Victoria, Texas

Victoria is a city in and the county seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 60,603 at the 2000 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 at the 2000 census,^[3] a major part of the region known as the "Golden Crescent". Victoria is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria in Texas.

Victoria is named for General Guadalupe Victoria, who became the first president of independent Mexico.^[4]

Location

Victoria is located thirty miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico and is within a two-hour drive of Corpus Christi, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. The city is a regional hub for a seven-county area and serves a retail trade area of over 250,000 people^{[citation needed]}. The city is known as "The Crossroads"^{[citation needed]} because of its location centered among the four previously mentioned cities.

Victoria is home to the University of Houston•Victoria and Victoria College, a community college.

Geography and climate

The city is located at 28°49′1″N 96°59′36″W / 28.81694°N 96.99333°W (28.816866, -96.993462)^[5]. It is one of the state's old, historic cities. The original colony founded in 1824 was named for the first president of Mexico, Don Guadalupe Victoria.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.1 square miles (85.8 km²), of which, 33.0 square miles (85.4 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.45%) is water.

Demographics

As of census^[1] of 2000, there were 60,603 people, 22,129 households, and 15,755 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,838.3 people per square mile (709.7/km²). There were 24,192 housing units at an average density of 733.8/sq mi (283.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.18% White, 7.59% African American, 0.51% Native American, 1.01% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 17.31% from other races, and 2.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 42.92% of the population.

There were 22,129 households out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,829, and the median income for a family was $42,866. Males had a median income of $34,184 versus $21,161 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,009. About 12.2% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under the age of 18 and 12.2% ages 65 or older.

Government and infrastructure

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Victoria Parole Office in Victoria.^[7]

The United States Postal Service operates the Victoria Post Office and the James Moody Post Office in Victoria.^[8][9]

Recreation

Victoria’s 562-acre (2.27 km²) Riverside Park is home to the Texas Zoo which houses more than 200 species of animals and plants that are indigenous to Texas, exhibiting them in their natural habitat.

There are three golf courses located in Victoria: The Victoria Country Club, Riverside Golf Course, and Colony Creek Country Club.

Riverside Park is home to more than fifteen baseball fields which are occupied during the spring and summer by teams from the Victoria Metro region.

Also in Riverside park on the Guadalupe River there is the Victoria Paddling trail. This 4.2 mile stretch of the Guadalupe River is bordered by scenic soft banks rather than the limestone bluffs of the Hill Country.

Athletics

University of Houston Jaguars- NAIA Region IV Division I Baseball and Softball Victoria Generals- member of Texas Collegiate League

All Baseball games are played at Riverside Stadium.

Notable residents

• 6 time WWE World Champion and 2009 WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin

Points of interest

Fossati's Delicatessen is located in downtown Victoria, it was opened in 1882 by Italian immigrant Fraschio ("Frank") Napoleon Fossati. After 125 years, Fossati's is still owned and operated by the same family.

The Rosebud Fountain and Grill downtown is a restoration of the diner atmosphere popular in the 1950s. The restaurant, located in a bright red corner building at North Main and West Constitution streets, has been featured in Bob Phillips' Texas Country Reporter syndicated television series.

Victoria has a small but acclaimed art museum, the Nave Museum. The museum is named for Royston Nave, a Texas artist who achieved distinction in New York City in the 1920s.

Downtown Victoria has the second-oldest Roman Catholic Church in Texas and first to be canonically established in the Republic of Texas, St. Mary's Church ^[10].

Transportation

Known as the South Texas Crossroads, Victoria is located at the intersection of three major U. S. highways:

• US Highway 59 (future Interstate 69,) is a four-lane divided interstate quality highway extending southwest to Laredo and northeast to Houston where it meets Interstate 10 and Interstate 45. It is also known as the Lloyd M. Bentsen Highway.

• US Highway 77 travels north from Victoria to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex intersecting Interstate 10, Interstate 35, and Interstate 37. US 77 travels south via a four-lane divided highway to the Rio Grande Valley.

• US Highway 87 travels northwest connecting Victoria to San Antonio providing access to Interstate 35. US 87 also connects with Port Lavaca to the southeast.

Victoria is a regional transportation hub for the surrounding counties with local access to major large and small freight carriers, Victoria Regional Airport, railway terminals, the shallow draft Port of Victoria, and the deep water Port of Port Lavaca-Point Comfort.

Location from Victoria

Victoria gallery

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. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007 (CBSA-EST2007-01)" (CSV). 2007 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2008-03-27. http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/tables/2007/CBSA-EST2007-01.csv. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
4. ^ Texas Transportation Commission, Texas State Travel Guide, 2008, p. 72
5. ^ "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.
6. ^ "National Weather Service Corpus Christi". http://www.srh.noaa.gov/crp/climate/normals.html. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
7. ^ "Parole Division Region IV." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
8. ^ "Post Office™ Location - VICTORIA." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
9. ^ "Post Office™ Location - JAMES MOODY." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
10. ^ Handbook of Texas Online - ST. MARY'S CHURCH

External links

• City of Victoria, Texas
• Victoria Economic Development Corporation economic development
• The Victoria Advocate newspaper
• MarketplaceVictoria.com
• Social Media - The .Communit-eLounge of Victoria, Texas'
• Aloe Army Air Field from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Port of Victoria and the Victoria Barge Canal
• Victoria Advocate

Categories: Victoria, Texas | Cities in Texas | County seats in Texas | Guadalupe River (Texas) | Victoria, Texas metropolitan area | Capitals of former nations