Roscoe is a city in Nolan County in the U.S. state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

near the intersection of

Interstate 20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with Interstate 10, I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with Interstate 95, I-95 in Flo ...

and US Highway 84. The

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

passes through the center of the city.William R. Hunt, " Roscoe, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hjr13, accessed January 15, 2012, Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

Geography

Roscoe is located at (32.4459520, –100.5387184). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land. The population was 1,378 at the 2000 census, but has since decreased to only about 900.^{Need Citation, Disagrees with Side Bar - History}

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Roscoe 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 semi-ar ...

, ''BSk'' on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 1,271 people, 565 households, and 450 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, 1,380 people, 509 households, and 382 families resided in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 728.1 people per square mile (281.5/km). The 588 housing units averaged 310.7/sq mi (120.1/km). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city were 75.18% White, 1.09% African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 20.17% from other races, and 2.98% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 36.94% of the population. Of 509 households, 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were not families. About 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.09. In the town, the population was distributed as 28.2% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,816, and for a family was $28,393. Males had a median income of $25,313 versus $20,000 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $11,792. About 20.6% of families and 25.2% 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 t ...

, including 34.9% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.

Wind energy

The Roscoe Wind Farm, owned and operated by E.ON Climate and Renewables, is one of the world's largest capacity

wind farm A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used Wind power, to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundre ...

s with 627 wind turbines and a total installed capacity of 781.5 MW. At the time of its completion, it was the largest wind farm in the world, surpassing the nearby 735.5-MW

Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center is a large wind farm with 735.5 megawatts (MW) of capacity. It consists of 291 GE 1.5-megawatt wind turbines and 139 Siemens 2.3-megawatt wind turbines spread over nearly 47,000 acres (19,000 ha) of land in T ...

. In 2012, it was overtaken by California's 1,020-MW

Alta Wind Energy Center Alta Wind Energy Center (AWEC), also known as Mojave Wind Farm, is the third largest onshore wind energy project in the world. The Alta Wind Energy Center is a wind farm located in Tehachapi Pass of the Tehachapi Mountains, in Kern County, Californ ...

. The project cost more than $1 billion and provides enough power for more than 250,000 average Texan homes. A landowner can earn between $500 and $1,000 per windmill per year.Window of Change Blow into Roscoe, Texas
John Burnett, ''

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

'', November 27, 2007.

Education

The City of Roscoe is served by Roscoe Collegiate Independent School District. The recent wind development in the area has enabled Roscoe ISD to update its aging facilities built in the era of the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

. Since the 2012–13 school year, all of the district's students have been in new or updated buildings. Roscoe Collegiate ISD operates one of 50 Early College High Schools in Texas in partnership with Western Texas College in Snyder. Students of Roscoe Collegiate High School have the ability to earn an associate degree from Western Texas College at the time of high school graduation. The mascot of Roscoe Collegiate High School is the Plowboys.

Transportation

In addition to the Union Pacific, another rail line, the

Roscoe, Snyder and Pacific Railway The Roscoe, Snyder and Pacific Railway was an American shortline railroad based in the small West Texas town of Roscoe. History The Roscoe, Snyder and Pacific Railway Company was incorporated August 31, 1906, to construct a railroad from Roscoe ...

(RS&P), formerly extended from Roscoe to Fluvanna, passing through Snyder. Built in 1908, the railway served as a bridge between the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

in Snyder and the then-Texas and Pacific Railway in Roscoe. Although the RS&P became one of the most profitable short lines in the nation during its early years, passenger service was discontinued in 1953, freight service was discontinued in the late 1970s, and most of the tracks outside of the city had been removed by 1984.

Arts and culture

Roscoe is home to the Plowboy Mudbog which is held twice a year, during the

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...

Celebration, which is held on July 4 weekend, and in October, usually coinciding with the Wind Festival. The July mudbog normally draws around 70 to 80 trucks competing for prize and bragging rights.

Notable people

J. J. Pickle James Jarrell "Jake" Pickle (October 11, 1913 – June 18, 2005) was a United States Representative from the 10th congressional district of Texas from 1963 to 1995. Pickle was born in Roscoe, Texas and brought up in Big Spring. He acquired h ...

, U.S. congressman

References

External links

City of Roscoe website
* *
Photos of West Texas and Llano Estacado
{{authority control Cities in Nolan County, Texas Cities in Texas