Cooper is a city in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Delta County, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. Located between the north and south forks of the
Sulphur River, Cooper is the largest settlement in Delta County. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a population of 1,911.
First inhabited by native people, Cooper was founded around 1870, at the same time that Delta County was established. Cooper grew rapidly and quickly became the center of local events. The city's economy relied primarily on agriculture and the shipping of local goods. In the mid-1890s, a railroad line was built through the city, assisting in Cooper's growth. The city continued to grow through the 1910s, and into the early 1920s. In 1926, however, the region's
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...
crop failed, devastating the local economy. Many businesses were forced to close, including the railroad, and the city's population plummeted. Although Cooper began to recover during the mid-1930s, many people who left did not return, and the city never fully recovered. The local economy continued to rely on the growing of cotton as the main economy into the 1960s, until it began to shift to
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
growing in the early 1970s. The population of Cooper has been on a slow decline since the 1970s.
Cooper currently has no sites listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. The city's economy still relies largely on agriculture. Cooper is located on the eastern edge of the
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex (DFW metroplex), a large, 12-county
metropolitan area, one of the most populated in the country.
History
Before establishment
The first inhabitants of the area that is now the site of Cooper were the
Caddo Indians
The Caddo people comprise the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Binger, Oklahoma. They speak the Caddo language.
The Caddo Confederacy was a network of Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, who ...
, who settled large portions of eastern Texas as early as 800 CE. The Caddo were highly advanced, living in large wooden structures, and were skilled farmers.
The first European to visit the area was French explorer François Hervey, who discovered the area around 1750. However, a few decades later, some of the Indians caught European diseases and along with attacks from neighboring Indian tribes, forced the Caddo out of the area around Cooper. Around 1820,
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
,
Quapaw
The Quapaw ( ; or Arkansas and Ugahxpa) people are a tribe of Native Americans that coalesced in what is known as the Midwest and Ohio Valley of the present-day United States. The Dhegiha Siouan-speaking tribe historically migrated from the Oh ...
, and
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...
tribes settled in the area. In 1836, the
Republic of Texas officially recognized the region around Cooper as part of
Red River County
Red River County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 11,587. Its county seat is Clarksville. The county was created in 1835 and organized in 1837. It is named for the Red River, which forms its n ...
. In 1840,
Lamar County was formed, absorbing the Cooper area. However, just six years later, the region was designated as part of the newly formed
Hopkins County.
After the Civil War, the region around the site of Cooper began to grow and develop. People in nearby
Ben Franklin, Texas
Ben Franklin is an unincorporated community in Delta County, Texas, United States, four miles (6 km) northeast of Pecan Gap and 77 miles (124 km) northeast of Dallas. The town's ZIP Code is 75415.
The settlement was located on Benjam ...
, grew tired of the poor road conditions that connected the region. In 1868, people in the area petitioned the state government to create a new county located between the north and south forks of the Sulphur River. On July 29, 1870, after two years of debating, the state of Texas granted the request for the new county. Shortly afterwards, the first settlements were built in Cooper and the town was established. The community was named after Leroy Cooper, the chairman of the Texas House Committee on Counties and Boundaries, who helped establish the new county. Cooper was selected as the seat for the county, which was named Delta County due to its triangular shape.
Since establishment
Cooper grew rapidly after being established, with a post office built in the community in 1871. Cooper was incorporated into a town in 1881 and held its first government elections. That same year, Cooper constructed the county courthouse. The town became the main market center for Delta County, and by 1885, Cooper had a population around 300. The Texas Midland Railroad, which ran through Cooper, was chartered in 1892. The railroad helped promote the rapid growth of the town. By 1896, Cooper's population had passed 1,000 people, and contained two churches, a school, and 21 businesses, including a bank and a hotel. The town also had two weekly newspapers. Cooper continued to grow into the early 1900s, especially in the area of agriculture. From the early 1890s to around 1910, farms boomed both in number and in value, with the number of cash crops nearly tripling. The region produced over 70,000 chickens and almost 7,000 pigs yearly.
Cooper continued to grow into the 1920s. The bank had been rebuilt in 1909, and the region's crops continued to prosper. Cooper reported its largest population, 2,563, in 1925.
Delta County was hit by the
Great Depression early, though. In late 1926, the community's cotton crop failed, forcing many residents to withdraw their savings. The bank was forced to close in 1927, and by the time it reopened a few months later, the region's economy had plummeted. Several families moved away from Cooper during the early 1930s, and in 1933, the bank was forced to close again. The Midland Texas Railroad failed, hurting Cooper's economy further. The
New Deal program offered government-financed construction projects in Cooper, and in 1940, the
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
demolished the former courthouse in Cooper and replaced it with a new one at a cost of $110,450 (equivalent to $ respectively in 2022). However, even with the stability of the economy, Cooper's population remained low until the 1950s, when it returned to about 2,350 people. The population declined again in the 1980s, and has continued to slowly decline. Cooper had roughly 60 businesses in the 1970s and 1980s, and in 1986, work on
Cooper Lake had begun.
