Liberty is a city in the U.S. state of

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 ...

, within Liberty County. The population was 8,279 at the 2020 census. It serves as 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 Liberty County. Liberty is the third oldest city in the state—established in 1831 on the banks of the Trinity River. The city also has a twin of the

Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell, previously called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is an iconic symbol of American Revolution, American independence located in Philadelphia. Originally placed in the steeple of Pennsylvania State House, now know ...

from

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Its area code is 936 and its ZIP code is 77575.

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 city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.02%) is 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 ...

system, Liberty 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 ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,279 people, 3,308 households, and 2,421 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 census Liberty had a population of 8,397. The racial composition of the population was 70.3% white, 13.3% black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 13.4% from some other race and 2.1% from two or more races. 23.2% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. 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 8,033 people, 2,860 households, and 2,053 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,187 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 75.54%

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 ...

, 13.11%

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 ...

, 0.40% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.01%

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 ...

, 9.25% from other races, and 1.01% 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 14.83% of the population. There were 2,860 households, out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% 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, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.16. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,325, and the median income for a family was $41,369. Males had a median income of $33,013 versus $24,688 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 $16,635. About 12.4% of families and 13.2% 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 15.7% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The city of Liberty is served by the Liberty Independent School District. All residents are zoned to San Jacinto Elementary School, Liberty Elementary School, Liberty Middle School, and Liberty High School. Dusty McGee is the Superintendent of Schools. Residents of Liberty ISD are zoned to

Lee College Lee College is a public community college in Baytown, Texas. Lee College's main campus occupies near downtown Baytown and extension campuses throughout its service area. The school has an enrollment of over 7,773 total students as of Fall 2018 ...

Public libraries

The 43,000 volume Liberty Municipal Library is located in the Geraldine D. Humphreys Cultural Center in Liberty. The Geraldine D. Humphreys Cultural Center, including the Humphreys-Burson Theatre which is home to the Valley Players theatrical company, was renovated in a major multimillion-dollar remodeling completed in 2010. The project has doubled the size of the municipal library serving Liberty, Texas and southeastern Liberty County. The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, operated by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission is located north of Liberty in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

. Judge and Mrs. Price Daniel donated of land for the purpose of establishing a library on September 27, 1973. Construction began in the fall of 1975; by then $700,000 had been raised through private donations. The library opened on May 14, 1977. Archives and displays show development of region, artifacts, furniture,

Jean Lafitte Jean Lafitte ( – ) was a French pirate, privateer, and slave trader who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time u ...

's journals, and 1826 census. It also contains the Texana collection of former Governor Price Daniel.

Transportation

Liberty Municipal Airport, a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

airport is located approximately 6 miles east of Liberty, just north of the intersection of FM 160 east with FM 2830. The runway is 3,801 ft. long and is oriented 16 – 34 ( 160 degrees – 340 degrees ). The Liberty Municipal Airport has a pilot courtesy room and fueling facilities with 100LL and Jet-A available. A new set of T-Hangars were completed with room for more in the future. Other major renovations and technology improvements are in progress. A runway extension is planned for the near future. The city provides a courtesy car for transient pilots. Pilots are encourage to check it availability prior to arrival. Liberty has public transportation service provided by the Brazos Transit District. The city shares a circulator bus route with the adjacent city of Dayton, Texas.

Parks and recreation

The Park Theater was constructed and opened in 1938. This movie house entertained people for years before closing its doors. The theatre sat idle, then in 1993, the John W. Cox family purchased the theater and refurbished the building, reopening it as The Liberty Opry; a live, Branson-style musical entertainment venue. The theater seats 400 and has a building adjoined to the theater with restroom facilities, office, dressing rooms to accommodate the entertainers, and a concession area, which seats 80. The owners have changed over the years. In 2006 John W. Cox sold it to Bruce Boehner, who owned it until he sold it in 2010 to Jay and Nina Cantu who provided weekly shows ranging from Country to Gospel to Rock & Roll every Saturday 4:00 pm. However, as of January 26, 2018, performances have decreased to an average of two shows per month. The Geraldine D. Humphreys Cultural Center, a municipal facility, houses the Liberty Municipal Library and the 153 seat Humphreys-Burson Theatre. The Geraldine D. Humphreys Cultural Center opened and was dedicated on October 18, 1970. The Geraldine D. Humphrey's Cultural Center has undergone a multimillion-dollar renovation project completed in 2010, including renovation of the Humphreys-Burson Theater adding new seating, expanded storage space and new carpeting.

Media

* The Liberty Vindicator – Serving Liberty and Liberty County since 1887. * The Liberty Gazette – Liberty County's only home-owned Newspaper since 1960 * Bluebonnet News - News source for all of Liberty County and surrounding areas

Notable people

* Bill Daniel, Governor of Guam, member of Texas House of Representatives * Vara Martin Daniel, Educator, First Lady of Guam * Marion Price Daniel, Sr., 38th governor of Texas, US senator * Bill Dodd, Louisiana politician * Bobby Seale, co-founder of the

Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist and Black Power movement, black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newto ...

References

Sources

External links

*
Liberty–Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce
* '' The Handbook of Texas Online,'' article o
Liberty, Texas
{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Liberty County, Texas County seats in Texas Greater Houston 1831 establishments in Texas