Mineral Wells, Texas

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Mineral Wells, Texas
City
Downtown Mineral Wells (2015)
Downtown Mineral Wells (2015)
Location within Palo Pinto County and Texas
Location within Palo Pinto County and Texas
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country United States
State Texas
Counties Palo Pinto, Parker
Government
 • Type Council-Manager
 • City Council Mayor Mike Allen
Bill Terry
Kevin Harrison
Thomas Lively
Tammy Underwood
John Upham
Karium Carter
 • City Manager Lance Howerton
Area
 • Total 21.2 sq mi (54.9 km2)
 • Land 20.5 sq mi (53.0 km2)
 • Water 0.7 sq mi (1.9 km2)
Elevation 883 ft (269 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 16,788
 • Density 790/sq mi (310/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes 76067-76068 [1]
Area code(s) 940
FIPS code 48-48684 [2]
GNIS feature ID 1341714 [3]
Website MineralWellsTX.gov

Mineral Wells is a city in Palo Pinto and Parker counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 16,788 at the 2010 census (14,644 in Palo Pinto and 2144 in Parker). The city is named for mineral springs in the area, which were highly popular in the early 1900s. Mineral Wells is most famous for its Baker Hotel.

In 1919 Mineral Wells hosted the Spring Training Camp for the Chicago White Sox . This was the year of the Famous "Black Sox" Scandal involving "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. Mineral Wells also hosted spring training for the Cincinnati Reds and St.Louis Cardinals in the 1910s and early 1920s. The Baseball Field was located in the Center of town where a shopping center now sits.

In 1952, Mineral Wells was the host of the Republican state convention in which delegates divided between presidential candidates Dwight D. Eisenhower and Robert A. Taft. Though state chairman Orville Bullington of Wichita Falls led the Taft forces, the convention vote ultimately went 33-5 in favor of Eisenhower, who was thereafter nominated and elected.

Also from Mineral Wells is Astronaut Millie Hughes-Fulford, who graduated from Mineral Wells High School in 1962. Dr. Hughes-Fulford flew aboard STS-40 Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS 1) in June 1991 as a Mission Specialist conducting medical experiments, logging over 3.2 million miles in 146 orbit.

Geography

Mineral Wells is located at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (32.808594, -98.101859).[4] Mineral Wells lies east of the Brazos River and Palo Pinto Mountains.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.2 square miles (54.9 km²), of which, 20.5 square miles (53.0 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²) of it (3.45%) is water.

Mineral Wells is 50 miles (80 km) west of Fort Worth.[5]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1890 577 —
1900 2,048 254.9%
1910 3,950 92.9%
1920 7,890 99.7%
1930 5,986 −24.1%
1940 6,303 5.3%
1950 7,801 23.8%
1960 11,053 41.7%
1970 18,411 66.6%
1980 14,468 −21.4%
1990 14,870 2.8%
2000 16,946 14.0%
2010 16,788 −0.9%
Est. 2014 15,362 [6] −8.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 16,946 people, 5,707 households, and 3,857 families residing in the city. The population density was 828.6 people per square mile (319.9/km²). There were 6,386 housing units at an average density of 312.2 per square mile (120.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.69% White, 8.77% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 10.50% from other races, and 1.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.27% of the population.

There are 5,707 households, of which 31.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% are classified as non-families by the United States Census Bureau. Of 5,707 households, 373 are unmarried partner households: 348 heterosexual, 18 same-sex male, and 7 same-sex female households. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 120.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 123.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,233, and the median income for a family was $33,765. Males had a median income of $29,074 versus $18,633 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,336. About 16.6% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.2% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The Köppen Climate System describes the weather as humid subtropical, and uses the abbreviation Cfa.[8]

Climate data for Mineral Wells, Texas
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 14
(57)		 17
(62)		 20
(68)		 25
(77)		 29
(84)		 34
(94)		 36
(97)		 37
(98)		 33
(91)		 27
(80)		 19
(67)		 16
(60)		 25.6
(77.9)
Average low °C (°F) 1
(33)		 3
(37)		 6
(42)		 11
(52)		 17
(62)		 21
(70)		 23
(73)		 22
(72)		 18
(65)		 12
(54)		 5
(41)		 2
(35)		 11.8
(53)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 41
(1.6)		 38
(1.5)		 36
(1.4)		 86
(3.4)		 130
(5)		 64
(2.5)		 66
(2.6)		 43
(1.7)		 56
(2.2)		 74
(2.9)		 38
(1.5)		 36
(1.4)		 708
(27.7)
Source: Weatherbase [9]

Government

Historic post office in Mineral Wells

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Mineral Wells District Parole Office in Mineral Wells.[10] The Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) operated the Mineral Wells Pre-Parole Transfer Facility in the Fort Wolters Industrial Park on behalf of the TDCJ. It closed in August 2013.[11] The correctional facility, which had been operated by CCA since 1995, is located on the property of the former Fort Wolters in Palo Pinto County and in Mineral Wells. It can house up to 2,100 prisoners. As of March 2013 its annual payroll was $11.7 million and it was among the largest employers in Mineral Wells, with about 300 employees. On Monday March 4, 2013 the Texas Senate Senate Finance Committee voted 11-4 to close the correctional facility. Mike Allen, the mayor of Mineral Wells, criticized the closure, saying "We'll lose right at over 300 jobs, and 300 jobs in a community of 17,000 ... is devastating. This means a lot to this community."[5] John Whitmire, the head of the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee, said "We're sitting on about 12,000 empty [prison] beds, so it just makes good business sense ... that we not operate it, and we take those savings and plow them back into additional public safety programs."[5]

The United States Postal Service operates the Mineral Wells Post Office. Zip codes are 76067 and 76068.[12]

Education

Mineral Wells is served by the Mineral Wells Independent School District.

The area is also served by Community Christian School [1], a private educational facility, offering Pre-K4 through 12th Grades.

Weatherford College also operates a branch campus on the old Fort Wolters facility.

File:Deutsches Weintor Südseite Jere Gill 3-45.JPG
Graffito on Deutsche Weintor ("German Wine Gate") by Jere Gills from Mineral Wells

Notable people

  • Dan Herbeck, journalist for The Buffalo News; co-author of American Terrorist, best-seller biography of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh
  • Shane McAnally, singer-songwriter and record producer
  • Amanda Shires, singer songwriter.
  • Alvy Ray Smith (born 8 September 1943), noted pioneer in computer graphics.
  • Alice Walton, an heiress of the Wal-Mart fortune.

Gallery

  • Mineral Wells, TX, sign Picture 2222.jpg

    Entrance sign

  • Famous Mineral Water Co., Mineral Wells, TX Picture 2226.jpg

    Site of historic Famous Mineral Water Company

  • Crazy Water Retirement Hotel in Mineral Wells, TX Picture 2225.jpg

    Crazy Water Retirement Hotel

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Montgomery, Dave. "Lawmakers look to close private prison in Mineral Wells." Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Tuesday March 5, 2013. Retrieved on March 22, 2013.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Climate Summary for Mineral Wells, Texas
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Retrieved on September 8, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Parole Division Region II." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Mineral Wells (T2)." (Archive) Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on March 22, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Post Office Location - MINERAL WELLS." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 16, 2010.

External links

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