Filling of the lake began in September 1991, and by the next year, the lake was open for recreation.
At that time, Cooper reported having 70 businesses, and a population around 2,200. By 2000, the population had dropped by about 50 people and an estimate for 2016 is 1,957 inhabitants.
Geography
Cooper is the county seat of Delta County, as well as its most populated city.
According to statistics from 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 t ...
, the city has a total area of , of which (99.31%) is land. About (0.69%) is covered by water.
Cooper is located at an elevation of , a few miles north of Cooper Lake, between the north and south forks of the Sulphur River.
It is located about northeast of
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
and west of
Texarkana.
Texas State Highway 24
State Highway 24 (SH 24) runs from Campbell to Paris in north Texas. It is a portion of the main route, along with Interstate 30, from Paris to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
History
On June 21, 1917, SH 24 was designated from Denton to ...
bypasses Cooper to the north; however, Texas State Highway 24 Business splits off and passes through the center of the city.
Texas State Highway 154
State Highway 154 (SH 154) is a state highway that runs from Cooper to Marshall in northeast Texas.
History
The route was designated originally on March 19, 1930 between Cooper and Quitman as a renumbering of SH 37A. A proposed extension wes ...
begins at the western edge of Cooper and passes through the center of the city, intersecting
Farm to Market Road 1528 near the county courthouse.
Farm to Market Road 64
A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...
enters the very western portion of Cooper before terminating at State Highway 24. Nearby highways include
Farm to Market Road 1880 and
Farm to Market Road 1529.
Cooper, as well as most of Delta County, is located in the
Texas Blackland Prairies region, a flat, tall-grass prairie ecosystem that covers a large portion of north-central Texas. The region's elevation rarely differs from around . The area's geology consists mainly of deep clay, or clay mixed with a dark-colored loam. However, the county is also known to have high-quality topsoil, ideal for crop growing.
Climate
Under the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, Cooper is in zone ''Cfa'' with warm, wet summers and a
humid subtropical climate.
[ ''(direct]
Final Revised Paper
'' The average temperature in Cooper in January is , and in July it is . Its highest recorded temperature was in 1969, and the lowest recorded temperature was in 1989. The average wettest month is October. The average coolest month is January, while the average hottest month is August.
Demographics
At the
2010 U.S. census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...
, the population of Cooper was 1,969 people.
Five hundred families were residing in 771 households spread across 897 housing units across the city.
The total showed an increase of 56.6% from 2000.
As of 2010, the
racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the town was 77.2%
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 o ...
, 14.8%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 1.2%
Native American, 1.1%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, and 2.8% from other races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 6.1% of the population.
In 2020, the population declined to 1,911 people with a yet predominantly
non-Hispanic white population.
The
American Community Survey of 2020 estimated its racial and ethnic makeup was 74.6% non-Hispanic white, 16.3% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 1.8% multiracial, and 6.0% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
As of 2010, of the 771 households, 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were not families.
Of all households, 31.5% were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.09.
The age distribution was 25.9% under 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 or older.
The median age was 40.2 years.
The median income for a household in the town was $27,531,
and the median income for a family was $29,853.
In 2000, employed males had a median income of $25,592 versus $17,500 for employed females. Also in 2000, 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 city was $13,815.
By 2020, its median household income increased to $36,458.
During the 2010 census, residents self-identified with a variety of ethnic ancestries; the major categories reflect the settlers of the early to mid-19th century. People of American descent make up 21% of the population of the city, followed by
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
at 15.2%,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
at 7.2%,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
at 4.3%,
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
at 2.5%,
French at 2.4%,
Scottish at 1.5%,
French−Canadian at 0.7%,
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
at 0.5%,
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
at 0.5%,
Slavic at 0.5%,
Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
at 0.4%,
Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
at 0.3%,
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
at 0.3%,
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
at 0.2%, and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
rounding out at 0.2%.
A total of 818 persons were of "other ancestries".
Religion
![Cooper October 2015 5 (First United Methodist Church)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Cooper_October_2015_5_%28First_United_Methodist_Church%29.jpg)
The first religious establishment in the region was erected by pioneers from Tennessee in 1847. By 1860, two
Methodist Episcopal churches had been built nearby. In 1880, seven churches, which were predominantly
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
, had been established in Delta County. In 1889, seven
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
churches that had been established in the region held a meeting as the Delta County Baptist Association. During the early 1980s, 17 churches were in Delta County, two of which were located in Cooper.
