Anthony is an

incorporated town An incorporated town is a town that is a municipal corporation. Canada Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government. United States An incorporated town o ...

in El Paso 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 5,011 at the 2010 census. As of July 1, 2018, the population estimate for the town from the U.S. Census was 5,655. It is the first town encountered in Texas when traveling southbound from

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

History

Anthony was laid out c. 1881, when the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

was extended to that point.

Geography and climate

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 town has a total area of , of which is land and (0.31%) is water. Anthony, New Mexico, in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, borders Anthony, Texas, to the north. They are often considered

twin cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

, though Anthony, New Mexico, was not incorporated as a city until July 1, 2010. Anthony has a

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

, with a high degree of

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...

due to the relatively high elevation and aridity.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,671 people, 1,412 households, and 1,090 families residing in the town.

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, there were 3,850 people, 684 households, and 577 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 722 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 11.79%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.87%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.32% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 82.78% of the population. There were 684 households, out of which 50.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.5% were non-families. 14.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.47 and the average family size was 3.84. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 12.7% from 18 to 24, 41.9% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 212.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 261.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $26,295, and the median income for a family was $28,295. Males had a median income of $21,667 versus $17,273 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 town was $11,568. About 22.7% of families and 25.9% 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 34.4% of those under age 18 and 29.6% of those age 65 or over.

Town government

The Town of Anthony was incorporated on July 5, 1952. The town uses a

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

/ Aldermen system. Currently there are five Aldermen representing the Townspeople. The mayor and aldermen are elected positions held for alternating two-year terms. Current mayor of Anthony is Anthony David Turner. The Anthony

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

is located at 401 Wildcat across from the Anthony Independent School District Complex. This multi-use facility houses the following town offices: * Office of the Mayor * The Anthony Police Department * The Town Clerk * The Anthony Water/Sewer Department * The Anthony Streets/Parks and Recreation Department * The Anthony Municipal Court The Anthony Town Hall additionally houses the Anthony Municipal Court Room. This courtroom hosts the Anthony Town Hall meetings,

voting Voting is the process of choosing officials or policies by casting a ballot, a document used by people to formally express their preferences. Republics and representative democracies are governments where the population chooses representative ...

, police meetings, and other events. The Anthony water treatment plant is located at the southern end of Omar Street and provides drinking water and sewage treatment for the town. The majority of Anthony's drinking water comes from wells located near the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...

Parks

Anthony has approximately of developed parks along with approximately of undeveloped park land. The Town of Anthony secured a large

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitat (ecology), habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state park, state's parks and historical ar ...

grant (approx: $780,000) in early 2007 to increase the size of Henry Miramontes Park. Projected improvements include an additional baseball field, parking area, jogging paths, nature walks, a skate park, and much more. A large section of bare desert land on the north side of Antonio Street near the 1400–1600 block is designated to become a soccer field complex with at least 4 fields and home to the Anthony Desert Rats soccer team. The team has yet to be formed and organized. An artist's rendition can be seen posted on the town's web site. The park land is currently divided into three parks. All parks are closed from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM.

Ernesto Rascon Memorial Baseball Park

The baseball park is named after Anthony Police Department's only officer killed in the line of duty. It is located on the east side of Richard White Street north of Franklin Street and south of State Line Road. The park consists of two fenced regulation baseball fields with bleachers and a small building used for maintenance and concessions. It is the baseball field used by the Anthony High School Baseball Team during the official baseball season.

Henry Miramontes Park

This park is named after a resident who was killed during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. It is located on the west side of Richard White Street north of Franklin Street and south of State Line Road. Most of the park is open and grassy with a few shade trees and benches. The northeast section is fenced in with a dirt road which can be used during open hours to drive in and park. Inside the fenced area is grassy with a few large shade covered slabs of concrete, a large open air basketball court, and a small public restroom building. Citizens can use the slabs to set up tables and grills for large parties (by permit only when purchased at the Town Hall). The fenced in section of the park is often rented by citizens and organizations to host large events such as car shows, birthday parties, family reunions, and company outings. In the middle of the park is a small stone monument with a metal plaque dedicated to the memory of Henry Miramontes.

Anthony Municipal Park

Anthony Park is located on a triangle-shaped island created by Antonio Street, Franklin Street, and 11th Street. It is often called Triangle Park by local residents. This grass-covered park has several shade trees, covered picnic tables, and various sets of playground equipment. During the winter months the trees are decorated with lights. At the east end of the park where Antonio Street and Franklin Street intersect there is a flag pole beside a large metal sign which reads "Welcome to Anthony" in red letters facing to the east towards

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

River walk

Within the municipal boundaries of the town along the

on the eastern side is a paved pathway with occasional benches and bridges for public use by bicyclists, joggers, walkers, fishers, bird watchers, runners, and other outdoor enthusiasts. The path lies between the river and levee. The path can be accessed under the Vinton bridge and ends at the

state line. The path is closed to all forms of motorized travel, including ATVs. The area within the

levee A levee ( or ), dike (American English), dyke (British English; see American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, spelling differences), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is an elevated ridge, natural ...

s and the levees themselves are administered by the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC). The levee is not part of the public use portion of the path, and persons found on the levee can be charged with trespassing. Fishing is allowed from the bank with a

-issued fishing license. Discharging of

firearms A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originated ...

is prohibited by Anthony municipal code, so

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

is not permitted.

