Dawson is a town in Navarro 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 ...

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 ...

. The population was 807 at the 2010 census.

History

The town was established in 1847 and was the second town established in the county.

Geography

Dawson is located at (31.895427, –96.715345). 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 t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which, are land and 0.56% is covered by water.

Demographics

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 in ...

of 2000, 852 people, 361 households, and 229 families were residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was 480.8 people per square mile (185.9/km²). The 408 housing units averaged 230.2 per square mile (89.0/km²). 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 80.99% White, 15.14% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 1.64% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 6.34% of the population. Of the 361 households, 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were not families. About 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36, and the average family size was 3.07. In the town, the population was distributed as 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $25,658, and for a family was $40,441. Males had a median income of $30,250 versus $20,417 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 $13,190. About 13.2% of families and 20.9% 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 27.8% of those under age 18 and 27.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Town of Dawson is served by the Dawson Independent School District.

Braniff Flight 352

Braniff Flight 352 was a scheduled domestic flight from William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas, to Love Field in

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 ...

. On May 3, 1968, a Lockheed L-188A Electra flying on the route, registration N9707C, broke up in midair and crashed near Dawson, Texas, after flying into a severe thunderstorm. It was carrying a crew of five and 80 passengers. No one survived. Investigation revealed that the accident was caused by the captain's decision to penetrate an area of heavy weather followed by a structural overstress and failure of the airframe while attempting recovery from loss of control during a steep 180° turn executed in an attempt to escape the weather.

Notable people

Anjanette Comer Anjanette Comer (born August 7, 1939) is an American actress. Early years Born in Dawson, Texas to Rufus Franklin Comer, Jr., and Nola Dell “Sue” (Perkins) Comer, she attended Dawson High School. She gained acting experience at the Pasadena ...

, actress * Lester Roloff,

Independent Baptist Independent Baptist churches (some also called Independent Fundamental Baptist or IFB) are Christian congregations, generally holding to conservative (primarily fundamentalist) Baptist beliefs. Although some Independent Baptist churches refuse af ...

evangelist and controversial teen group home operator

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to 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 ...

, Dawson has a humid subtropical climate,''Cfa'' on climate maps.Climate Summary for Dawson, Texas
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References

{{authority control Towns in Navarro County, Texas Towns in Texas Populated places established in 1847 1847 establishments in Texas