In 1931, 13 Baptist churches were located in and around Cooper. During the mid-1960s, 32 churches were in the region, representing seven Christian denominations. However, by 1982, five of those churches had closed.
Currently, 18 churches are located within the city limits of Cooper. These include congregations of the
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...
and the
Seventh-day Adventist Church, as well as those of Baptist,
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
,
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement , Methodist Episcopal, and other denominations of Christianity. Six of the churches are of Baptist denomination, and three are Methodist.
Economy
![Cooper downtown](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Cooper_downtown.jpg)
Cooper's economy relied heavily on agriculture from its founding until the 1950s, especially on the growing of
cash crops. In 1880, cotton, corn, sorghum, and other crops were grown on over of farmland. The county also produced large quantities of livestock, with almost 3,000 cattle and 10,000 hogs grazing on land near Cooper. The logging industry began to grow in the region, and several mills were constructed, producing furniture and lumber. In 1886, the Santa Fe Railway built a line through the county, and the shipping of crops and lumber became a major business in Cooper. During the early 1890s, the livestock industry in Delta County struggled, with the number of hogs being raised dropping to half of what it had been the previous decade. However, the agricultural business boomed, with the number of farms in the area around Cooper increasing to 1,188, and the value of the farms doubled to $1,400 (equivalent to $, respectively in 2022) each. The production of cotton tripled, and the poultry industry began to boom. Within the city limits, Cooper housed a hotel, a shoemaker, a grocery store, a wagon maker, feed stores, general stores, drug stores, and several cotton and oat gins. Delta County contained 18 manufacturing establishments, but they only employed 33 people. The average income for someone working in the region was $208 (equivalent to $ respectively in 2022).
At the turn of the century, the cotton industry was booming. The crop made up 69% of the agricultural business in the region. Livestock production was booming, as was poultry production, especially chicken. In addition, the shipping of agricultural goods and livestock was the other main business in Cooper. The First National Bank was rebuilt in 1909 and became an important factor in Cooper's economy. In the 1910s, potatoes become an important part of the economy due to the sudden drop in the livestock business. In 1926, the cotton crop failed and Cooper's economy plummeted. Many of Cooper's inhabitants became deep in debt as the price of crops plummeted. The lumber businesses had exhausted the regions resources, forcing most of them to go out of business. Many people moved away to find new work. The local economy stabilized in the mid-1930s, and cotton, potato, and corn production began to rise. The growing of oats, however, had ended. In addition, the railroad going through Cooper had failed a few years before, so the shipping industry in Cooper was struggling. Cotton and alfalfa carried Cooper's economy through the 1950s and 1960s, until the shift to the growing of wheat in the 1970s. Cooper reported 60 businesses in the 1970s, more than half of which were dairies. During the 1980s and 1990s, Cooper's economy shifted to the manufacturing and shipping of local goods, and in 1991, Cooper had 70 businesses.
Currently, Cooper's economy features several unique industries. According to the 2010 census, the industries in the town (by percentage of employed civilian population 16 years and over) were educational, health, and social services at 34.6%, manufacturing at 18.7%, arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services with 13.6%, construction at 10.2%, transportation, warehousing, and utilities at 5.1%, professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services at 4.9%, public administration with 4.3%, retail trade at 3.9%, finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing with 2.0%, other services (except public administration) with 1.6%, and agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining at 1.0%.
Of the people in the
labor force
The workforce or labour force is a concept referring to the pool of human beings either in employment or in unemployment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single company or industry, but can also apply to a geographic reg ...
over the age of 16,679 people (49.3% of the population) were in the civilian work force, while 697 people (50.7% of the population) were not in the labor force at all. At the time of the census, 70 people (5.1%) were unemployed, with none in the
armed forces. Of the 609 employed residents over the age 16, private-sector wage and salary workers accounted for 475 of them (78.0%). One-hundred-nine people (17.9%) were classified as
federal government workers, with the self-employed making up 4.1% of the population. No one was classified as an unpaid worker.
The
median household income
The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways o ...
for the city of Cooper was $27,531, with 137 persons (19.7%) in that class of income; 125 people (18.0%) identified themselves as retired.
Arts and culture
![Cooper October 2015 3 (Chiggerfest)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Cooper_October_2015_3_%28Chiggerfest%29.jpg)
Since its founding, Cooper has served as the center of attractions for Delta County. The city became host to several small schools and churches.
