Bronte ( ) is a town in Coke County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States. The population was 999 at the 2010 census.

Texas State Senator The Texas Senate ( es, Senado de Texas) is the upper house of the Texas State Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing single-member districts across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 806,000 per cons ...

Grady Hazlewood Places United States *Grady, Alabama, an unincorporated community *Grady, Arkansas, a city *Grady, Mississippi, an unincorporated community *Grady, New Mexico, a village *Grady, Oklahoma, an unincorporated community *Grady, Virginia, an unincorporat ...

, who served from the

Amarillo Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat, seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County. It is the List of cities in Texas by population, 14th-most populous city in Texas and th ...

-based

District 31 A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

from 1941 to 1971, was born in 1902 in Coke County, near Bronte.

Geography

Bronte is located at (31.887046, –100.294947). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , all of it land. Although named for English novelist

Charlotte Brontë Charlotte Brontë (, commonly ; 21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855) was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novels became classics of English literature. She enlisted i ...

the town name is pronounced as one syllable: "brahnt".

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 933 people, 457 households, and 327 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, 1,076 people, 426 households, and 293 families resided in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 748.0 people per square mile (288.5/km²). There were 502 housing units at an average density of 349.0 per square mile (134.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.06%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.19% Native American, 0.09%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 8.55% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.12% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 20.07% of the population. Of 426 households, 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were not families. About 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was distributed as 26.9% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,150, and for a family was $37,625. Males had a median income of $30,769 versus $14,135 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $18,869. About 10.4% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

As of 2007, the largest employer in Bronte was the Coke County Juvenile Justice Center, followed by the

Bronte Independent School District Bronte Independent School District is a public school district based in Bronte, Texas ( USA). Located in Coke County, a portion of the district extends into Runnels County. Bronte ISD has two campuses - Bronte High School (Grades 7-12) and Br ...

. During that year, Gerald Sandusky, the mayor of Bronte, estimated the juvenile facility employed 180 people, and 30–35% of the juvenile center's employees lived in Coke County.Salazar, Maribel.
TYC center shutdown stuns Bronte officials
." ''

Abilene Reporter-News ''Abilene Reporter-News'' is a daily newspaper based in Abilene, Texas, United States. The newspaper started publishing as the weekly ''Abilene Reporter'', helmed by Charles Edwin Gilbert on June 17, 1881, just three months after Abilene was fo ...

''. October 2, 2007. Retrieved on July 5, 2010.

Government and infrastructure

The Coke County Juvenile Justice Center, located in

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

Coke County, south of Bronte,Facility Address List
" Texas Youth Commission. February 2, 2002. Retrieved on May 6, 2010. was a 200-bed secure facility operated by the

GEO Group The GEO Group, Inc. (GEO) is a publicly traded C corporation that invests in private prisons and mental health facilities in North America, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, the company's f ...

(formerly Wackenhut Corrections Corp.) and contracted by the

Texas Youth Commission The Texas Youth Commission (TYC) was a Texas state agency which operated juvenile corrections facilities in the state. The commission was headquartered in the Brown-Heatly Building in Austin. As of 2007, it was the second largest juvenile correct ...

(TYC). Originally designed for girls, it was changed into an all-boy facility in 1998. In 2007, after the TYC inspected the facility, it moved the roughly 200 youth it contracted to the center out of the Coke County facility and caused it to close. During the life of the Coke County facility, Wackenhut received criticism from the media for how it operated the center.Locked Inside A Nightmare
" ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...

''. May 2000. Retrieved on July 5, 2010. Coke County officials criticized the closing, saying that the closing was politically motivated.

Education

The town is served by the

. The district provided educational services for the inmates at Coke County Juvenile Justice Center, and 21 district employees were based at the center. During that year, Alan Richey, the superintendent of Bronte ISD, estimated 40% of the enrollment in the school district consisted of children who were incarcerated in the center. The superintendent said the district lost $2 million in funding as a result of the closure of the juvenile facility.

References

{{authority control Towns in Coke County, Texas Towns in Texas