Elsa is a city in Hidalgo County,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States. The population was 5,668 at the 2020 census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.

Geography

Elsa is located in eastern Hidalgo County at (26.297672, –97.992770), north of Weslaco and east of Edinburg on State Highway 107 and FM 88. It is bordered to the east by the city of Edcouch and to the west by the unincorporated community of La Blanca. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Elsa has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,668 people, 2,093 households, and 1,735 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 5,549 people, 1,575 households, and 1,324 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,754 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 74.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.34%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.45% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 21.7% from other races, and 2.97% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 97.28% of the population. There were 1,575 households, out of which 44.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 22.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.9% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.52 and the average family size was 3.90. In the city, the population was spread out, with 34.7% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,232, and the median income for a family was $21,831. Males had a median income of $21,957 versus $17,107 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $7,550. About 33.5% of families and 38.3% 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 ...

, including 51.9% of those under age 18 and 32.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Elsa Post Office.

Education

Elsa is served by the

Edcouch-Elsa Independent School District Edcouch-Elsa Independent School District is a public school district based in Edcouch, Texas, Edcouch, Texas (United States, USA). In addition to Edcouch, the district also serves the city of Elsa, Texas, Elsa and a portion of La Blanca, Texas, ...

. In addition,

South Texas Independent School District South Texas Independent School District (STISD) is a magnet school district headquartered in Mercedes, Texas ( USA). STISD operates magnet schools that draw students from three counties: Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy. STISD covers an area o ...

operates magnet schools that serve the community. The Elsa Public Library is located in Elsa.

History

Elsa was settled as ranch land before 1800. Anglo-Americans settled in the area in the early 1900s; the town was laid out with the coming of the

Texas and New Orleans Railroad The Texas and New Orleans Railroad (TNO) was an American rail company in Texas and Louisiana. It operated of railroad in 1934; by 1961, remained when it merged with parent company Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific. Morgan's Louisian ...

in 1927, and incorporated in 1940.Elsa, Texas
in '' The Handbook of Texas Online'' (accessed 2016-04-12). The Ro-Tel brand of tomatoes and green chile, now known as a basic ingredient of

Tex-Mex Tex-Mex cuisine (derived from the words ''Texas'' and ''Mexico'') is a regional American cuisine that originates from the culinary creations of Tejanos, Tejano people. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern ...

cooking, began in 1943 as a family canning plant in Elsa established by Carl Roetelle.

References

External links

City of Elsa official website

Elsa Public Library
{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Hidalgo County, Texas