In 1955, the construction of Cooper Lake was authorized. In 1986, major work on the lake began, and the lake was finished in 1991.
The lake is now the most popular tourist attraction in the area. Boating, swimming, and fishing are available at Cooper Lake. The main fish stocked in the lake are catfish, largemouth bass, and crappie.
Along the north shore of the lake is the Doctor's Creek Unit of
Cooper Lake State Park
Cooper Lake State Park is a Texas State Park in Delta and Hopkins counties, about three miles (5 km) south of Cooper, Texas. The park is situated on Jim Chapman Lake, formerly known as Cooper Lake. There are actually two geographically separ ...
. The park contains several picnic areas, campgrounds, and a large swimming area on Cooper Lake. The park also contains several hiking and equestrian trails.
On the eastern edge of the lake near the Cooper Lake Dam is the Wildlife Observation Deck, a large birdwatching platform.
Along the west and northwest shores of the lake is the Cooper Wildlife Management Area. The park was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and protects four unique habitat types. These are wetland, Blackland Prairie, Upland Post Oak, and Bottomland Hardwood. The park contains several hiking trails, as well as birdwatching stations and wildlife viewing areas. The park allows fishing and hunting to visitors if they have a proper license.
Cooper is also host to the annual Chiggerfest. The event, held every October, serves as a social gathering for the region. The two-day event begins with an open-air concert in Historic Cooper Square. Other events include a
5K run/walk and smashing a car. The festival includes numerous street vendors and a children's area.
Patterson Memorial County Library is also located in Cooper, as well as a municipal park, and numerous recreational and community centers,
including the historic McKinney Home, the house of Dr. John and May McKinney, which was built in 1912 and later restored by their decedent author Susan Albright Hyde.
Government
Since its incorporation in 1870, Cooper has served as the seat for Delta County. Because of this, Cooper houses the
county courthouse
A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...
, county offices, sheriff, and county library. Cooper has a
mayor–council government
The mayor–council government system is a system of local government that has a mayor who is directly elected by the voters serve as chief executive, and a separately elected legislative city council. It is one of the two most common forms of ...
. The city council is made up of five members who are elected at large. The current council members are mayor
pro-tem David Philips, Allen Foster, Amanda L'Esperance,Diane Stegall, and Elmo Robinson. The city's current mayor is Darren Brady.
The first election in Delta County occurred on October 6, 1870, to establish control in the newly formed county. Cooper held its first election in 1881, establishing an
alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...
ic government. Around that time, the first county courthouse was built in Cooper. Delta County, in addition to Cooper, voted for the Democratic Party in every presidential election from its incorporation in 1870 until 1968. However, the
Populist Party won numerous local and county government positions during the 1890s and the early 1900s. In the 1970s, politics in Delta County shifted, and most of the county began voting for the Republican Party.
Delta County's government consists of a county judge and four county commissioners, representing four county precincts. The current Delta County judge is Herbert Brookshire, and the four commissioners are B. V. Templeton, David Moody, Wayne Poole, and Mark Brantley.
The current county sheriff is Charla Singleton.
In addition, Cooper is served by two Texas judicial districts. Judge Scott McDowell serves as judge of the 62nd Texas Judicial District, a position he has held since 2000. However, McDowell has announced that he will not be seeking another term.
Cooper is also part of Texas' 8th Judicial District, which is served by Judge Robert Newsom. Newsom has served as 8th district judge since his election in 1997, but has also announced that he will not be seeking another term.
Cooper is represented by Reggie Smith (
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
) in the
Texas State Legislature
The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ...
's 62nd District. Senator
Bob Hall (Republican) represents Cooper in the
Texas State Senate
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 con ...
's 2nd District. The town is represented in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
by
John Ratcliffe (Republican), and by
John Cornyn
John Cornyn III ( ; born February 2, 1952) is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the Senate majority whip for ...
(Republican) and
Ted Cruz
Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...
(Republican) in the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
.
Education
![Original Cooper Campus (ETNC)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Original_Cooper_Campus_%28ETNC%29.jpg)
Delta County has historically been advanced in education. Around the time that Cooper and the county were founded, nine churches were already in the county. By 1880, that number had increased to nearly 30. A combined 998 students attended those schools, which operated 4.5 months a year. In 1889, East Texas Normal College was founded in Cooper. The school did very well while located in Cooper, but the college moved to Commerce after the campus was destroyed in a fire in 1894. The school was later renamed East Texas State University, then
Texas A&M University–Commerce
Texas A&M University–Commerce is a public university in Commerce, Texas. With an enrollment of over 12,000 students as of fall 2017, the university is the third-largest institution in the Texas A&M University System. Founded in 1889, the inst ...
