Hale Center is a city in Hale County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. The population was 2,252 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Hale Center lies on the high plains of the

Llano Estacado The Llano Estacado (), sometimes translated into English as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. One of the largest mesas or tablelands on the North A ...

at the intersection of

Interstate 27 Interstate 27 (I-27) is an Interstate Highway, entirely in the US state of Texas, running north from Lubbock to I-40 in Amarillo. These two cities are the only control cities on I-27; other cities and towns served by I-27 include (from south ...

and Farm to Market Road 1914, in central Hale County. The community is located to the southwest of the county seat of Plainview and about north of

Lubbock Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northwe ...

. Hale Center is located at (34.0642436 –101.8437866). 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 the ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

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 ...

system, Hale Center has a

semiarid 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-ar ...

, ''BSk'' on climate maps.

History

Hale Center was founded in 1893 with the merger of two rival communities, Hale City and Epworth, both founded in 1891. Residents moved buildings to the new site. The new post office was named for the fact that the community is at the center of the county. A

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

destroyed downtown Hale Center on June 2, 1965, including many businesses, city hall, and the fire station. Casualties included five dead and 60 injured, with $8 million in property damage.

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 2,062 people, 791 households, and 529 families residing in the city.

2010 census

At the 2010

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 incl ...

, 2,252 people, 763 households and 568 families resided in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 2,047.3 per square mile (804.3/km). The 867 housing units averaged 788.2 per square mile (309.6/km). 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 city was 69.9% White, 4.2% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.0% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 63.2% of the population. Of the 763 households, 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were not families. About 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.9 and the average family size was 3.41. The population was distributed as 31.0% under the age of 18, 53.8% aged 18–64 years old, and 15.2% were 65 years of age and older. The median age was 33.9 years. The population is 48.5% male, and 51.5% female. 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 of ...

was $30,337. The poverty rate was 25.7%.

Education

Hale Center is served by the

Hale Center Independent School District Hale Center Independent School District is a public school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most ...

and is home to the Hale Center Owls.

References

External links

City of Hale Center official website
* * {{authority control Cities in Hale County, Texas Cities in Texas 1893 establishments in Texas