Lamesa, Texas
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Lamesa ( ) is a city in and the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Dawson County, Texas, United States. Its population was 8,674 at the 2020 census, down from 9,952 at the 2000 census. Located south of Lubbock on the
Llano Estacado The Llano Estacado (), sometimes translated into English as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. One of the largest mesas or tablelands on the North A ...
, Lamesa was founded in 1903. Most of its economy is based on cotton farming. The Preston E. Smith
prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
unit, named for the former
governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...
, is located just outside Lamesa.


Geography

Lamesa is located in the center of Dawson County at (32.734439, –101.958190). U.S. Highway 87 (Lynn Avenue) passes through the eastern side of the city, leading north to Lubbock and southeast to Big Spring. U.S. Highway 180 passes through the center of town as 4th Street and leads west to
Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...
and east to Snyder.
Texas State Highway 137 State Highway 137 (SH 137) is a state highway in west Texas. It runs from SH 163 near Ozona to U.S. Highway 385 (US 385) near Brownfield. SH 137 was originally established in 1928, and it has been realigned se ...
passes through the city as Bryan Avenue and leads northwest to
Brownfield Brownfield is previously-developed land that has been abandoned or underused, and which may carry pollution, or a risk of pollution, from industrial use. The specific definition of brownfield land varies and is decided by policy makers and l ...
and south to Stanton. Texas State Highway 349 branches off Highway 137 south of Lamesa and leads southwest to Midland. 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 , of which , or 0.62%, is covered by water.


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, 8,674 people, 3,705 households, and 2,267 families were residing in the city. The median income for a household in the city was $36,904. The per capita income for the city was $22,062. About 29.4% of the population was recorded as living below the poverty line.


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, 9,952 people, 3,696 households, and 2,679 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 4,270 housing units averaged 892.8 per square mile (344.9/km). The racial makeup of the city was 41.9% White non-Hispanic, 4.2% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 19.51% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 52.96% of the population. Of the 3,696 households, 34.4% had children under 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were not families. About 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.20. In the city, the population was distributed as 29.7% under 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 83.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,362, and for a family was $31,556. Males had a median income of $26,393 versus $16,826 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 $16,211. About 18.1% of families and 21.9% 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 33.4% of those under 18 and 12.9% of those 65 or over.


Notable people

* Barry Corbin, actor * Steve Freeman, former
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
defensive back and NFL referee * V. O. Key, Jr., political scientist * Lynn Morris,
bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...
ian * Steve Pearce, former U.S. representative from New Mexico * Bo Robinson, NFL player * Jerry Taff, journalist *
Don Walser Donald Ray Walser (September 14, 1934 – September 20, 2006) was an American country music singer. He was known as a unique, award-winning yodeling "Texas country music legend." Music career Walser was born in Brownfield, Texas and raised ...
,
Country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
ian


Education

Lamesa is served by the Lamesa Independent School District, which includes Lamesa High School and Lamesa Middle School, whose school mascots are the Golden Tornadoes. A branch of Howard College, a
community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...
in Big Spring, is located in Lamesa.


