Hereford, Texas
Hereford is a city in Deaf Smith County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,597 at the 2000 census. It is the only incorporated Hereford in the country. It is the county seat of Deaf Smith County.[3]
Hereford's local water supply contains an unusually high level of naturally-occurring fluorine. Since fluoride is used to protect against tooth decay, Hereford earned the title "The Town Without a Toothache". High levels consumed by longtime or young residents results in staining, though.[citation needed]
It is also known as the Beef Capital of the World because of the large number of cattle fed in the area (the city is named for the Hereford breed). The local economy is affected significantly by growth in the dairy industry and ethanol industry.
The area is known for its semi-arid climate with heavy farming and ranching throughout the area sustained by irrigation from the Ogallala Aquifer and the saltier Santa Rosa Aquifer beneath it.
Hereford is home to the headquarters of the Deaf Smith Electric Cooperative, which serves Deaf Smith, Castro, Parmer and Oldham Counties.[4]
A rich Western heritage includes the Las Escarbadas ranch house of the XIT Ranch located southwest of Hereford in Deaf Smith County. The restored historic structure can now be seen at the Texas Tech Ranching Heritage Center.
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Notable people
- Andrew Carnahan, offensive tackle for the New York Giants was born and reared in Hereford.
- Jesse Frank Ford, a nutritionist, began Arrowhead Mills, a health-food company in Hereford in 1960. The company seeks to produce corn and wheat without the use of pesticides.
- Ron Ely, best remembered for his role as Tarzan on an NBC television series in the middle 1960s, was born in Hereford in 1938.
- Clint Formby (born 1923), radio broadcaster at KPAN AM&FM in Hereford since 1955, has the longest running one-person program in radio history. The station was begun in 1948 by his uncle, Marshall Formby, a former state senator and highway commissioner from West Texas. Clint Formby's wife, Margaret Clark Formby (1929•2003), founded the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Hereford and relocated it to the larger tourist market in Fort Worth.
- Edgar Mitchell (born September 17, 1930, in Hereford) is an American pilot and astronaut. As the lunar module pilot of Apollo 14, he spent nine hours of February 9, 1971 moon-walking on the Fra Mauro formation, making him the sixth man to walk on the Moon.
- Oliver C. Thomas (1914•2008), a World War II prisoner of war and Lubbock businessman who served as president of the Texas Good Roads/Transportation Association, was born in Hereford and reared near Dallas.
Geography
Hereford is located at 34°49′19″N 102°23′55″W / 34.82194°N 102.39861°W (34.821961, -102.398617).[5]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.6 square miles (14.5 km²), all of it land.
Climate
Hereford's climate is classified as a steppe climate (BSk) using the 2006 map of Köppen climate classification, meaning it is semi-arid.[6]
| Climate data for Hereford, Texas | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 84 (28.9) | 83 (28.3) | 98 (36.7) | 98 (36.7) | 103 (39.4) | 111 (43.9) | 107 (41.7) | 105 (40.6) | 102 (38.9) | 97 (36.1) | 87 (30.6) | 80 (26.7) | 111 (43.9) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 49.8 (9.89) | 55.1 (12.83) | 63.6 (17.56) | 72.0 (22.22) | 80.2 (26.78) | 88.9 (31.61) | 91.6 (33.11) | 89.3 (31.83) | 82.6 (28.11) | 72.9 (22.72) | 59.7 (15.39) | 50.6 (10.33) | 71.4 (21.89) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 21.1 (-6.06) | 24.6 (-4.11) | 30.9 (-0.61) | 39.4 (4.11) | 49.7 (9.83) | 59.1 (15.06) | 63.5 (17.5) | 61.2 (16.22) | 54.3 (12.39) | 42.5 (5.83) | 30.1 (-1.06) | 22.6 (-5.22) | 41.7 (5.39) |
| Record low °F (°C) | -15 (-26.1) | -17 (-27.2) | 1 (-17.2) | 14 (-10) | 16 (-8.9) | 40 (4.4) | 51 (10.6) | 40 (4.4) | 31 (-0.6) | 15 (-9.4) | 0 (-17.8) | -12 (-24.4) | -17 (-27.2) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 0.50 (12.7) | 0.50 (12.7) | 0.98 (24.9) | 1.02 (25.9) | 2.12 (53.8) | 2.90 (73.7) | 2.06 (52.3) | 3.22 (81.8) | 2.25 (57.2) | 1.59 (40.4) | 0.77 (19.6) | 0.74 (18.8) | 18.65 (473.7) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 4.8 (12.2) | 3.0 (7.6) | 1.5 (3.8) | 0.8 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 (0.8) | 1.7 (4.3) | 4.8 (12.2) | 16.9 (42.9) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 3.0 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 6.8 | 7.4 | 6.4 | 7.7 | 6.0 | 4.7 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 61.6 |
| Avg. snowy days | 1.9 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 7.6 |
| Source #1: The Weather Channel [7] June 29, 2010 | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: NOAA [8] June 29, 2010 | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 532 | — | |
| 1910 | 1,750 | 228.9% | |
| 1920 | 1,696 | −3.1% | |
| 1930 | 2,458 | 44.9% | |
| 1940 | 2,584 | 5.1% | |
| 1950 | 5,207 | 101.5% | |
| 1960 | 6,752 | 29.7% | |
| 1970 | 13,414 | 98.7% | |
| 1980 | 15,853 | 18.2% | |
| 1990 | 14,745 | −7.0% | |
| 2000 | 14,597 | −1.0% | |
| Est. 2008 | 14,499 | −0.7% | |
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 14,597 people, 4,839 households, and 3,730 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,600.8 people per square mile (1,004.6/km²). There were 5,323 housing units at an average density of 948.4/sq mi (366.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.86% White, 1.76% African American, 0.82% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 24.77% from other races, and 2.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 61.37% of the population.
There were 4,839 households out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.44.
In the city the population was spread out with 34.0% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,599, and the median income for a family was $33,387. Males had a median income of $26,488 versus $18,920 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,787. About 19.4% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The first public school was opened in 1900.[9] Today, Hereford's seven public schools serve around 4,000 students and are directed by the Hereford Independent School District.[10]
Notes
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ . National Association of Counties. . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Spotlight on CRC Member: Deaf Smith Electric Cooperative. Cooperative Response Center.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ M. Kottek; J. Grieser, C. Beck, B. Rudolf, and F. Rubel (2006). "World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated" (GIF). Meteorol. Z. 15: 259•263. doi:10.1127/0941-2948/2006/0130. http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/pics/kottek_et_al_2006.gif. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
- ^ "Monthly Averages for Hereford, TX". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/USTX0597. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ^ "NCDC: Climatography of the United States, No. 20, 1971-2000: Hereford, Texas". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim20/tx/414098.pdf. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ^ The Handbook of Texas Online, retrieved 2009-12-30
- ^ Hereford ISD, retrieved 2009-12-30
References
External links
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Categories: Cities in Texas | Deaf Smith County, Texas | County seats in Texas | Micropolitan areas of Texas | Texas communities with Hispanic majority populations
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