Dawson is a town in Navarro County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. The population was 815 at the 2020 census.

History

The town was established in 1847 and was the second town established in the county.

Geography

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 are land and 0.56% is covered by water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Dawson has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

,''Cfa'' on climate maps.Climate Summary for Dawson, Texas
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Demographics

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, 852 people, 361 households, and 229 families were residing in the town. The population density was . The 408 housing units averaged 230.2 per square mile (89.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 80.99% White, 15.14% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 1.64% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 6.34% of the population. Of the 361 households, 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were not families. About 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36, and the average family size was 3.07. In the town, the population was distributed as 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $25,658, and for a family was $40,441. Males had a median income of $30,250 versus $20,417 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 $13,190. About 13.2% of families and 20.9% 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 27.8% of those under age 18 and 27.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Town of Dawson is served by the Dawson Independent School District.

Braniff Flight 352

Braniff Flight 352 was a scheduled domestic flight from William P. Hobby Airport in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, to Love Field in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

. On May 3, 1968, a Lockheed L-188A Electra flying on the route, registration N9707C, broke up in midair and crashed near Dawson, Texas, after flying into a severe thunderstorm. It was carrying a crew of five and 80 passengers. No one survived. Investigation revealed that the accident was caused by the captain's decision to penetrate an area of heavy weather followed by a structural overstress and failure of the airframe while attempting recovery from loss of control during a steep 180° turn executed in an attempt to escape the weather.

Notable people

* Anjanette Comer, actress *

Lester Roloff Lester Leo Roloff (June 28, 1914 – November 2, 1982) was an American fundamentalist Independent Baptist preacher and the founder of teen homes across the American South. The operation of those teen homes (primarily his Rebekah Home for Gi ...

, Independent Baptist evangelist and controversial teen group home operator

References

{{authority control Towns in Navarro County, Texas Towns in Texas Populated places established in 1847 1847 establishments in Texas