grove, he moved the entire building housing his store into Joshua when the railroad came. This building, with its actual dimensional lumber was later dismantled in the 1940s and the salvaged wood used for an addition to his son Samuel A. West's house on Main Street in Joshua. The original house on the old West farm burned in the 1930s. The Wests donated a large portion of the land for the Caddo Grove Cemetery. He, his wife, and many of his descendants are buried in this cemetery in a large plot near the center of the cemetery. A portion of the original homestead land is still owned by two of his grandchildren today. Caddo Grove is now just a memory. Only the cemetery remains, although a new elementary school named Caddo Grove was recently built. Family members suggested the name "Samuel Abe West" for the new school. Many of the West descendants live in the Joshua area to this day.
W.L. West's son Samuel Abe West, Sr., was a prominent citizen of Joshua for ninety-three years. He was an Army veteran of World War I, although he had a difficult time gaining acceptance for enlistment as a result of a childhood injury. While crossing the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad tracks under a stopped train, the train moved and pinched a portion of his upper arm. Due to this injury and the lack of a biceps muscle, he was finally allowed to enlist in the Finance Corps. He served at Camp Travis, which is now in the location of the parade fields at Fort Sam Houson, Texas. He ended his enlistment never serving overseas. S.A. West was mustered out as a Sergeant First Class paymaster. He was born in cabin on the West homestead in 188*. and worked in various banking operations for relatives. Later he owned the grocery store on Main Street in Joshua (where the private detective agency is located now). He was known to lend people money and food during hard times, especially the Depression. When he finally closed down the store in the early 1970s, the son and daughter found numerous unpaid IOUs. He was also a town alderman during the 1950s, a member of the First United Methodist Church and a member of the Masonic Lodge. He was also known to be among the very few Republicans in Johnson County.
Joshua is the home base of the evangelist and nutritionist J.C. House [1].
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[edit] Geography
Joshua is located at (32.455198, -97.393622)[3].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.5 square miles (16.9 km²), of which, 6.5 square miles (16.9 km²) of it is land and 0.15% is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 4,528 people, 1,610 households, and 1,252 families residing in the city. The population density was 695.3 people per square mile (268.6/km²). There were 1,723 housing units at an average density of 264.6/sq mi (102.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.46% White, 0.27% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 2.85% from other races, and 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.91% of the population.
There were 1,610 households out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.6% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,431, and the median income for a family was $50,785. Males had a median income of $36,686 versus $23,674 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,363. About 3.9% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
The City of Joshua is served by the Joshua 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.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Joshua, Texas is at coordinates Coordinates:
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