Leap Year Capital of the World and Worldwide Leap Year Birthday Club

Every

leap year A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year. The 366th day (or 13th month) is added to keep t ...

Anthony, Texas, and Anthony, New Mexico, celebrate with an officially sponsored leap year birthday parade and festival.

Leap Year Capital of the World

In 1988 local resident Mary Ann Brown, a member of the Anthony Chamber of Commerce and born on leap year day, February 29, proposed that the Anthony Chamber of Commerce host a festival centered on Leap Day. In February 1988 based on this celebration and because no other place in the world regularly sponsors such an event, the town's Chamber of Commerce voted to sponsor Ms. Brown's idea of the festival and subsequently declared Anthony, Texas & Anthony, New Mexico to be the joint Leap Year Capitals of the World. New Mexico Governor Garrey Carruthers and Texas Governor

Bill Clements William Perry Clements Jr. (April 13, 1917 – May 29, 2011) was an American businessman and Republican Party politician who served two nonconsecutive terms as the governor of Texas between 1979 and 1991. His terms bookended the sole ...

joined in the special proclamation.

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

Pete Domenici of

entered into the ''

Congressional Record The ''Congressional Record'' is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Publishing Office and issued when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record Ind ...

'' of the United States a request that Congress and the President join in the proclamation. Senator Domenici read it into the ''Congressional Record'' Vol. 134, No. 146, Friday, October 14, 1988, of the 100th Congress. In January 1996 the Anthony, New Mexico, post office was designated "Leap Year Station" and granted a commemorative postal cancellation. In celebration of the event, the town's postmaster will typically appear as "Leap Year William" and distribute candy to parade attendees. The festival and parade is chaired by the mayor of Anthony, Texas.

Worldwide Leap Year Birthday Club

Membership for the Leap Year Birthday Club has grown from zero in 1988 to nearly 300 in 1996 and more than 400 members in 2004. Members include individuals from as far away as

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and have traveled to Anthony to celebrate.

Education

The Anthony Independent School District (AISD) serves Anthony. AISD consists of three campuses (Anthony Elementary, Anthony Middle, and Anthony High) and a district central office, all connected and surrounded by a single fence line. The mascot for the school is Wildcats and the school colors are Columbia blue, red, and white. Each campus is within walking distance of the others and the central office is located between the elementary and middle schools. The students of the elementary and middle school campuses are required to wear uniforms. El Paso County is within the official service area of El Paso Community College.

Government and infrastructure

Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna (FCI) is a

Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Justice that is responsible for all List of United States federal prisons, federal prisons ...

facility in Anthony. La Tuna inmates helped build some of the Anthony municipal parks and regularly assist in the day-to-day maintenance of the Anthony town government facility. La Tuna inmates assist Streets/Parks Department workers in a laborer capacity. 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 Anthony Post Office in nearby Anthony, New Mexico.

Transportation

Major roadways

runs north/south through the municipal jurisdiction of Anthony and is the major route to and from the town. *

Texas State Highway 20 State Highway 20 (SH 20) is a highway maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) that runs from New Mexico State Road 460 at the state line between Texas and New Mexico at Anthony in El Paso County to Interstate 10 at ...

runs parallel with I-10. TX 20 along the La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution and south of it is designated Doniphan Street. North of La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution it is designated Main Street. Washington Street marks the division between North Main Street and South Main Street. * North and South Desert Boulevards are

frontage road A frontage road (also known as an access road, outer road, service road, feeder road, or parallel road) is a local road running parallel to a higher-speed, limited-access road. Where parallel high-speed roads are provided as part of a maj ...

s to I-10. They are one-way roadways that run parallel to I-10 along each side. * FM 1905 begins at I-10 and runs west into New Mexico. From east to west, FM 1905 is designated as Antonio Street, then Franklin Street to South Main (TX 20). It continues west from South Main as West Washington to the New Mexico border. * Texas State Highway Spur 6 (designated as Wildcat Drive, renamed from Oak Street) connects Antonio Street near the I-10 East on/off ramp to TX 20. * Washington Street runs through the center of town. Main Street marks the division between East Washington Street and West Washington Street.

Public transportation

* El Paso County Rural Transit Route 10. Schedule info: (915) 532-3474
Route 10 PDF

Emergency services

Police

* Anthony Police Department (Primary patrol/service call response) * El Paso County Sheriff's Office (based at the Vinton Station) * El Paso County Precinct #7 Constable

Fire

* West Valley Volunteer Fire Department is located within El Paso County Emergency Services District #2.

Medical

* West Valley Volunteer Fire Department (First Responder Basic EMTs, no ambulance transport) * Life Ambulance Service, INC. (private EMS ambulance company on contract with El Paso County)

Curfew

Anthony Municipal Code has established a

curfew A curfew is an order that imposes certain regulations during specified hours. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to remain indoors during the evening and nighttime hours. Such an order is most often issued by public authorit ...

for anyone under the age of 17 between the hours of 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM unless accompanied by a parent, guardian, or family member over the age of 17.

References

External links

Town of Anthony official website

World Wide Leap Year Birthday Club
{{authority control Towns in El Paso County, Texas Towns in Texas