Groves, Texas
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Groves is a city in Jefferson 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 17,335 at the 2020 census. It is part of the BeaumontPort Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area.


History

In 1886, Sam Courville moved his family from a Sabine Lake settlement in Port Arthur to a new home on of land. In that general area around 1911, John Warne Gates purchased additional tracts of land. The land was conveyed to the Griffing brothers of Port Arthur in 1916, and three years later Griffing Brothers Nursery employee Wiley Choate supervised the planting of several thousand pecan trees on a tract. In 1921, the Port Arthur Land Development Company took control of the site and divided the land into a residential subdivision known as "Pecan Grove". The name was later changed to "Groves", after development representative and pioneer Port Arthurian Asa Groves. A post office was established in 1927, a school opened in 1929, and a public library opened in 1930. The community rapidly developed as a stop on the
Kansas City Southern Railway The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operated in 10 Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Southeastern United States, Southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Ark ...
. The Atlantic Refinery began operating in 1936. In 1940, a public water system was installed in the community. Several civic organizations, including the
Lions Club Lions Clubs International, is an international service organization, currently headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. , it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members (including the youth wing Leo clubs, Leo) in more than 200 ge ...
, Chamber of Commerce, and Volunteer Fire Department, were formed during the 1940s. By the early 1950s, Groves had an estimated population of 1,300. In 1952, Groves voted to incorporate as a city. Rapid population growth followed, surpassing 17,000 in the 1960 census and reaching 18,067 by 1970. During the rest of the 20th century, the population slowly declined. In 2000, Groves was the fourth-largest city in Jefferson County, after Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Nederland.


Geography

Groves is in eastern Jefferson County, southeast of downtown Beaumont. The city of Port Arthur borders Groves on three sides (southeast, southwest, and northeast), while Port Neches lies to the northwest. Three
State Highways A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...
73, 87, and
347 Year 347 (Roman numerals, CCCXLVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rufinus and Eusebius (or, less frequently, year 1100 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomina ...
—pass through or near the city.
Sabine Lake Sabine Lake is a bay on the Gulf coasts of Texas and Louisiana, located approximately east of Houston and west of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, adjoining the city of Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur. The lake is formed by the confluence ...
, an estuary of the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
, is to the southeast. 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 ...
, Groves has an area of , of which , or 0.28%, is water. Most of the city sits at an elevation of above sea level.


Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,335 people, 5,747 households, and 3,851 families residing in the city. 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 15,733 people, 6,182 households, and 4,512 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 6,570 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.46%
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 ...
, 1.32%
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 ...
, 0.26% Native American, 1.65% 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 ...
, 1.98% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 7.82% of the population. There were 6,182 households, of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% 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, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18 (see Recreation), 8.5% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $42,692, and the median income for a family was $50,892. Males had a median income of $41,404 versus $23,493 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 $21,147.


Government and infrastructure

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 ...
Groves Post Office is at 6230 39th Street. The city has spent over $14 million on infrastructure since 2003. This includes a $6 million water treatment plant and $5 million borrowed from the TWDB to deal with inflow and infiltration issues in the waste water collection system. Substantial amounts have also been spent on the water distribution system and waste water treatment plant, and $2 million allocated to streets and drainage maintenance and improvements.


Education


Primary and secondary schools

The city is primarily served by the
Port Neches-Groves Independent School District A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manche ...
. A small area of Groves is served by the
Port Arthur Independent School District Port Arthur Independent School District is a public school district based in Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur, Texas, United States. The district serves most of Port Arthur and a portion of Groves, Texas, Groves. In 2012, the school district wa ...
. Groves Middle, Van Buren, Taft Elementary, and Groves Elementary are in Groves.


Colleges and universities

The
Lamar University Lamar University (Lamar or LU) is a public university in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar has been a member of the Texas State University System since 1995. It was the flagship institution of the former Lamar University System. As of the ...
system is in nearby Beaumont. Post-secondary educational opportunities are provided to Groves and surrounding areas by the main campus of Lamar University, Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar State College at Port Arthur, and Lamar State College at Orange.


Public libraries

The Groves Public Library is at 5600 West Washington Boulevard.


In popular culture

A donut shop in Groves was a key location in the 2021 film '' Red Rocket''.


Notable people

* Greg Davis, college football coach *
Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...
, singer *
Mary Karr Mary Karr (born January 16, 1955) is an American poet, essayist and memoirist from East Texas. She is widely noted for her 1995 bestselling memoir '' The Liars' Club''. Karr is the Jesse Truesdell Peck Professor of English Literature at Syracu ...
, writer * Brittney Rodriguez, actress Jerry LaCroix, singer with Edgar Winter's White Tras, Blood Sweat and Tears, Rare Earth


References


External links


City of Groves official website

Groves Chamber of Commerce and Tourist Bureau
{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Jefferson County, Texas Cities in the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area