Raymondville is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Willacy County,

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 borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States. The population was 10,236 at the 2020 census. Willacy County is also the Raymondville micropolitan area. Raymondville was formed in 1904 by

Edward Burleson Raymond Edward Burleson "E. B." Raymond (November 12, 1848 – October 19, 1914
, ...

, a foreman of the El Sauz Ranch portion of the

King Ranch King Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States. At some it is larger than the area of the European country Luxembourg. It is mainly a cattle ranch, but also produced the racehorse Assault (horse), Assault, who won the United States Tri ...

and owner of the Las Majadas Ranch.Edward Burleson Raymond
, ''Texas Historical Marker''

Geography

Raymondville is located at (26.481464, –97.783013) and is known as the "Gateway to the Rio Grande Valley." 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 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²), all land. Soils are mostly clay or sandy clay loams which are well drained or moderately well drained. Some fine sandy loams underlie the eastern part of town. These have near neutral pH. Other parts of town have moderately alkaline, somewhat saline soils. Around the southern edge of town is an area of strong salinity, which imposes limitations on farmers and gardeners.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Raymondville has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,236 people, 2,826 households, and 2,151 families residing in the city.

2000 census

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, 9,733 people, 2,514 households, and 2,016 families were residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was 2,564.4 people/sq mi (988.9/km²). The 2,842 housing units had an average density of 748.8/sq mi (288.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.91% White, 3.91% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 23.29% from other races, and 2.20% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 86.63% of the population. Of the 2,514 households, 41.0% had children under 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.8% were not families. About 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.45, and the average family size was 3.97. In the city, the age distribution was 29.9% under 18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 117.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,729, and for a family was $23,799. Males had a median income of $20,034 versus $14,502 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 $8,910. About 32.7% of families and 36.2% 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 45.0% of those under age 18 and 30.7% of those age 65 or over. In 2010, Raymondville was 77%

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, 10.5%

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...

, and 4%

United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

Infrastructure

Raymondville is the location of three private prisons, all adjacent to each other: * The

Willacy County Correctional Center Willacy County Correctional Center is a closed detention center located on the east side of Route 77, at the edge of Raymondville City, Willacy County, Texas, United States.

(), owned and operated by the

Management and Training Corporation Management & Training Corporation or MTC is a contractor that manages private prisons and United States Job Corps centers, based in Centerville, Utah. MTC's core businesses are corrections, education and training, MTC medical, and economic & so ...

under contract with the

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the Un ...

, is located on the east side of

Interstate 69E Interstate 69E (I-69E) is a north–south Interstate Highway running through South Texas. Once complete, the freeway will begin in Brownsville and head northward before terminating near Victoria as both I-69W and I-69E merge into I-69 t ...

U.S. Route 77 U.S. Route 77 (US 77) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway which extends for in the central United States. As of 2005, Its southern terminus is in Brownsville, Texas, at Veteran's International Bridge on the U.S.-Mexico borde ...

. Constructed in 45 days, it opened in 2006 and closed in March 2015 after destructive riots; the center was a large "tent city" federal holding center for illegal immigrants. * The

Willacy County Regional Detention Center The Willacy County Regional Detention Center aka the Willacy Detention Center is a prison for men located in Raymondville, Willacy County, Texas, formerly operated by Management and Training Corporation (MTC) under contract with the U.S. Marsha ...

, or the Willacy Detention Center () opened in 2003. It is operated by

housing federal prisoners for the U.S. Marshal Service. * The

Willacy County State Jail The Willacy County State Jail is a privately owned medium-security prison for men located in Raymondville, Willacy County, Texas, operated by Management and Training Corporation under contract with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. It has ...

(), operated by the

Corrections Corporation of America CoreCivic, Inc. formerly the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), is a company that owns and manages private prisons and detention centers and operates others on a concession basis. Co-founded in 1983 in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas W. ...

under contract with the

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...

, is a medium-security facility with a capacity of 1069. CCA has managed this facility since 2004. This facility was opened by Wackenhut, now

GEO Group The GEO Group, Inc. (GEO) is a publicly traded C corporation headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, that invests in private prisons and mental health facilities in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The company ...

, in 1996. On April 26, 2001, inmate Gregorio De La Rosa, Jr., was beaten to death by other prisoners. This incident caused a $42.5 million civil settlement against Wackenhut. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Raymondville Post Office. The

Raymondville Independent School District Raymondville Independent School District is a public school district based in Raymondville, Texas, United States. In addition to Raymondville, the district serves the census-designated places of Ranchette Estates and Los Angeles Subdivision. ...

serves the city. The Reber Memorial Library is located in Raymondville. The ''Raymondville Chronicle'' and ''Willacy County News'', a weekly newspaper, is published in Raymondville.

Notable people

* Clinton Manges (1923–2010), businessman; lived in Raymondville, married a native belle, built and owned a bowling alley *

Angela Via "I Don't Care" is a song by American singer and actress Angela Via, written by David Frank, Steve Kipner and Pamela Sheyne. Note: User may have to enter details, i.e. at Work ID: 390730664 It was produced by Frank and Kipner for Via's self-titled ...

(born 1981), Singer; was born and raised in Raymondville

Films

Raymondville's history was the subject of the film, ''Valley of Tears.'' The movie visits the Mexican-American community that had worked the onion fields of rural South Texas in three different eras, observing how the seeds of change planted 20 years ago seem ready to bear fruit today. Politicians and officials interviewed in the film include Larry Spence, former District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra, Paul Whitworth, Wetegrove families, Dr. Allan Spence, and school-board and city-council members.

Notes

References

External links

Handbook of Texas Online
{{authority control Cities in Willacy County, Texas Cities in Texas County seats in Texas Micropolitan areas of Texas Populated places established in 1904 1904 establishments in Texas