Calvert, Texas

Calvert, Texas
City

Nickname(s): Calvy

Location of Calvert within Texas
Coordinates: 30°58′42″N 96°40′22″W / 30.97833°N 96.67278°W / 30.97833; -96.67278Coordinates: 30°58′42″N 96°40′22″W / 30.97833°N 96.67278°W / 30.97833; -96.67278
Country United States
State Texas
County Robertson
Area
 • Total 3.9 sq mi (10.1 km2)
 • Land 3.9 sq mi (10.1 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 328 ft (100 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 1,192
 • Density 310/sq mi (120/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 77837
Area code 979
FIPS code 48-11992 [1]
GNIS feature ID 1353586 [2]

Calvert is a city in Robertson County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,192. It is located approximately halfway between Waco and Bryan-College Station on Texas State Highway 6. For the last 35 years, Calvert has enjoyed a relative success as an antique “capital.”

History

19th century

The earliest known white settler in the area was Joseph Harlan, whose 1837 land grant laid five miles south of what is now the City of Calvert. In 1850 Robert Calvert, for whom the town was named, established a plantation west of the town. Calvert, who was a former Texas Representative and area farmer urged the Houston and Texas Central Railway to build through the area. A railroad was completed in 1868. The City of Calvert was founded that same year after a group of investors purchased land at the town site and platted the community. In January, the town was named in honor of Robert Calvert. The post office opened in 1868 and the first trains arrived in 1869. Calvert incorporated with an alderman form of government in 1870 and, that same year, founded its first school. From 1870 to 1879, Calvert replaced Owensville, Texas as county seat due to reconstruction in Robertson County.

The Republican party in the county drew much of its strength from black voters on the plantations in the Calvert area, and, for a number of years, the party was able to elect black people from Calvert to county and state office. As a rail center and as county seat, Calvert prospered. In 1871, the town claimed to have the largest cotton gin in the world and cotton planters (many of whom arrived in the area following the Civil War) established huge plantations with reputations for prosperity and Southern hospitality. Many of these families later moved from plantations located in the Brazos River Bottoms into the city of Calvert. These families built large Victorian style mansions, many of which are still in existence today. In 1873 a severe yellow fever epidemic killed many in the community. The county jail, built in 1875 and now known as The Hammond House, is still a local landmark.

By 1878, Calvert was a thriving community with 52 businesses. In 1879 the town of Morgan replaced Calvert as the county seat, but Calvert continued to prosper as a commercial center. By 1884, Calvert had an estimated 3,000 inhabitants with Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, and Catholic churches, a public school system, two banks, an opera house, and a newspaper entitled the Weekly Courier. The community remained a major cotton center with many gins, cotton compresses, and cottonseed oil mills, until 1899 when the town was damaged by floods. In 1901, a fire destroyed much of Calvert's remaining business district.

21st century

In December 2010, all three members of the town's police department resigned over a conflict with the city council. [3]

In June 2015, a TV station reported that cities of Calvert, Franklin, Hearne, Lott in a "Texas Triangle" were using their police departments to issue numerous speeding tickets to turn their municipal court into a "cash cow".[4]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18802,280—
18902,63215.4%
19003,32226.2%
19102,579−22.4%
19202,099−18.6%
19302,1030.2%
19402,36612.5%
19502,5487.7%
19602,073−18.6%
19702,0720.0%
19801,732−16.4%
19901,536−11.3%
20001,426−7.2%
20101,192−16.4%
Est. 20141,147[5]−3.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

Calvert is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,192 people, 509 households, and 374 families residing in the city. The population decreased to 1,180 residents in 2012.[6] In 2010, the population density was 366.6 people per square mile (141.5/km²), and there were 675 housing units at an average density of 186.6 per square mile (72.1/km²).

The city's population was 36.7% White, 49.1% African American, 0.42% Native American, and 0.07% Asian. 8.77% of residents are from other races, and 1.47% are from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race constitute 16.3% of the population.

Of the 584 households in the city, 27.4% of households had children under the age of 18, 34.7% were married couples living together, 25.4% were households led by single females, and 34.7% were non-related groups. 32.4% of all households in the city consisted of individuals and 16.6% of households were single people at least 65 years old. The average household size was 2.44 people and the average family size was 3.07 people.

20.7% of residents were under the age of 18, 7.1% were between the ages of 18 to 24, 21.9% were between 25 to 44, 22.1% were between 45 to 64, and 19.1% were at least 65 years of age. The median age was 38 years of age. For every 100 female residents there were 85.2 male residents, but for every 100 female residents age 18 and over, there were only 78.0 male residents.

The median household income was $18,105, and the median family income was $23,214. Median income for males was $24,722 and $17,885 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,165. About 30.3% of families and 36.9% of the population are below the poverty line, including 53.4% of residents under age 18 and 32.6% of those age 65 or over. Calvert's population decline is summarized below.

Attractions

Government

Calvert is served by Calvert Police Department, Calvert Fire Department, and Robertson County EMS.

Education

The city's schools are part of the Calvert Independent School District.

Media

The Robertson County News reports the local news.

Notable people

References

Further reading

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, September 12, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.