Bovina is a city in Parmer 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 1,868 at the 2010 census.

History

Originally, the community was the Hay Hook Line Camp of the XIT Ranch, and the ranch headquarters was one of the county's earliest buildings. When the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway was built through the ranch in 1898, a switch was placed at the site to be used by cowboys to unload cottonseed shipped in as feed. Some of this feed was invariably spilled along the tracks, causing XIT cattle to gather at the unfenced right-of-way. Often, they lay down, compelling railroad workers to get off their trains and prod them off the tracks. As a result, the site was labeled Bull Town, a name replaced by the more elegant Bovina when the post office was established on January 31, 1899.

Geography

Bovina is located at . 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 , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,699 people, 412 households, and 282 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,868 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 82.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% White, 0.7% Black, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from some other race and 0.1% from two or more races.

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, 1,874 people, 567 households, and 467 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 612 housing units averaged 705.7 per square mile (271.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 48.67% White, 1.23% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 46.32% from other races, and 2.88% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 72.20% of the population. Of the 567 households, 51.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.0% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.6% were not families. About 16.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.31 and the average family size was 3.72. In the city, the population was distributed as 37.6% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 16.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,426, and for a family was $29,602. Males had a median income of $25,417 versus $18,036 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 $10,995. About 16.8% of families and 20.8% 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 24.0% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

In 1976, Bovina adopted the

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...

form of government, with Larry D. Gilley first filling the position. Gilley later became the manager in Abilene and San Marcos, Texas. The last city manager was Ernest Terry, who served from 2001 to 2007. Terry later became the manager in Fritch, Texas. Currently filling the position as city manager is Cesar Marquez.

Notable people

* Ben McCain, actor *

Butch McCain Butch McCain is an American actor, an award winning broadcaster, producer and one-half of the singing-songwriting team, The McCain Brothers. Butch appeared as TV reporter Joachim West in MGM's Bio-Dome, the character, Creel, in Roger Corman's r ...

actor (brother of Ben), grew up in Bovina

Education

The City of Bovina is served by the Bovina Independent School District. The high school's mascot is the Mustang. Its colors are maroon and white. Bovina's rivals are Farwell and Friona.

References

External links

Official website
* *

{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Parmer County, Texas 1899 establishments in Texas