Ozona 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 have ...
and
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 count ...
(CDP) that serves as 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 st ...
of
Crockett County, Texas
Crockett County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,098. The county seat is Ozona. The county was founded in 1875 and later organized in 1891. It is named in honor ...
, United States.
The population was 3,225 at the time of the
2010 census.
Ozona is the only Census Bureau–recognized community in Crockett County, which is named for
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
Davy Crockett, a hero of the
Alamo.
[Texas Transportation Commission, ''Texas State Travel Guide, 2007'', p. 98]
Ozona is called the "Biggest Little Town in the World". Located on
Interstate 10 some west of
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
, rural Ozona is also southwest of
San Angelo
San Angelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tom Green County, Texas, United States. Its location is in the Concho Valley, a region of West Texas between the Permian Basin to the northwest, Chihuahuan Desert to the southwest, Osage Pl ...
. Crockett County is one of the nation's leading producers of
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...
and
mohair
Mohair (pronounced ) is a fabric or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat. (This should not be confused with Angora wool, which is made from the fur of the Angora rabbit.) Both durable and resilient, mohair is notable for its high luster ...
and is situated in the
Edwards Plateau
The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region at the crossroads of Central Texas, Central, South Texas, South, and West Texas. It is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east, the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north, and the ...
region at the western edge of the
Texas Hill Country.
Hunters
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
come to Ozona in search of
white-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
,
javelina
A peccary (also javelina or skunk pig) is a medium-sized, pig-like hoofed mammal of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North ...
, and game birds.
[
The county was organized in 1891 under a giant oak tree, which still stands and shades the historical marker describing the event. The Davy Crockett Monument is a large statue in the City Park on the town square.][ Across from the monument is the Crockett County Museum.
Ozona was known as "Powell Well", after land surveyor E. M. Powell, when it was founded in 1891. In 1897, it was renamed "Ozona" for the high quantity of its open air, or "ozone".][ A flood in 1954 killed 16 people and destroyed about half of the homes in the town.
A "Heritage Appreciation Monument" honors pioneer families who came to settle the land. The three-story Crockett County Museum at 404 11th Street features a ]blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...
shop, ranching artifacts, and a wool/mohair room. A scenic drive from Ozona to Lancaster Hill, west on Texas State Highway 290
State Highway 290 (SH 290) is a state highway maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) that runs from Interstate 10 near Sheffield east to another connection with I-10 about east of Sheffield. The route was designated in ...
, provides a panoramic view of the Pecos River Valley.[
]
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 2,663 people, 1,214 households, and 842 families residing in the CDP.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010,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 Crockett County was 94.7% White (of any race), 1.7% Black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 1.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 64.2% of the population and 33.9% were White, not Hispanic or Latino, in the county.
2000 census
Of the 1,255 households in 2000, 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were not families. About 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size in 2010 in Crockett County was 2.81. Females were 50.6% of the population.
In 2000 within the CDP, the population was distributed as 30.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years.
The median income for a household in the county as of 2010 was $49,850. In 2000, males had a median income of $30,988 versus $14,024 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 $13,152. About 16.8% of families and 21.5% 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 t ...
, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 20.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Ozona is served by the Crockett County Consolidated Common School District; the district is designated as Class 2A D1 by the University Interscholastic League. District students are active in University Interscholastic League
The University Interscholastic League (UIL) is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, musical, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest organi ...
academic and athletic activities. Due to the small student numbers, they often participate in more than one concurrently offered sport in addition to other UIL academic events and school-sponsored events and clubs.
Ozona High School students have won or placed in the top three at state competitions in debate, speaking events, and journalism. The Ozona High School Band has been awarded numerous honors at both the regional and state levels. The Ozona Lady Lions have been Class 2A State Champions in 1995 and 1996 in basketball and in 1997 in golf. The Ozona Lions have been State Champions as a team in Cross Country running in Class 2A in 2004 and then Class 1A in 2013.
Geography
Ozona is located in east-central Crockett County at (30.708972, -101.204069).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 CDP has a total area of , all land.Fort Stockton
Fort Stockton is a city in and the county seat of Pecos County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10, future Interstate 14, U.S. Highways U.S. Route 67 (Texas), 67, U.S. Route 285 (Texas), 285, and U.S. R ...
. Texas State Highway 163 runs through the center of Ozona, leading north to Barnhart
Barnhart is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Berta Barnhart, member of Seattle City Planning Commission
* Brian Barnhart, American auto racing executive
* Clarence Barnhart (1900-1993), American lexicographer
*Clyde Barnhart ( ...
and south to Comstock.
Climate
Popular culture
In the ''Criminal Minds
''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was revived in 2022. It ...
'' season-two episode, "Boogeyman", the BAU travels to Ozona as part of a murder investigation involving a boy who was killed in the "woods" on the outskirts of town.
The British rock band Goldrush
A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Ze ...
recorded an album called ''Ozona'', based on their experiences when their tour bus broke down in the town.Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr., July 20, 1933) is an American writer who has written twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays and three short stories, spanning the Western and post-apocalyptic genres. He is known for his gr ...
's '' All the Pretty Horses'', John Grady Cole is held in Ozona after the horses (Redbo, Junior, and Blevins' horses) are impounded after three men swear they have paperwork confirming ownership of the animals. He is eventually given the horses after John Grady tells the story of the plot to the local judge. In the film adaptation of the novel, the hearing takes place in another town.
New Orleans jazzrock trio, Royal Fingerbowl, featured a song called "Ozona, TX" on their 1997 album ''Happy Birthday, Sabo'', about a hallucinating, dying cowboy.
References
External links
Ozona visitors' website
{{authority control
Census-designated places in Texas
County seats in Texas
Census-designated places in Crockett County, Texas