Monahans, Texas
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| Monahans, Texas | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| Counties | Ward, Winkler |
| Area | |
| - Total | 24.8 sq mi (64.3 km²) |
| - Land | 24.8 sq mi (64.3 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation | 2,621 ft (799 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 6,821 |
| - Density | 274.9/sq mi (106.2/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 79756 |
| Area code(s) | 915 |
| FIPS code | 48-48936[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1363045[2] |
Monahans is a city in Ward County in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 6,821 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ward County.[3]
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[edit] Geography
Monahans is located at (31.589605, -102.908272)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.8 square miles (64.3 km²), of which, 24.8 square miles (64.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04% is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 6,821 people, 2,496 households, and 1,837 families residing in the city. The population density was 274.9 people per square mile (106.2/km²). There were 3,015 housing units at an average density of 121.5/sq mi (46.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.30% White, 5.16% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 12.51% from other races, and 2.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 43.66% of the population.
There were 2,496 households out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,349, and the median income for a family was $36,726. Males had a median income of $31,307 versus $18,086 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,100. About 14.7% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
The Permian Basin, home to Monahans and Midland/Odessa MSA, is 250 miles wide and 300 miles long - Monahans is "The Center of the Permian Basin". This area was formed during the Permian Period, the final portion of the Paleozoic Era. At the time, it was an abundant ocean filled with aquatic life. After this ocean dried up, the decaying plants and animals formed the gigantic pools of oil and gas the area is now known for.
In 1583, a Spanish explorer named Antonio de Espejo crossed this area on his way through present-day New Mexico. The Indians in the Monahans region were called "Vaqueros" by these Spanish explorers because they hunted the "hump-backed cow" or bison. Records of Spanish exploring the Los Medano (the sand dunes) outside Monahans can be traced to the early 1770s.
Located in a region where native Comanches, Mescalero, and Lipan Apache Indians once roamed, Monahans' history as a community extends back to the late 1880s with the expansion of the Texas and Pacific Railway across the south plains. For the few people living in West Texas, the building of a transcontinental railroad through the area meant the arrival of civilization. In the summer of 1881, Texas and Pacific Railroad contracted with surveyor John Thomas Monahan, who discovered that the lack of water for the laying crew and their animals would slow down construction of the rail. Monahans' digging of a water well produced an abundance of good water (250,000 gallons a day) and was instrumental in the success of the city. Prior to this solution, water had to be hauled from the area of Big Spring, Texas.
The availability of cheap land encouraged settlers to form a small community on the track known as Monahans Well. However, when oil was discovered in the area in 1926, the destiny of the community changed directions. Oil discovery brought people of many occupations and of varied interests to Monahans. The local economy began to change from an agricultural to an industrial economy,
[edit] Miscellany
Monahans is the home of the Million Barrel Oil Tank. Shell Oil Co. constructed the tank in 1928 to hold crude oil waiting to be shipped. However, because of leakage and evaporation, the tank was not effective and was dismantled during the 1930s. It is now home of the Million Barrel Museum. Mules hauled wood and cement to the site and the men worked around the clock for 90 days to construct the huge vessel in 1928. That was when oil first was discovered in West Texas and was flowing about 500 barrels daily. One may visit the Million Barrel Oil Museum daily and learn more about the history of Monahans.
Thousands of tourists each year visit Sandhills State Park in Monahans. Sand surfing and sand football games can be seen between March and November. Sandhills State Park is also host to many family picnics and youth activities. In June, the park is the site for weddings. Many people visit the Sandhills at night to inquire about the "Lady of Oil" legend.
"Monahans" is the name of an Application Processor(PXA 32x) that Intel developed and later sold to Marvell.
[edit] Notable persons
- Monahans is the hometown of legendary songwriter Guy Clark. The city is mentioned on a number of his songs as well as in his 1997 live album "Keepers" during a musical interlude.
- Kathy Whitworth (born September 27, 1939, in Monahans, Texas) is a professional golfer. Throughout her career she won 88 Ladies Professional Golfers Association tournaments, more than anyone else has won on either the LPGA Tour or the PGA Tour. In 1981, she became the first woman to reach career earnings of $1 million on the LPGA Tour. She began playing golf at the age of fifteen and became a professional player at nineteen, having joined the LPGA in December 1958. In 1962, she won her first tournament, the Kelly Girl Open. She was LPGA Player of the Year seven times between 1966 and 1973, having entered the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1975.
- Danny Mason (1938-2007), the golf coach (1969-1980) and physical education professor at Texas Tech University, was born in Monahans and graduated from Monahans High School in 1956.
[edit] School System
The Monahans-Wickett-Pyote Independent School District is home to some very talented students.
The high school's football team (Monahans Loboes) last state championship was a 1948 victory over New Braunfels. They also made it to the 3A semifinals in 1998. In 2005 they returned to the 3A quarter-finals but lost to the Sweetwater Mustangs.
The Big Green Band (Monahans High School's Band) were runners up in the 1998 3A UIL State Marching Contest, and later that year they also won the 1998 3A UIL State Honor Band. The band recently went back to the state marching contest in 2004, and received its 40th first division rating in 2005.
The high school's volleyball team (Monahans Lady Loboes) won the 3A State Championship in 2004 and returned to the finals in 2005, but they lost to Belville in the last game to qualify as the 2005 state runner-up. They returned to the 3A State Championship in 2007, but came up short to Wimberley in five games, making them the 2007 3A State Runner-Up.
[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
- Monahans, Texas is at coordinates Coordinates:
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