Hale Center is a city in
Hale County,
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 2,252 at the
2010 census.
Geography
Hale Center lies on the high plains of the
Llano Estacado 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 sou ...
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 northw ...
.
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 t ...
, 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- ...
, ''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 in ...
, 2,252 people, 763 households and 568 families resided in the city. 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 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 o ...
was $30,337. The poverty rate was 25.7%.
Education
Hale Center is served by the Hale Center Independent School District and is home to the Hale Center Owls.
See also
* Llano Estacado
* List of ghost towns in Texas
*Running Water Draw
Running Water Draw is an ephemeral watercourse about long, heading about west-northwest of Clovis, New Mexico, and trending generally east-southeast, into Texas, to join Callahan Draw at the head of the White River about west of Floydada and ...
*Yellow House Draw
Yellow House Draw is an ephemeral watercourse about long, heading about southwest of Melrose, New Mexico, and tending generally east-southeastward across the Llano Estacado to the city of Lubbock, where it joins Blackwater Draw to form Yellow Ho ...
*Blackwater Draw
Blackwater Draw is an intermittent stream channel about long, with headwaters in Roosevelt County, New Mexico, about southwest of Clovis, New Mexico, and flows southeastward across the Llano Estacado toward the city of Lubbock, Texas, where i ...
*White River (Texas)
The White River is an intermittent stream in the South Plains of Texas and a tributary of the Brazos River of the United States. It rises west of Floydada in southwestern Floyd County at the confluence of Callahan and Runningwater Draws. Fro ...
References
External links
City of Hale Center official website
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{{authority control
Cities in Hale County, Texas
Cities in Texas
1893 establishments in Texas