Smithville, Texas

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Smithville, Texas
City
Nickname(s): Heart of the Megalopolis
Location of Smithville, Texas
Coordinates: 30°0′26″N 97°9′18″W / 30.00722°N 97.15500°W / 30.00722; -97.15500Coordinates: 30°0′26″N 97°9′18″W / 30.00722°N 97.15500°W / 30.00722; -97.15500
Country United States
State Texas
County Bastrop
Area
 • Total 3.5 sq mi (9.2 km2)
 • Land 3.5 sq mi (9.1 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation 325 ft (99 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 3,817
 • Density 1,112.7/sq mi (429.6/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 78957
Area code(s) 512
FIPS code 48-68456[1]
GNIS feature ID 1376161[2]

Smithville is a city in Bastrop County, Texas, United States, near the Colorado River. The population was 3,817 at the 2010 census.

History

Smithville was established in 1827, when Thomas Gazely settled in the area and operated a store. A community sprang up around the store, and it was named Smithville, in honor of another early resident, William Smith. Gazely's store closed upon his death in 1853. J.P. Jones and Frank Smith opened another store in the community in 1867. A Presbyterian Church was organized in 1871. A post office was opened in 1876. In 1887, the railroad came to Smithville causing the town's population to boom, and the town was incorporated in March 1895. By 1900, Smithville had a population of 2,577.

Geography

Smithville is located at 30°00′26″N 97°09′18″W / 30.007096°N 97.154924°W / 30.007096; -97.154924.[3] This location is 12 miles southeast of Bastrop and 42 miles southeast of Austin.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
19903,196
—
20003,90122.1%
20103,817−2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 3,901 people, 1,491 households, and 990 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,112.7 people per square mile (429.1/km2). There were 1,672 housing units at an average density of 476.9 per square mile (183.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 78.01% White, 14.53% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 5.10% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.43% of the population.

There were 1,491 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,586, and the median income for a family was $45,163. Males had a median income of $33,500 versus $23,409 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,282. About 12.1% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Smithville is served by the Smithville Independent School District and home to the Smithville High School Tigers.

Museum

  • Central Texas Museum of Automotive History in Rosanky. The museum auctioned many of its cars on Mar. 3, 2012 and moved the remaining inventory to another location in San Marcos, closing its Rosanky location.
  • The James H. Long Railroad Museum, located at the intersection of First and Main Streets in Smithville, contains exhibits and relics from Smithville's railroad history.

Notable people

  • [Patricia Wolfenson], (Patricia Wolf Designs) Fashion Designer (clothing worn by Reba McEntire, Dixie Chicks, etc)
  • Hannibal, jazz trumpeter and composer
  • The late DJ Screw, Pioneer of Screw music, the style of dirty south hip hop known for its pitched-down lyrics and chopped-up beats. Born in Smithville and later moved to Houston, Texas. Died November 16, 2000.
  • Thomas Carter, actor and Emmy-award-winning director[4]
  • Sonny Rhodes, an American blues singer and lap steel guitar player.
  • {Mark Younger Smith},former Billy Idol guitarist ,and songwriter whose credits include ;Tom Jones, Frankie Avalon, Eric Johnson,Bananrama, as well as founder of the alternative rock band Murder,My Sweet.

Climate

Climate data for Smithville, Texas
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 88
(31)		 91
(33)		 98
(37)		 99
(37)		 99
(37)		 100
(38)		 102
(39)		 104
(40)		 108
(42)		 100
(38)		 91
(33)		 90
(32)		 107
(42)
Average high °F (°C) 60
(16)		 65
(18)		 74
(23)		 76
(24)		 82
(28)		 87
(31)		 92
(33)		 93
(34)		 91
(33)		 84
(29)		 76
(24)		 61
(16)		 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)		 7.46
(189.5)		 0.84
(21.3)		 0.68
(17.3)		 1.83
(46.5)		 3.22
(81.8)		 3.10
(78.7)		 9.60
(243.8)		 57.59
(1,462.8)
Source: weather.com[5]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2), of which 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.85%) is water.

Filmography

Smithville has its own Music & Film Commission and continues to promote itself as a Film Friendly Community, a designation it received from the Texas Film Commission in 2008. Following is a list of productions that had filming locations in Smithville.

Guinness World Records

Smitty, the Gingerbread Man stands as a reminder of Smithville's Guinness World Record for baking the largest gingerbread man at the time.

On December 2, 2006, at the city's 16th Annual Festival of Lights, Smithville broke the Guinness World Record for the world's largest gingerbread man. The record breaking "man" measured over 20 feet long and weighed 1,308 lb, 8 oz. Some of the ingredients used were 750 pound of flour, 49 gallons of molasses and 72 dozens eggs. The pan used in the baking now stands as a monument at the James H. Long Railroad Park in Smithville. The record has since been broken by a Norwegian IKEA display.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
  4. ↑ "SWT Prepares for Winter Commencement". Texas State University. 2000-12-18. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
  5. ↑ "Monthly Averages for Muldoon, TX". Retrieved 2009-09-10. 
  6. ↑ "Tallest Man Meets Largest Gingerbread Man". CBS News. November 12, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2011. 

External links

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