Pleasanton, Texas

Pleasanton, Texas
—  City  —
Location of Pleasanton, Texas
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Texas
County Atascosa
Government
 • Type Council-Manager
 • City Council Mayor Clinton J. Powell
Jimmy Magel
Abraham Saenz, Jr.
Janet Jackson
J.R. Gallegos
Roger G. Garza
Jeanne Israel
 • City Manager Kathy H. Coronado
Area
 • Total 6.4 sq mi (16.6 km2)
 • Land 6.4 sq mi (16.6 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 361 ft (110 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 8,266
 • Density 1,293.5/sq mi (499.4/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 78064
Area code(s) 830
FIPS code 48-58280[1]
GNIS feature ID 1375500[2]
Website pleasantontx.org

Pleasanton is a city in Atascosa County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,266 at the 2000 census. Pleasanton's official motto is "The City of Live Oaks and Friendly Folks." It is part of the San Antonio-New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Pleasanton honors its cowboy heritage with the "Mr. Cowboy" sculpture in front of City Hall and across from the giant oak tree downtown. The roots of the cattle kingdom can be traced to Atascosa County in the 1860s, which calls itself "the birthplace of the cowboys." The sculpture is a gift of Ben and Mona Parker. The Longhorn Museum in east Pleasanton on Texas State Highway 97 contains artifacts and memorabilia of the cowboy years. The Cowboy Homecoming, begun in 1966, is an annual event held at the Atascosa River Park in Pleasanton.

Contents

History

Pleasanton was established in 1858 when conflicts with the Indians caused the settlers to move the location of the county seat from Amphion. The settlers chose the current town site because of its location at the mouth of Bonita Creek. John Bowen (d.1867), San Antonio's first Anglo-American postmaster, founded and named the town of Pleasanton after his good friend and fellow early Texas Settler John Pleasants.

At one time Pleasanton had two newspapers, the Pleasanton Picayune, which became the Pleasanton Express in 1909, and the Pleasanton Reporter. The county seat was stolen from Pleasanton and moved to Jourdanton in 1910. Pleasanton was incorporated in 1917.

In November 1957, the citizens of Pleasanton voted overwhelmingly to desegregate the public schools. This came some two months after the chaos at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. Some three dozen African American pupils were integrated into the Pleasanton school.[3]

Geography and climate

Pleasanton is located at (28.966953, -98.484937)[4], about 35 miles south of San Antonio, 110 miles south-southwest of Austin, and 110 miles north by north-northwest of Corpus Christi.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.4 square miles (17 km2), all of it land. The average elevation of Pleasanton is 374 feet above sea level.

The annual temperature of Pleasanton is 70 degrees F. The mean temperature on January 1 is 50 degrees F. and on June 1 is 78 degrees F. Average annual precipitation is 26.1 inches.

Most soils of Pleasanton are quite sandy at the surface but have a clay-rich subsoil which holds moisture. They belong to the Alfisol soil order. Common soil series in town are Nusil, Poth and Rhymes.[5]

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 8,266 people, 2,941 households, and 2,135 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,293.5 people per square mile (499.5/km²). There were 3,212 housing units at an average density of 502.6 per square mile (194.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.13% White, 0.98% African American, 0.97% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 15.34% from other races, and 2.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51.15% of the population.

There were 2,941 households out of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,644, and the median income for a family was $34,718. Males had a median income of $28,849 versus $20,144 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,878. About 16.8% of families and 22.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.9% of those under age 18 and 21.8% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Part of the film The Sugarland Express was filmed around the intersection of 2nd Street and Commerce Street. Every year, Pleasanton hosts the "Hottest Festival in Texas," Cowboy Homecoming, which takes place during the third weekend in August.

Education

Almost all of Pleasanton is located within the Pleasanton Independent School District.

A small portion of Pleasanton is in the Jourdanton Independent School District.

Coastal Bend College of Beeville maintains a branch two-year campus in Pleasanton.

Notable residents

Gallery

References

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ Civil Rights Chronicles, p. 158
  4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
  5. ^ websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov
  6. ^ About.com biography on George Strait
  7. ^ Houston Music - Willie Nelson: One Hell of a Ride

External links