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Lake Jackson is a city in Brazoria 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, within the Greater Houston metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,177. In 1942 a portion of Lake Jackson was first developed as a company town for workers of the Dow Chemical Company; it developed 5,000 acres on the former Abner Jackson
Plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...
. An oxbow lake was also named after the planter, whose house was located at the lake. Minor ruins of the Lake Jackson Plantation can now be seen in a park at the site.


History

The city was built in the early 1940s as a
planned community A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...
, designed by Alden B. Dow of
Midland, Michigan Midland is a city in Midland County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 42,547 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Midland metropolitan statistical area, part of the larger Saginaw-Midland-Bay City ...
for workers in support of a new plant of the Dow Chemical Company, which his father owned. The City of Lake Jackson was incorporated March 14, 1944, and voted for
home rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...
ten years later in 1954.


Geography

The city of Lake Jackson is located in south-central Brazoria County, and is bordered to the east by the cities of Clute and Richwood, and to the southwest by the Brazos River. Texas State Highway 288, the Nolan Ryan Expressway, runs through the city, leading north to Angleton, the county seat, north to downtown
Houston 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 ...
, and southeast to Freeport on 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 ...
. 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 ...
, Lake Jackson has a total area of , of which is land and , or 7.11%, is water.


Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 28,177 people, 10,074 households, and 7,028 families residing in the city.


2010 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 2010, there were 26,849 people, 10,319 households, and 7,134 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...
was . There were 11,149 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.36%
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 ...
, 5.10%
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 ...
, 0.52% Native American, 3.14% Asian, 0.04%
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 ...
, 4.44% from other races, and 2.40% 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 20.53% of the population. There were 9,588 households, out of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.7% 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, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. Twenty percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.18. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.41% under the age of 18, 5.61% from 20 to 24, 12.51% from 25 to 34, 20.60% from 35 to 49, 20.10% from 50 to 64, and 12% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.06 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $60,901, and the median income for a family was $69,053. Males had a median income of $60,143 versus $30,398 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 $25,877. About 5.4% of families and 6.4% 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 6.5% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Gas station and convenience store chain Buc-ee's has its headquarters in Lake Jackson where the first location opened. The Dow Chemical Company and the Brazosport Independent School District are major employers of residents. Dow planned to develop this community in 1941 as a 5,000-acre residential area for workers at its Freeport plant. Lake Jackson is now home to other chemical and manufacturing facilities, along with many other types of businesses. In Lake Jackson's early days, Dow helped to create a booming economy. In 2014 it announced an expansion project that is estimated to bring nearly 2,000 employees to the area. The unemployment rate in Lake Jackson, TX, is 8.40%, with job growth of 2.40%. Future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 36.40%. The income per capita is $30,625, which includes all adults and children. The median household income is $68,391. The sales tax rate in Lake Jackson, TX, is 8.25%. Sales tax income represents a population of over 70,000 indicating the draw of the retail shopping from the area.


Arts and culture

The Lake Jackson Library is a part of the Brazoria County Library System.


Government

Lake Jackson is within Texas's 14th congressional district and is represented by Randy Weber.


Education


Public schools

The public schools in the city are operated by Brazosport Independent School District. Some parts of the city limits fall in the Angleton Independent School District and the Columbia-Brazoria Independent School District.
2010 map
/ref> K–5 elementary schools within Lake Jackson include: * O.M. Roberts Elementary * A.P. Beutel Elementary (2007
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, ...
) * Bess Brannen Elementary * T.W. Ogg Elementary Residents are zoned to: * Grady B. Rasco Middle School (5–6) * Lake Jackson Intermediate School (7–8) * Brazoswood High School (9–12, in Clute)


Private schools

Private schools within Lake Jackson include: * Brazosport Christian School * Our Lady Queen of Peace (of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
) * Foundation Preparatory Academy


Colleges

Brazosport College is a public community college located in Lake Jackson, with the majority of the Lake Jackson city limits in the college's district. The Texas Legislature designated Brazosport ISD, Columbia-Brazoria ISD, and portions of Angleton ISD that by September 1, 1995 had not been annexed by Alvin Community College as in the Brazosport College zone. It was recently upgraded to offer a baccalaureate degree in certain technical fields. It is also distinguished for its professional music hall, The Clarion.


