Fort Davis is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, su ...

(CDP) in

Jeff Davis County, Texas Jeff Davis County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,996. Its county seat is Fort Davis. The county is named for Jefferson Davis, who served as the 23rd United States Secretary of War in the 1 ...

, United States. The population was 1,201 at the 2010 census, up from 1,050 at the 2000 census. It is 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 ...

of Jeff Davis County.

History

It was the site of Fort Davis, established in 1854 on the San Antonio–El Paso Road through west Texas and named after Jefferson Davis, who was then the Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce. It was reestablished in 1867 following the civil war.

Geography

Fort Davis is located in southeastern Jeff Davis County at the southeast foot of the Davis Mountains. Texas State Highway 17 (State Street) passes through the center of town, leading northeast to

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally ...

at Balmorhea and southwest to Marfa. Texas State Highway 118 joins Highway 17 through the center of Fort Davis, but leads northwest through the Davis Mountains to I-10 and southeast to Alpine. 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 An economy is an area of th ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all land. Fort Davis has the highest elevation above sea level of any

in Texas; the elevation is .

Climate

Fort Davis experiences a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi- ...

( Köppen ''BSk'') with cool, dry winters and hot, wet summers. There is a large degree of

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak ...

due to the high elevation of the area.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,024 people, 415 households, and 317 families residing in the CDP.

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 in ...

of 2000, 1,050 people, 415 households, and 298 families resided in the CDP. 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 188.2 people per square mile (72.7/km²). The 525 housing units averaged 94.1 per square mile (36.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.29% White, 0.19% African American, 0.48% Native American, 7.62% from other races, and 3.43% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 49.33% of the population. Of the 415 households, 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were not families. About 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.02. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $25,882, and for a family was $27,955. Males had a median income of $22,500 versus $20,000 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 CDP was $14,249. About 20.7% of families and 21.6% 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 26.3% of those under age 18 and 26.0% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Points of interest

* Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens at the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute *

Fort Davis National Historic Site Fort Davis National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Site located in the unincorporated community of Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County, Texas. Located within the Davis Mountains of West Texas, the historic site was established ...

* The

McDonald Observatory McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near unincorporated community of Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The facility is located on Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, with additional fac ...

of the University of Texas at Austin * Fort Davis is home to one of 10 dishes comprising the

Very Long Baseline Array The Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) is a system of ten radio telescopes which are operated remotely from their Array Operations Center located in Socorro, New Mexico, as a part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). These ten ra ...

* Davis Mountains State Park

Education

Fort Davis is served by the

Fort Davis Independent School District Fort Davis Independent School District (FDISD) is a public school district based in the community of Fort Davis in unincorporated Jeff Davis County, Texas (USA). It covers eastern parts of the county. In 2009, the school district was rated " ...

. * Dirks-Anderson Elementary School *

Fort Davis High School Fort Davis Junior-Senior High School is a public high school located in the unincorporated community of Fort Davis, in central Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The school is operated by the Fort Davis Independent School District and cl ...

All of Jeff Davis County is zoned to Odessa College.

Gallery

Image:Hotel Limpia Fort Davis.JPG, Hotel Limpia (''circa'' 1912) Image:Fort Davis Masonic Lodge.JPG, Masonic Lodge

References

External links

Handbook of Texas: Fort Davis, TX

Fort Davis Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Census-designated places in Jeff Davis County, Texas Census-designated places in Texas County seats in Texas Butterfield Overland Mail in Texas 1854 establishments in Texas