Bertram ( ) is a city in
Burnet County
Burnet County ( ) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,130. Its county seat is Burnet. The county was founded in 1852 and later organized in 1854. It is named ...
,
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 population was 1,353 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Bertram is located in eastern Burnet County at .
This is east of
Burnet, the county seat.
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
An economy is an area of th ...
, Bertram has a total area of , all land.
History
Bertram is at the junction of Farm Roads 243 and 1174 and
State Highway 29, ten miles east of Burnet in eastern
Burnet County
Burnet County ( ) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,130. Its county seat is Burnet. The county was founded in 1852 and later organized in 1854. It is named ...
. The town was established in 1882, when the community of San Gabriel (near the
San Gabriel River) in Burnet County was moved two miles northwest to the newly constructed
Austin and Northwestern Railroad
The Austin and Northwestern Railroad began construction on a rail line west of Austin, Texas, United States, USA, toward Llano, Texas, Llano on April 20, 1881. The railroad was originally built as a Narrow gauge railway, narrow gauge line with pla ...
. The new community was named for Austin merchant Rudolph Bertram, the largest stockholder in the Austin and Northwestern. A post office opened in 1882 and, by 1891, the town had an estimated population of 150, a cotton gin-gristmill, three general stores, a grocer, a blacksmith, a shoemaker, and two wagonmakers. After 1900, Bertram was a shipping point for cotton, cattle, and wool. In 1928, a record 11,624 bales of cotton were ginned in the town.
In the early 1930s, plummeting cotton prices and the Great Depression caused the town's population to decline from a high of 1,000 in 1929 to 550 by 1931. It was 600 in 1949 and, by 1966, stood at 1,205. In 1989, the town had an estimated population of 1,002 and nineteen businesses. At that time, Bertram's principal industries included the manufacture of ceramic floor tiles, paving tiles, marble fixtures, and vacuum-formed and molded plastic products. In 1990, the census population was 849.
The Major League Baseball player (Owen)
Chief Wilson lived in Bertram. The local baseball field is named for him.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 1,616 people, 632 households, and 478 families residing in the city.
2000 census
At the 2000
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 in ...
,
there were 1,122 people, 387 households and 280 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...
was . There were 434 housing units at an average density of . The racial make-up was 88.24%
White
White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 0.89%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.62%
Native American, 0.09%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...
, 9.09% from
other races and 1.07% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race were 21.21% of the population.
There were 387 households, of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% 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, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.24.
24.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64 and 18.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.
The
median household 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 ...
was $36,250 and the median family income was $42,031. Males had a median income of $29,688 and females $20,179. 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 $14,132. About 7.0% of families and 8.3% 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 8.3% of those under age 18 and 22.0% of those age 65 or over.
Culture
Bertram hosts an annual "Oatmeal Festival" during the
Labor Day
Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United ...
weekend. Named after the remains of the nearby community of
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a preparation of oats that have been de-husked, steamed, and flattened, or a coarse flour of hulled oat grains ( groats) that have either been milled (ground) or steel-cut. Ground oats are also called white oats. Steel-cut oats ...
, it includes a number of activities that draw attendees from all over
central Texas
Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas surrounding Austin and roughly bordered by San Saba to Bryan and San Marcos to Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part of the Texas Hill Country and corresponds to a p ...
.
The Oatmeal Festival began in 1978 as a spoof of the many
chili
Chili or chilli may refer to:
Food
* Chili pepper, the spicy fruit of plants in the genus ''Capsicum''; sometimes spelled "chilli" in the UK and "chile" in the southwestern US
* Chili powder, the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties ...
cook-offs in the state of Texas. Ken Odiorne, who had lived in the Oatmeal community, was the first organizer, with National Oats, the makers of 3 Minutes Oats, as a sponsor.
Over the years, the money raised has built an open-air pavilion in Bertram and a community center at Oatmeal. Scholarships are given to local high school graduates every year. Financial assistance has been given to many local events including the
Easter Egg Hunt, Santa's Workshop and Burnet County Livestock Show.
Education
Bertram is served by the
Burnet Consolidated Independent School District. In 2007, Bertram Elementary School was named a
National Blue Ribbon School
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...
.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cold winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
system, Bertram has a
humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Climate Summary for Bertram, Texas
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Photo Gallery
Image:Bertram Depot Wiki (1 of 1).jpg, Train Depot
Image:Downtown Bertram 2 Wiki (1 of 1).jpg, Downtown Bertram
Image:Downtown Bertram 3 Wiki (1 of 1).jpg, Downtown Bertram
Image:Downtown Bertram 1 Wiki (1 of 1).jpg, Downtown Bertram
Image:Bertram School Wiki 2 (1 of 1).jpg, Bertram School
Image:Flanigans Bertram Wiki (1 of 1).jpg, Flanigan's:Texas Distillery and Winery
Image:Flanigans Bertram 2 Wiki (1 of 1).jpg, Flanigan's Building
References
External links
Bertram community website
*
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Cities in Burnet County, Texas
Cities in Texas