| Taylor, Texas | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Moody Museum is the home of former Governor Dan Moody | |
| Location of Taylor, Texas | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Williamson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 13.6 sq mi (35.1 km2) |
| • Land | 13.5 sq mi (35.0 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 564 ft (172 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 13,575 |
| • Density | 1,003.2/sq mi (387.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 76574 |
| Area code(s) | 512 |
| FIPS code | 48-71948[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1369631[2] |
Taylor is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,575 at the 2000 census; it was 15,191 in the 2010 census estimate.[3] Taylors largest employers include the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), Durcon Inc, and the T. Don Hutto Residential Center, an immigration control center, which opened in Taylor in May 2006.[4] [5]
In 2006, the Taylor Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) published a "Community Report" which noted - according to information compiled by the Ampersand Agency[6] for the TEDC - that the City needed better code enforcement across the city, giving the city a "facelift" to look clean and neat. The report also noted that old and dilapidated buildings should be torn down to improve the consistancy of the housing market, that streets needed repair, and that effort should be made to add more consumer-based businesses. [7]
Some of the issues of the TEDC Community Report - for example, the conditions of many of the streets, and improving Taylor's physical appearance - are considered as "long term objectives" in the City of Taylor Budget Message (fiscal year 2010-11),[8] but the same document states "very little emphasis has been placed on expanding existing or adding new programs or making significant additional capital investments despite the fact that the needs certainly exist".
The condition of many of Taylor's streets has been an issue for decades. An article in the Taylor Daily Press (April, 2010) reported: "In 1948, three men ran in a City of Taylor election as 'The Peoples Ticket.' In a letter to the voting public, L.D. Hammack, Louis Kincl and R.E. Kollman told the community: 'Let’s get better streets as soon as possible.' Their concerns echo the same ones we hear today: improving and paying for Taylor’s dilapidated streets and aging infrastructure."[9]
In 2005, approximately twenty percent (20%) of the buildings considered as "contributing resources" to the Taylor Downtown Historic District were vacant.[10] The percentage of vacancies of historic buildings may have increased since 2005, with the Kincl building - one of the listed "contributing resources" - having been vacated in 2010.
Residential building permits have been declining in Taylor since 2007. In 2006, a total of 128 permits were issued with a value of $14,198,300. In fiscal year 2007-08, permits dropped by 64 and 7,295,100 less in value. Once again dropping in fiscal year 2008-09 by 11 and $951,065 less in value. In the 2009, 31 residential permits were issued with a total value of $2,724,698. For 2010 it is anticipated that 18 residential permits will be issued with an estimated value of $1,624,921. Additionally, commercial permits and growth has remained flat since 2008-09, and sales tax revenue has been declining since fiscal year 2007-08 and continues to be flat.[11]
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In 1876 the Texas Land Company auctioned lots in anticipation of the arrival of the International-Great Northern Railroad when Taylor was founded that year. The city was named after Edward Moses Taylor, a railroad official, under the name Taylorsville which officially became Taylor in 1892. Immigrants from Czechoslovakia and other Slavic states, as well as from Germany and Austria, helped establish the town. It soon became a busy shipping point for cattle, grain, and cotton.
By 1878 the town had 1,000 residents and thirty-two businesses, twenty-nine of which were destroyed by fire in 1879. Recovery was rapid, however, and more substantial buildings were constructed. In 1882 the Taylor, Bastrop and Houston Railway reached the community, and machine shops and a roundhouse serviced both rail lines. In 1882 the town was incorporated with a mayor-council form of city government, and in 1883 a public school system replaced a number of private schools.
By 1890 Taylor had two banks and the first savings and loan institution in Texas. An electric company, a cotton compress, and several newspapers were among the new enterprises. A water line from the San Gabriel River, a 100-man volunteer fire department, imported and local entertainment, and an annual fair made noteworthy news items by 1900.
Since 1900, Taylors population growth has averaged approximately 128 new residents per year, based on an estimated population of 1100 in the year 1900, and the population in 2010 of 15191, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Between the years 2000 and 2010, the population grew 11.9%, from 13575 to 15191, [12] about 1.2% per year.
Taylor is also the hometown of Bill Pickett, Tex Avery, K.C. Jones, and birthplace of former Texas governor Dan Moody.
Taylor is located at (30.572371, -97.416546),[13] about 9 miles east of Hutto and 8 miles south of Granger. Taylor is about 29 miles northeast of Austin.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.6 square miles (35.1 km²), of which, 13.5 square miles (35.0 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.22%) is water.
As of the census of 2010, there were 15,191 people and approximately 5,300 households in the city. The population change between 2000 and 2010 was 11.9% (while the overall population change for the State of Texas was 20.6%).
The racial makeup of the city was 71.7% White, 10.2% African American, 1.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 42.8% of the population.
7.7% of the population was under 5 years old, 27.5% were under 18 years old, and 11.9% were 65 years old or older.
The percent of high school graduates at age 25+ between the years 2005 and 2009 was 75.9%. The percentage of the population having a bachelor's degree or higher, age 25 or more, between the years of 2005 and 2009 was 17.6%.
The Per-Capita Income of $18,859 was lower than the State average of $24,318, and the Median Household Income of $41,814 was lower than the State average of $48,199. The percentage of persons living at or below the poverty level in 2009 as 15.4%.[3]
As of 2011, Taylor Independent School District is ranked 634th of 953 Texas school districts, and Taylor High School is ranked 850th of 1517 Texas public high schools, placing both the school district and the high school in the bottom one-third of Texas schools.[14] 17.6% of Taylors population has an educational level of bachellors degree or higher, somewhat lower than the 25.4% Statewide average. [15]
The local newspaper is the Taylor Daily Press.
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