Alton is a city in Hidalgo 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 ...

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 ...

. The population was 12,298 at the 2010 census and an estimated 19,509 in 2020.

History

Alton was founded in 1910 or 1911 by citizens and railroad officials of

Alton, Illinois Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the River Bend area in the Metro-East region of the ...

. On September 21, 1989, the Alton bus crash occurred; a Dr. Pepper truck hit a

Mission Consolidated Independent School District Mission Consolidated Independent School District is a public school district based in Mission, Texas (USA), in the lower Rio Grande Valley.caliche Caliche () is a sedimentary rock, a hardened natural cement of calcium carbonate that binds other materials—such as gravel, sand, clay, and silt. It occurs worldwide, in aridisol and mollisol soil orders—generally in arid or semiarid regions, ...

pit, killing 21 students.

Geography

Alton is located at (26.284307, −98.305940). It is bordered to the south by Palmhurst and to the north and east by

McAllen McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, and the 22nd-most populous city in Texas. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexico–United States border. The city limits extend ...

, although downtown McAllen is southeast of Alton. It is about north of Brownsville. 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 ...

, Alton has a total area of , of which , or 0.40%, are water.

Demographics

Alton is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and

Reynosa–McAllen Reynosa–McAllen, also known as McAllen–Reynosa, or simply as Borderplex, is one of the six international conurbations along the Mexico–U.S border. The city of Reynosa is situated in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, on the southern bank of t ...

metropolitan areas.

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 18,198 people, 4,566 households, and 3,959 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 4,384 people, 1,059 households, and 988 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 2,075.5 people per square mile (802.2/km²). There were 1,175 housing units at an average density of 556.3 per square mile (215.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.33%

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 ...

, 0.05%

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 ...

, 0.32% Native American, 19.02% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.28% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 97.90% of the population. There were 1,059 households, out of which 58.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 6.7% were non-families. 6.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.14 and the average family size was 4.29. In the city, the population was spread out, with 37.9% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 14.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males. The

median income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

for a household in the city was $22,097, and the median income for a family was $23,563. Males had a median income of $18,487 versus $15,341 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 city was $6,230. About 38.7% of families and 42.7% 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 51.9% of those under age 18 and 39.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Most of Alton is a part of the

Mission Consolidated Independent School District Mission Consolidated Independent School District is a public school district based in Mission, Texas (USA), in the lower Rio Grande Valley.Sharyland Independent School District Sharyland Independent School District is a public school district based in Mission, Texas (USA). The district serves parts of Mission, McAllen, Palmhurst, and Alton. In 2009, the school district was rated " recognized" by the Texas Education A ...

and

La Joya Independent School District La Joya Independent School District is a school district headquartered in La Joya, Texas, United States. The La Joya Independent School District, located in the western portion of Hidalgo County, Texas consist of more than stretching west of M ...

.About Alton
" Alton. Retrieved on August 2, 2018. Much of Alton was in the Alton Independent School District until January 27, 1975, when that district merged into Mission CISD. In 2018 city manager Jorge Arcaute stated that some families moved to Alton specifically to put their children in the Mission CISD and Sharyland ISD schools. All of Hidalgo County is in the service area of

South Texas College South Texas College (STC) is a public community college in the Rio Grande Valley region of South Texas. It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Bachelor of Applied Technology, ...

Schools

Mission CISD operates the following elementary schools that serve sections of Alton:Proposed Zoning Map 2017
" City of Alton. Retrieved on August 2, 2018. This map shows the city boundaries and which schools are in the city limits.Mission CISD School Zones
" Mission Consolidated Independent School District. Retrieved on August 2, 2018
See HTML version
Junior high boundaries are determined by the elementary school zoning, with some optional exceptions, while high school boundaries are described by text. * Alton Elementary School – Alton * Arturo Cantu Elementary School – Alton ** Named after Arturo Cantu, a Mission ISD teacher who in 1969 drowned in the Anzalduas Park after rescuing three of his students. * Raquel Cavazos Elementary School – Alton * Waitz Elementary School – Alton * Hurla M. Midkiff Elementary School – Palmhurst * Salinas Elementary School – annexed into the City of McAllen Mission CISD operates Alton Memorial Junior High School, named in honor of the Mission CISD students who died in the 1989 bus crash, in Alton. Students zoned to Cantu, Cavazos, and Waitz elementaries are zoned to Alton Memorial, while those zoned to Alton Elementary, Midkiff, and Salinas are zoned to Rafael A. Cantu Junior High School in Palmhurst. Sections of Alton are zoned to

Mission High School Mission High School may refer to: * Mission High School (San Francisco, California), a public high school in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) San Francisco, California * Mission High School (Mission, Texas), a secondary school loc ...

and Veterans Memorial High School in

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

. There is a Mission CISD alternative high school: Mission Collegiate High School, in Alton. Sharyland ISD operates Jesse Jensen Elementary School in Alton. Sharyland ISD sections of Alton are zoned to Jensen, North Junior High School in

, and

Sharyland Pioneer High School Sharyland Pioneer High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Hidalgo County, Texas, near Mission. It is part of the Sharyland Independent School District. In 2015, the school was rated " Met Standard" by the Texas Education Age ...

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

Hidalgo County. La Joya ISD operates Domingo Treviño Middle School in Alton. The sections of Alton in La Joya ISD are divided between: * Diaz/Villareal Elementary School and Kika de la Garza Elementary School * Treviño Middle and Memorial Middle School * Juarez-Lincoln High School and Palmview High School In addition,

South Texas Independent School District South Texas Independent School District (STISD) is a magnet school district headquartered in Mercedes, Texas (USA). STISD operates magnet schools that draw students from three counties: Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy. STISD covers an area of , o ...

operates magnet schools that serve the community.

Parks and recreation

Josefa Garcia Park is in Alton. It previously had of land. In 2018

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas. Its mission is to manage ...

(TPWD) gave a $500,000 grant to increase the park's size to . The park includes a memorial to the 1989 bus accident, with 21 crosses, one per deceased victim, and a statue of Jesus Christ.

References

External links

City of Alton official website
{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Hidalgo County, Texas