Uncertain is a city in Harrison 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 ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 94, down from 150 at the 2000 census. In 2020, it had a population of 85.

History

The city of Uncertain was incorporated in 1961 as a Type B general law city, with a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

and five

aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...

on an at-large basis. Uncertain has been noted for its

unusual place name Unusual place names are names for cities, towns, and other regions which are considered non-ordinary in some manner. This can include place names which are also offensive words, inadvertently humorous or highly charged words, as well as place ...

. According to tradition, the town derives its name from the original application for township where the name for it had not been decided. Therefore when the original residents filled out the application they put "Uncertain" in the blank for the name. When the township was given, it then became "Uncertain".

Geography

Uncertain is in the northeast corner of Harrison County, at the west end of Caddo Lake, a water body on

Big Cypress Bayou Cypress Bayou is the name applied to a series of wetlands at the western edge of Caddo Lake, in and around Jefferson, Texas, making up part of the largest Cypress forest in the world. The bayou is divided into three areas—each part of the wa ...

that extends east into

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. The city is at the east end of Farm Road 2198, which leads southwest to

Texas State Highway 43 State Highway 43 (SH 43) is a Texas state highway that runs from Henderson to Atlanta. Previous routes SH 43 was originally proposed on April 23, 1919, to connect SH 42 15 miles north of Longview to Rusk via Henderson. That same day, an inte ...

near Karnack. Uncertain is northeast of

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

, the Harrison

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 ...

. 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 , of which , or 0.08%, are water.

Demographics

At the 2000 census, there were 150 people, 77 households, and 49 families residing 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 294.1 people per square mile (113.6/km). There were 137 housing units at an average density of 268.7 per square mile (103.7/km). The racial makeup of the city was 72.67%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 26.67%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

and 0.67% (i.e. 1 person) Native American. At the 2020 census, there were 85 people; the racial makeup of the city in 2020 was predominantly

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Amer ...

Texas_Farm_to_Market_Road_2198_-_Uncertain_Flea_Market

Education

The city of Uncertain is served by the

Karnack Independent School District Karnack Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Karnack, Texas (USA). In addition to Karnack, the district also serves the city of Uncertain. Academic achievement In 2009, the school district was rated ...

In film

*A 2017 documentary film ''Uncertain'' is about the city, several of its residents, and its lake with its extreme weed growth problem. *In 2010, several scenes from the film ''

Shark Night 3D ''Shark Night'' (advertised as ''Shark Night 3D'') is a 2011 American horror film directed by David R. Ellis and written by Will Hayes and Jesse Studenberg. It stars Sara Paxton, Chris Carmack, Katharine McPhee, Alyssa Diaz, Dustin Milligan, a ...

'' were filmed at Caddo Lake. *Some scenes in the

Andy Sidaris Andrew W. Sidaris (February 20, 1931 – March 7, 2007) was an American television and film director, film producer, screenwriter, and actor. Early life Sidaris was born in Chicago, Illinois, to first-generation Greek immigrants. He grew up ...

film ''

Picasso Trigger ''Picasso Trigger'' (released in the Philippines as ''Secret Agent 7'') is a 1988 action film starring Steve Bond, Dona Speir, Hope Marie Carlton, Roberta Vasquez, Cynthia Brimhall, and Harold Diamond. It was written and directed by Andy Sid ...

'' were filmed in Uncertain and in the

. *In 1966, several scenes from the film ''

Curse of the Swamp Creature ''Curse of the Swamp Creature'' is a 1968 American-made for television horror science fiction film directed by Larry Buchanan. Although Buchanan was producing low-budget 16mm color remakes of American International Pictures sci-fi movies for te ...

'' were filmed around the local Fly-N-Fish Lodge Airport.

References

External links

City of Uncertain visitors' website
{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Harrison County, Texas