Robert Lee 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
Coke 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 1,027 at the
2020 census.
History
The founders named the city after
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...
, who is thought to have set up camp for a time near the current townsite on the
Colorado River
The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...
. Lee served in Texas from 1856 to 1861 as a
lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, Second Cavalry.
Geography
Robert Lee is downstream from the
E.V. Spence Reservoir
E.V. Spence Reservoir (also known as Lake E.V. Spence) is an artificial lake located west of (and upstream from) the town of Robert Lee, Texas. The reservoir was impounded by the creation of Robert Lee Dam in 1969, with the support of the Uppe ...
on the upper
Colorado River
The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...
.
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 , all land.
Climate
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 1,027 people, 540 households, and 297 families residing in the city.
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, 1,171 people, 496 households, and 326 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 658 housing units averaged 576.9/sq mi (222.9/km). The
racial makeup of the city was 89.92% White, 0.26% African American, 0.77% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 7.34% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 19.64% of the population.
Of 496 households, 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were not families. About 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city, the population was distributed as 22.8% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 28.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,750, and for a family was $33,553. Males had a median income of $30,486 versus $19,615 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 $16,672. About 12.0% of families and 14.8% 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 16.6% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The city is served by the
Robert Lee Independent School District and is the location of
Robert Lee High School.
Notable people
*
Winnie Baze, American football player for the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
*
John Burroughs
John Burroughs (April 3, 1837 – March 29, 1921) was an American naturalist and nature essayist, active in the conservation movement in the United States. The first of his essay collections was ''Wake-Robin'' in 1871.
In the words of his bi ...
,
Democratic 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 ...
of New Mexico, 1959–1960
*
Wallace Clift
Wallace Bruce Clift, Jr. (March 27, 1926 – February 5, 2018) was an American priest and academic. He was the author of several books and articles in the field of the psychology of religion and a professor emeritus at the University of Denver, ...
(1926–2018), professor and author
*
Dean E. Hallmark, Air Force pilot.
*
Fred Roe, polo player
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
History – From "The Handbook of Texas Online"
{{authority control
Cities in Coke County, Texas
Cities in Texas
County seats in Texas