Culture

During the last weekend of April, Lamesa hosts the annual Chicken Fried Steak Festival. Lamesa has been called "the birthplace of the chicken-fried steak", but the reporter who made the designation later confessed that the claim is fictional. Nevertheless, in 2011,
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 in the first administration of Donald Trump. He previously served as the 47th governor of Texas fr ...
declared Lamesa the home of the chicken-fried steak. In the 2013 competition, Mayor Dave Nix teamed with city councilman Greg Hughes as contestants. The community event attracted 65 sponsors and 104 booths.
La Entrada al Pacifico LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...
is an international trade corridor that begins in Topolobampo,
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, runs through Midland-Odessa,, and ends in Lamesa (according to the legal definition). Lamesa's Sky-Vue Drive-In Theater, established in 1948, became a well-known regional fixture. It has been closed since a kitchen fire destroyed the snack bar on November 27, 2015. Known for its "Chihuahua sandwich", conceived by owners R. A. "Skeet" Noret and his wife, Sarah, the Sky-Vue was one of only 14 remaining
drive-in theater A drive-in theater/theatre or drive-in cinema is a form of movie theater, cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, c ...
s in Texas. Others are in Lubbock and Clarendon. Before he became famous, musician
Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...
performed on the roof of the Sky Vue's projector building. The theater was also used as cover art and named in the title of country music album ''Down at the Sky-Vue Drive-In'' by country music artist
Don Walser Donald Ray Walser (September 14, 1934 – September 20, 2006) was an American country music singer. He was known as a unique, award-winning yodeling "Texas country music legend." Music career Walser was born in Brownfield, Texas and raised ...
. Lamesa also has an indoor movie theater, Movieland, which has two screens. "The Wall" on S 2nd Street is a brick wall on which graduating seniors of Lamesa High School paint their names. Each year, the new graduating class adds their own graffiti on top of the last. The CBS
television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
''
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 ...
'' had one of its more profitable oil wells, Ewing 23, in Lamesa. In one of the more dramatic scenes of the series, in season four, J. R. Ewing flies in his Learjet to the Lamesa airport. Shortly thereafter, gunfire erupts and Dawson County sheriff's deputies shoot a man who blew up the oilfield after a failed effort to blackmail Ewing.


Dal Paso Museum

The Dal Paso Museum, a collection of local artifacts housed in a former hotel, is located in downtown Lamesa. The name is derived from the fact that Lamesa is located on the table land of the Staked Plains. On display are home furnishings, pioneer tools, ranch and farm equipment, and exhibits by local artists. The museum, at 306 South First Street, has limited afternoon hours to the public.


Media

The city is served by a biweekly newspaper, ''The Lamesa Press Reporter.'' Local radio station KPET (AM 690) broadcasts local news, call-in shows, and country music, in addition to sporting events from the hometown Golden Tornadoes, the Red Raiders, and the Texas Rangers. Other radio stations include KBKN (FM) and KVLM (FM). The cable TV system is operated by Northland Cable Television. Other signals are received from stations in Lubbock, Midland-Odessa, and other area towns. Television signals are provided by ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Fox, Telemundo, and CW stations in Lubbock and the Univision station in the Permian Basin (Midland-Odessa).


Climate

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 ...
, Lamesa has a
semiarid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...
, ''BSk'' on climate maps. The town is known for hot summers—frequently topping —and cold winter nights (where the temperature goes below freezing on an average of 91 nights). The average annual temperature is , making it the ninth-coldest place in Texas after cities such as Amarillo and Lubbock. Lamesa averages of rain and of snow annually.


Photo gallery

File:Lamesa, TX, water tower IMG 1466.JPG, Lamesa water tower File:Lamesa street 02.JPG, A view of downtown Lamesa File:Dal Paseo 07-03-2008 10;28;54PM.JPG, Entrance to Dal Paseo Museum in Lamesa, located in a former hotel File:Howard College, Lamesa, TX, campus IMG 1490.JPG, Lamesa campus of Howard College, a
community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...
based in Big Spring File:Sky Vue Drive-in Theater, Lamesa, TX IMG 1463.JPG, The Sky-Vue Drive-in Theater in Lamesa operated from 1948 until its concession stand burned in November 2015 and the facility closed for further business. File:Tower Theater, Lamesa, TX IMG 1477.JPG, No longer in use, the Tower Theater is located in downtown Lamesa across from the Dawson County Courthouse. File:Lamesa Press Reporter office IMG 1478.JPG, ''Lamesa Press Reporter'' newspaper office File:First Baptist Church of Lamesa, TX IMG 1481.JPG, First
Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
Church of Lamesa at 801 S 1st St. File:Dawson County, TX, Courthouse IMG 1472.JPG, Dawson County Courthouse in downtown Lamesa


References


External links


Official city website
{{authority control Cities in Dawson County, Texas Cities in Texas County seats in Texas Micropolitan areas of Texas