Freer is a city in
Duval County,
Texas, United States. The population was 2,818 at the
2010 census,
down from 3,241 at the
2000 census.
Like
Sweetwater, the seat of
Nolan County in
West Texas, Freer holds an annual
rattlesnake
Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera ''Crotalus'' and ''Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small anim ...
roundup in March.
The first
oil well
An oil well is a drillhole boring in Earth that is designed to bring petroleum oil hydrocarbons to the surface. Usually some natural gas is released as associated petroleum gas along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce only gas may ...
in Texas was drilled in Freer in 1860, a year after the discovery in
Titusville, Pennsylvania, but it was unproductive. In 1907, oil was again discovered in Duval County, six years after
Spindletop
Spindletop is an oil field located in the southern portion of Beaumont, Texas, in the United States. The Spindletop dome was derived from the Louann Salt evaporite layer of the Jurassic geologic period. On January 10, 1901, a well at Spindleto ...
near
Beaumont.
Geography
Freer is located in northwestern Duval County at (27.879156, –98.616237).
U.S. Route 59
U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA Corridor Highway Sy ...
passes east–west through the city as Riley Street. Once outside the city limits, US 59 leads northeast to
Beeville
Beeville is a city in Bee County, Texas, United States, with a population of 12,863 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bee County and home to the main campus of Coastal Bend College. The area around the city contains three prisons oper ...
and southwest to
Laredo.
Texas State Highway 16 (Norton Avenue) crosses US 59 in the center of town and leads north to
San Antonio and southwest to
Zapata on the
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.
The length of the Rio G ...
.
Texas State Highway 44 passes through the center of Freer on Riley Street with US 59 but leads east to
San Diego, the Duval County seat, and to
Alice
Alice may refer to:
* Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname
Literature
* Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll
* ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
, as well as west to
Interstate 35 at
Encinal.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, Freer has a total area of , of which , or 0.30%, is water.
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 2,461 people, 809 households, and 663 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of the
census of 2000, there were 3,241 people, 1,111 households, and 845 families residing in the city. The
population density was 804.3 people per square mile (310.5/km
2). There were 1,334 housing units at an average density of 331.1 per square mile (127.8/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 80.59%
White, 0.46%
African American, 0.68%
Native American, 0.25%
Asian, 14.87% from
other races, and 3.15% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 77.38% of the population.
There were 1,111 households, out of which 42.0% 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, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.40.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 33.1% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,078, and the median income for a family was $26,475. Males had a median income of $26,789 versus $17,159 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $11,457. About 18.4% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 26.5% of those under age 18 and 25.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The city is served by the
Freer Independent School District.
Notable people
*
Jim Acker, (b 1958) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1983 to 1992 most with the Toronto Blue Jays.
*
Toni Adams, (1964–2010) was a professional wrestling manager and valet who appeared in several American regional promotions during the 1980s
*
Steve McMichael, (b 1957), is a former American football defensive tackle for Chicago Bears and former professional wrestler for WCW.
*
Paul Sadler
Paul Lindsey Sadler (born April 29, 1955) is an American attorney from Henderson, Texas, now residing in Bandera, Texas who served from 1991 to 2003 in the Texas House of Representatives. He was the Democratic nominee for the United States S ...
,(b 1955) is a attorney and Texas politician.
*
Buddy Temple
Arthur "Buddy" Temple III (January 26, 1942 – April 14, 2015) was a businessman from Lufkin, Texas, who served as a Democrat in the Texas House of Representatives and on the Texas Railroad Commission. He failed in a bid for his party's guberna ...
(D), was a (1942–2015) was a businessman and politician.
Media
KBRA
KBRA (95.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to Freer, Texas, United States. The station is currently owned by Cobra Broadcasting, LLC - KBRA.
History
The Federal Communications Commission issued a construction permit for the station on 1982-10-2 ...
-FM radio at 95.9 MHz.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification system, Freer has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Climate Summary for Freer, Texas
/ref>
References
External links
City of Freer official website
Vintage Life Magazine photos
{{authority control
Cities in Texas
Cities in Duval County, Texas