Vernon, Texas

Vernon is a city in Wilbarger County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 11,660; it was 11,077 in the 2005 census estimate. Vernon is the county seat of Wilbarger County.^[3]

Vernon is the birthplace of rock and roll singer/musician Roy Orbison and jazz trombonist Jack Teagarden. It is the hometown of fiddle player Eck Robertson and country singer Kaye Adams. Lawyer Kenneth Starr (special prosecutor of U.S. President Bill Clinton) was born in 1946 in the Lockett community, six miles southwest of Vernon.

Some seven million head of cattle passed through Vernon on the Great Western Trail between 1873 and the 1890s. The trail was located some ninety miles west and parallel to the better-known Chisholm Trail.

On April 10, 1979, Vernon and surrounding Wilbarger County were hit by an F4 tornado. The storm, part of the 1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak, damaged or destroyed a large part of the city and killed 11 people as it passed through Foard County and Wilbarger County before finally dissipating in rural Tillman County, Oklahoma. That same day, tornadoes also devastated the larger, nearby cities of Wichita Falls, Texas and Lawton, Oklahoma.

Geography

Vernon is located at 34°09′04″N 99°17′26″W / 34.151116°N 99.290473°W (34.151116, -99.290473).^[4]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the country has a total area of 2478.1 square miles (21.0 km²), of which, 8.1 square miles (21.0 km²) of it is land and 0.12% is water.

Economy

Major businesses and industries in Vernon include a Tyson Foods, formerly Wright Brand Foods, Inc., bacon processing plant, a Rhodia, Inc. guar processing plant, North Texas State Hospital, which is operated by the Texas Department of State Health Services (an agency of the Texas Health and Human Services System), Victory Field Correctional Academy (a juvenile detention facility operated by the Texas Youth Commission), and the Texas AgriLife (Texas A&M System) Research and Extension Center.

Vernon is the home of the Waggoner Ranch, the largest in Texas under one fence. WT Waggoner's ranch still operates today, with business in petroleum, farming, horses and cattle. The horse business produces some of the best ranch horses in Texas, many from the Poco Bueno breeding that made the ranch famous in the quarter horse industry. Today, Poco Bueno is buried, according to E. Paul Waggoner's wishes, standing on the corner of the ranch near the headquarters main entrance.

Education

Vernon College, a 2-year community college, is located here and maintains a branch campus in Wichita Falls. Academic offerings include cosmetology, nursing, and vocational-technical programs. Athletically, Vernon College fields a women's softball team, women's volleyball team, men's baseball team and a rodeo team. The rodeo team is consistently ranked high in the JUCO level of competition.

The Vernon Independent School District serves students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12. The district's school campuses include three elementary schools (grades pre-kindergarten through 5), a middle school (grades 6-8) and Vernon High School, grades 9-12. The district also operates an alternative education program as well as an education program for juveniles of the Adolescent Forensic Program at North Texas State Hospital.

Vernon High School's football team, the Vernon Lions, are one of the stronger programs in the 3A division. The Lions won the 3A state championship in 1990 and were ranked number 1 all year. They finished in second place the previous year. Recently the Lions have finished as semi-finalists in 2003 and 2006, and were ranked in top 10 for the 2007 season when they lost in a close game in the state quarter-finals to Snyder. The overall record of Vernon High School football is 589-337-38 (a winning percentage of 63.7%)

VHS also is known for its prestigious Tennis Team. The Tennis team has completed 23 straight years of going to the Texas Tennis Coaches Association State Team Tennis Tournament. VHS Tennis has 6 TTCA State Team Tennis Titles and has finished no lower than 3rd place in 22 of the 23 years. In 2008 the Team finished 2nd in the state losing to Abilene Wylie in the championship game. In 2009 the Team finished 3rd in the State Tourney and in 2010 the Team finished 2nd, again losing to Abilene Wylie in the finals. In UIL individual competition, VHS tennis players have won several awards. Most recently, in 2009 Josh Marshall & Steven Stanley won the Class 3A State Boys Doubles Title. In 2008 Nick Lehman won the Class 3A State Boys Single title and in 2006 Brad Fenter & Kelly Clifton won the Class 3A State Mixed Doubles title. The VHS Tennis Team is guided by Head Coach Ruben Vargas.

Transportation

Vernon is located fifty miles northwest of Wichita Falls, Texas and approximate distances of approximately 160 to 180 miles from surrounding metropolitan areas including Amarillo, Abilene, Oklahoma City and the DFW metroplex. The city is served by four U.S. Routes: 70, 183, 283, and 287.

Bus transportation is available to Amarillo and Dallas-Fort Worth. Wilbarger County Airport is located 5 miles north of Vernon and the nearest airport with scheduled flights is Wichita Falls Municipal Airport 50 miles to the east which predominantly offers flights of commuter airlines to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

The nearest international airports from Vernon with major airline connections include Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, and Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport in Amarillo.

The Town is also served by one BNSF line bypassing downtown from Ft. Worth to Amarillo.

Events

Vernon is host to various events annually including the four-day Santa Rosa Roundup rodeo in May, which is sponsored by the local Santa Rosa Palomino Club. VSMCA is host to Summer's Last Blast, which is held the second weekend of August every year. Relive the golden days as 1500 of the most prestigious Classics, Street Rods, Muscle Cars, Pro Streets, and Antiques cruise in front of over 20,000 spectators that help make this event the one to remember for a lifetime. Listen to the Rock 'n' Roll hits of the 50's and 60's from a live remote on the drag. Summer's Last Blast also features a car show, concert, burn out, swap meet, and other activities.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 11,660 people, 4,506 households, and 2,946 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,439.2 people per square mile (555.8/km²). There were 5,166 housing units at an average density of 637.6/sq mi (246.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.33% White, 9.65% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 10.72% from other races, and 1.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.39% of the population.

There were 4,506 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% 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 3.07.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,194, and the median income for a family was $36,913. Males had a median income of $25,167 versus $18,971 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,747. About 10.2% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

• Kaye Adams (born April 9, 1941) - American country singer
• Robert L. Duncan (born August 5, 1953) is a member of the Texas State Senate, born in Vernon but residing in Lubbock.
• Stanley Ann Dunham (November 29, 1942 • November 7, 1995) Mother of U.S. President Barack Obama
• Robert Gauldin (born 1931) - Classical music composer.
• Jack English Hightower (born 1926) - politician
• Kimberly Macklin (born March 26, 1966) is a former Olympian (1984) in swimming.
• Roy Orbison (April 23, 1936 • December 6, 1988), nicknamed "The Big O," was an influential Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, guitarist and a pioneer of rock and roll whose recording career spanned more than four decades.
• Mark F. Sellers - (born October 15, 1966) is a dancer, performer, director and choreographer. Performed in many [theatrical performances] in the greater Los Angeles area. Choreographed for TV's Great Pretenders.
• Jack Teagarden (August 20, 1905•January 15, 1964) was an influential jazz trombonist and vocalist.
• Bill Herchman former professional football player for 49er's, Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers
• Eck Robertson (November 20, 1887 • February 15, 1975) - fiddle player, noted as the first country musician to be commercially recorded (1922)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. ^ . National Association of Counties. . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
4. ^ "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.

External links

• Vernon, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Vernon Chamber of Commerce
• Vernon College
• Vernon Independent School District
• The Vernon Daily Record
• Historic Vernon materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.

Categories: Wilbarger County, Texas | Cities in Texas | County seats in Texas | Micropolitan areas of Texas