.
In 1896, Cooper reported to have one successful school located within the city proper.
Schools were important during the 1940s, as they became the local activity centers. In the early 1940s, there were 34 common schools and six independent school districts within Delta County. These schools employed 134 people and had a combined total of 4,000 students enrolled. Cooper, along with Pecan Gap and Enloe, offered a four-year high school program. Late in the 1940s, with the help of state taxes on transportation, the schools and districts began to consolidate. In 1966, Cooper had two elementary schools, a junior high school, and a high school.
The
Cooper Independent School District (Cooper ISD) currently operates the schools that serve Cooper. Cooper ISD covers the majority of Delta County, except for the community of
Lake Creek, which is located within the jurisdiction of
Chisum ISD, and the communities of
Pecan Gap and
Ben Franklin
Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading intel ...
, which are located within
Fannindel ISD.
There are currently only three schools under the jurisdiction of Cooper ISD, all three of which are located within Cooper proper. The schools are Cooper Elementary School,
Cooper Junior High School,
and
Cooper High School.
Media
The first newspaper published in Cooper was the ''Delta Courier'' in 1873. The newspaper, published by Bob Michiel, ran weekly until the mid-1890s. Around the time the publishing of the ''Delta Courier'' ended, the ''People's Cause'' newspaper began running weekly. This eventually stopped running; however, ''
The Cooper Review'' began running weekly in 1982.
The ''Cooper Review'', run by Jim and Sally Butler, is still published.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Texas State Highway 154
State Highway 154 (SH 154) is a state highway that runs from Cooper to Marshall in northeast Texas.
History
The route was designated originally on March 19, 1930 between Cooper and Quitman as a renumbering of SH 37A. A proposed extension wes ...
(TX 154) intersects the city, passing through the central portion of Cooper. The highway begins at its terminus in the western portion of Cooper. The roadway travels eastward through central Cooper, before bending southeast and exiting the city. TX 154 travels within the Cooper proper for approximately .
TX 154 was first constructed through Cooper on September 26, 1935.
State Highway 24 bypasses Cooper as a four-lane divided highway.
Only of the highway pass through Cooper, traveling through the western edge of the city limits.
TX 24 was originally designated through Cooper on September 26, 1939.
However, TX 24 was rerouted around Cooper, and on January 14, 1991, the long portion of highway was redesignated as Texas State Highway 24 Business.
Farm to Market Road 64
A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...
(FM 64) enters the western portion of Cooper, traveling for a short distance before terminating at TX 154. The highway, which was constructed on June 23, 1942, spends approximately within the city.
FM 1528, known locally as 1st Street, travels through the center of Cooper. Beginning at an intersection with TX 154, the highway travels southward through the city for about , before exiting and turning westward. The road was constructed on September 28, 1949.
Nearby highways include FM 1880, which travels from the edge of the city to a part of the Cooper Lake Wildlife Management Area, FM 128, which ends at an intersection with TX 24 a short distance north of Cooper, and FM 1529, which northward a short distance east of the city.
In 1886, the Santa Fe Railroad was constructed to the north of Cooper, through Ben Franklin and Pecan Gap. Nearly a decade later, in 1895, the Texas Midland Railroad was constructed through Cooper, helping the city's economy to boom. The extant depot was built in 1913
and, the railroad flourished until 1928, when it was sold to the
Southern Pacific Corporation due to the region's struggling economy.
The line was closed in 1934, and was abandoned in 1975.
Currently, the only railroad to pass near Cooper is the
Blacklands Railroad
The Blacklands Railroad is a class III short-line railroad headquartered in Sulphur Springs, Texas.
History
The Blacklands Railroad began operations in 1999 on an abandoned Southern Pacific Transportation Company, Southern Pacific rail line tha ...
.
Commerce Municipal Airport is currently the closest airfield to Cooper, located approximately away.
Notable people
*
Don Hornsby
Don, don or DON and variants may refer to:
Places
*County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON
*Don (river), a river in European Russia
*Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name
*Don, Benin, a town in Benin
*Don, Dang, a vill ...
, former comedian and novelty pianist
*
Alice Lon
Alice Lon Wyche (November 23, 1926 – April 24, 1981), known as Alice Lon, was an American singer and dancer on ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' during its early years on network television.
Early years
By age 6, Lon was taking lessons in piano, ...
, former singer and dancer on ''
The Lawrence Welk Show
''The Lawrence Welk Show'' is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years, from 1951 to 1955, then nationally for another 16 years on ABC from 1 ...
''
*
Ron Morris, former professional
football player in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL)
References
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Cities in Texas
Cities in Delta County, Texas
County seats in Texas
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex