Joaquin ( ; ) is a city in northeastern

Shelby County, Texas Shelby County is a county located in the far eastern portion of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 24,022. Its county seat is Center. The county was established in 1835 as a municipality of Mexico and organiz ...

, United States. Founded in 1885, it was named after Joaquin Morris, grandson of the original land owner, Benjamin Franklin Morris. Its population was 734 at the 2020 census. It is located on U.S. Highway 84 (future

Interstate 69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of eight unconnected segments. The longest segment runs from Evansville, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, and includ ...

) and the tracks of the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

Geography

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 ...

, the city has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²), of which 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²) are land and 0.43% is covered by water.

History

The site was founded in 1885 for a station for the Houston, East and West Texas Railway. The land was donated by Benjamin Franklin Morris, and the site was named for his grandson Joaquin Lopez . The post office was opened in the following year. The site operated as a shipping point for

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

and

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

, with a

lumber mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimens ...

functioning there. The town was incorporated in 1940, with a population increase with the development of the

Toledo Bend Reservoir Toledo Bend Reservoir is a reservoir on the Sabine River between Texas and Louisiana. The lake has an area of , the largest man-made body of water partially in both Louisiana and Texas, the largest in the South, and the fifth largest by surfac ...

years later.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 734 people, 320 households, and 238 families residing in the city. 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, 925 people, 349 households, and 244 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 400 housing units averaged 173.7/sq mi (67.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.84% White, 19.03% African American, 0.86% Native American, 1.08% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.14% of the population. Of the 349 households, 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were not families. About 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.26. In the city, the population was distributed as 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,611, and for a family was $34,000. Males had a median income of $25,938 versus $17,000 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 $12,232. About 19.1% of families and 25.5% 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 26.6% of those under age 18 and 34.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in the city of Joaquin is provided by the

Joaquin Independent School District Joaquin Independent School District is a public school district based in Joaquin, 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 border ...

Media

The Light and Champion, a news and information company, marked its 140th year of operation in 2017. It serves Shelby County, as well as Logansport, Louisiana.

Notable people

Winston Hill Winston Cordell Hill (October 23, 1941 – April 26, 2016) was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New York Jets. He ...

, NFL offensive tackle and Hall of Famer, was born in Joaquin on October 23, 1941 * Orren Ray Whiddon, lieutenant general in the United States Army

References

Notes

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Shelby County, Texas