Rusk, Texas
Rusk is a city in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,085 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cherokee County[3].
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Geography
Rusk is located at 31°47′54″N 95°09′00″W / 31.798254°N 95.149865°W.[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.8 square miles (17.7 km2), of which, 6.8 square miles (17.7 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2) of it (0.29%) is water.
History
Rusk has been home to three former governors, James Stephen Hogg, Thomas M. Campbell, and John B. Kendrick (Governor of Wyoming).
The town was established by an act of the Texas legislature on April 11, 1846. It was named after Thomas Jefferson Rusk, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.[5] By 1850, Rusk reportedly had 355 residents. A post office was authorized on March 8, 1847.
The City of Rusk is no longer dry; a beer and wine local option election passed on May 9, 2009.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 5,085 people, 1,306 households, and 867 families residing in the city. The population density was 745.4 people per square mile (287.9/km2). There were 1,539 housing units at an average density of 225.6/sq mi (87.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 62.71% White, 30.01% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 5.15% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.92% of the population.
There were 1,306 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 17.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city, the population was spread out with 17.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 39.3% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 154.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 168.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,370, and the median income for a family was $33,952. Males had a median income of $24,271 versus $22,438 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,688. About 16.2% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.4% of those under age 18 and 21.0% of those age 65 or over.
The presence of a prison unit in the city considerably skews the demographics, as the two prison units house approximately 1,250 inmates at any time, making the actual population of the city closer to 3,835. This also affects all other demographic statistics such as ratio of males to females, the racial makeup of the city and the poverty rate.
Rusk is also home to the Texas State Railroad, Thunder Mountain Raceway, Cherokee County Motorsports park (drag racing), Jim Hogg Park, Rusk State Park, Gourmet Gardens, the nation's longest footbridge (circa 1861), and many historical sites.
Education
The City of Rusk and surrounding rural areas are served by the Rusk Independent School District.
Historic Attractions
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Profile for Rusk, Texas". ePodunk. http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=26997. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
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Categories: Cherokee County, Texas | Cities in Texas | County seats in Texas
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