| Flatonia, Texas | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
| Location of Flatonia, Texas | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Fayette |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.6 sq mi (4.2 km2) |
| • Land | 1.6 sq mi (4.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 456 ft (139 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 1,377 |
| • Density | 850.8/sq mi (328.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 78941 |
| Area code(s) | 361 |
| FIPS code | 48-26028[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1335937[2] |
Flatonia is a town in southwestern Fayette County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 10 and the Southern Pacific Railroad, twelve miles west of Schulenburg.[3] The population was 1,377 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated in 1875 and is known for its German and Eastern European heritage and the local "Czhilispiel" festival; the festival, named after Czech people who like to eat chili, receives visitors from a large area in Central Texas.[3]
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Flatonia opened on April 8, 1874 on land that the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway acquired from William Alexander Faries (the family name is also spelled Ferris and Farris). The community, originally made up of Anglo American settlers, was named after F. W. Flato. Residents placed their homes in the former Flatonia settlement, one mile southeast of the current Flatonia, and Oso, Texas, three miles northeast, on wagons and moved to the new location. The post office, established in the former Flatonia in 1870, moved to the new Flatonia with the same name. Flatonia incorporated on November 10, 1875 and held its first election on December 6 of that year. In 1878 the town had 800 residents and an economy dependent on cattle and cotton.[3]
The location of the railway and inexpensive real estate led to the arrival of Arab, Bohemian, German, Greek, and Italian immigrants in several waves. The north-south line of the Waco branch of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway opened in the mid-1880s, leading to new settlements of Muldoon and Moulton. Competition from the settlements, respectively north and south of Flatonia, and an agricultural depression damaged Flatonia's economy. By 1900 Flatonia had a significant population decrease.[3]
During the first half of the 20th century Flatonia's prospects increased and decreased according to the national economy and cattle and cotton markets. In 1950 Flatonia had 1,024 residents, 50 businesses, and a wide farm and ranch service area. In the 1960s cotton no longer was a substantial aspect of the area economy; therefore many area farms began to ranch cattle. During that time the population was between 1,000 and 1,500. Interstate 10 (I-10) opened in the 1970s, leading many tourist businesses to move from U.S. Highway 90 to I-10, one mile north of Highway 90. In 1985 Flatonia had six businesses. In 1990 Flatonia had 1,295 residents.[3]
Flatonia is located at (29.686981, -97.107728)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2), of which, 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (1.22%) is water.
Flatonia is the 2nd coldest city in Fayette County, and Carmine, Texas is colder. It has hot, dry summer and mild, wet winters. Summers range in the 90s with a few days in July and August reaching 100. Winters are chilly but rarely reach below freezing in the middle of winter. It ranges from the 50s and 40s with lows of 30s. Snow is rare, but can happen in Flatonia.
| Climate data for Muldoon, Texas USA | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 86 (30) |
92 (33) |
98 (37) |
99 (37) |
99 (37) |
100 (38) |
102 (39) |
108 (42) |
104 (40) |
100 (38) |
91 (33) |
87 (31) |
107 (42) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 58 (14) |
64 (18) |
69 (21) |
74 (23) |
79 (26) |
84 (29) |
92 (33) |
96 (36) |
91 (33) |
85 (29) |
74 (23) |
62 (17) |
95 (35) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 40 (4) |
46 (8) |
57 (14) |
65 (18) |
70 (21) |
72 (22) |
77 (25) |
79 (26) |
72 (22) |
64 (18) |
56 (13) |
32 (0) |
59 (15) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 4 (−16) |
12 (−11) |
14 (−10) |
30 (−1) |
43 (6) |
50 (10) |
59 (15) |
54 (12) |
47 (8) |
22 (−6) |
10 (−12) |
3 (−16) |
3 (−16) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 1.71 (43.4) |
2.65 (67.3) |
5.51 (140) |
6.2 (157) |
5.38 (136.7) |
1.46 (37.1) |
0.84 (21.3) |
0.68 (17.3) |
1.83 (46.5) |
6.22 (158) |
3.10 (78.7) |
9.60 (243.8) |
57.59 (1,462.8) |
| Source: weather.com[5] | |||||||||||||
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1,377 people, 504 households, and 347 families residing in the town. The population density was 850.8 people per square mile (328.2/km²). There were 568 housing units at an average density of 350.9 per square mile (135.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 74.07% White, 7.48% African American, 0.94% Native American, 16.85% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 36.17% of the population.
There were 504 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $27,000, and the median income for a family was $31,471. Males had a median income of $23,700 versus $16,429 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,329. About 18.9% of families and 23.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.4% of those under age 18 and 27.4% of those age 65 or over.
The Town of Flatonia is served by the Flatonia Independent School District.
Campuses include the Flatonia Elementary School and Flatonia Secondary School.[6][7]