Infrastructure

In September 2020, brain-eating amoeba were detected in the Lake Jackson drinking water supply, resulting in the death of a 6-year-old boy. Eleven samples were taken around the city, and of those, three returned a preliminary positive results: the hose bib at the victim's home, a hydrant at a dead end street, and a storage tank at the city splash pad. This resulted in Brazosport Water Authority issuing a do-not-use order on tap water in late September 2020.


Airports

Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport serves Lake Jackson.


Mass transit

Southern Brazoria County Transit provides bus service options for Lake Jackson, Clute, Freeport and Angleton.


Highways

Texas State Highway 332 extends from its west end SH 36 in Brazoria to its east end at Surfside Beach.


Streets

* The city's layout and the six designs for homes were completed by Michigan architect Alden B. Dow. * All streets radiating from downtown end in the word "Way." Among the streets are Center Way, Winding Way, Circle Way, and Parking Way. There is an intersection of two streets named This Way and That Way. In the same spirit, a local church near Bess Brannen Elementary placed a small sign in their driveway named His Way. There is also an Any Way. * Most other streets were named after some form of
flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
. As the city grew and common names such as Pine, Mulberry, and Oak were taken, developers had to become more creative; thus, among the plants used are Jalapeño, Tangerine, Mango, and Habañero. The highways running through Lake Jackson, ( Texas Highways 288 & 332) and Oyster Creek Drive, are exceptions to the naming conventions. The naming convention of "Drive," meaning a route into or out of town, is less honored today than in the beginning. * Dow intentionally laid out the streets so that they seldom follow straight paths. He wanted to maintain as many trees as possible, a principle still practiced in the development of new subdivisions. In addition, he thought that curving streets provided more surprises in unfolding vistas. Lake Jackson is a part of the National Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City USA list. Also, many of the streets follow Oyster Creek, which twists and winds through town. In many areas of town one can travel in any of the four compass directions and have the same commute time and distance to a destination across town.


Notable people

* Robert Ellis, Country, bluegrass and folk singer born, and spent most of his childhood, in Lake Jackson * King Hill, All-American quarterback at
Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...
, first round pick in the 1958 NFL draft, and long-time pro quarterback grew up in Lake Jackson * Brad Lincoln, a former professional baseball player for the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
and
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
*
Rand Paul Randal Howard Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Kentucky since 2011. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
, U.S. senator from Kentucky since 2012; spent most of his childhood in Lake Jackson * Ron Paul, U.S. representative from Texas's 14th congressional district as well as a Republican presidential candidate in 2008 and 2012. He also ran as the Libertarian Party candidate in 1988 * Selena Quintanilla Pérez (1971–1995), Tejano pop singer, known as the Queen of Tejano Music * Ryan Tepera, a relief pitcher for the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
* Cole Deggs & The Lonesome (Cole Degges- Vocalist), Multi-platinum songwriter for Kenny Chesney, Gary Allan,
Tracy Byrd Tracy Lynn Byrd (born December 17, 1966) is an American country music artist. Signed to Universal Music Group Nashville, MCA Nashville Records in 1992, Byrd broke through on the country music scene that year with his 1993 single "Holdin' Heaven" ...
, Andy Griggs Billy Dean, Chris Janson, Dave Dudley & Josh Ward, he grew up on Pine Street * Michael Henry and Justin Robinett, musicians


See also

*
List of municipalities in Texas Texas is a U.S. state, state located in the Southern United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, 29,145,505 (93.14%) of the 31,290,831 residents of Texas lived in a Municipal corporation, municipality in the 2024 estimate. ...


Notes


References


External links

*
Lake Jackson Development Corporation
{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Brazoria County, Texas Greater Houston Company towns in Texas Populated places established in 1944 Dow Chemical Company