HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Waxahachie ( ) 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
Ellis County, Texas Ellis County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, its population was estimated to be 192,455. The county seat is Waxahachie, Texas, Waxahachie. The county was founded in 1849 and organized the nex ...
, United States. Its population was 41,140 in 2020. The city was founded in 1850, and incorporated in 1871. Much of the employment is provided by a number of industries and by educational institutions, including primary and secondary schools, a community college and a private university. In the mid-1980s, the city became a filming location for a number of movies and occasional episodes of television series.


Etymology

Some sources state that the name means "cow" or "buffalo" in an unspecified Native American language. One possible Native American origin is the Alabama language, originally spoken in the area of Alabama around Waxahatchee Creek by the Alabama-Coushatta people, who had migrated by the 1850s to eastern Texas. In the Alabama language, ''waakasi hachi'' means "calf's tail" (the Alabama word ''waaka'' being a loan from Spanish ''vaca''). A Waxahatchee Creek near present-day
Shelby, Alabama Shelby is a census-designated place and Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in Shelby County, Alabama, Shelby County, Alabama, United States. Its population was 1,044 as of the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. The ...
, suggests that Waxahachie shares the same etymology. Many place names in Texas and Oklahoma have their origins in the Southeastern United States, largely due to forced removal of various southeastern Indian tribes. The area in central Alabama that includes Waxahatchee Creek was for hundreds of years the home of the Upper Creek moiety of the
Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands Here they waged war again ...
Creek Nation. Again, this would suggest a Muscogee Creek-language origin of Waxahachie. "Waxahachie", therefore, may be an anglicized pronunciation of the Muscogee compound word ''wakvhvce'' from the Muscogee words ''wakv'' (meaning "cow" derived from the Spanish ''vaca'') and the Muscogee word ''hvcce'' (meaning "river" or "creek").


History

Waxahachie was founded in August 1850 as the seat of the newly established Ellis County on a tract of land donated by early settler Emory W. Rogers, a native of Lawrence County, Alabama, who migrated to Texas in 1839. It was incorporated on April 28, 1871, and in 1875, the state legislature granted investors the right to operate a rail line from Waxahachie Tap Railroad to Garrett, Texas, which greatly increased the population of Waxahachie. From 1902 to 1942, Waxahachie was the second home of Trinity University, which was a Presbyterian-affiliated institution founded in 1869. Then-Trinity's main administration and classroom building is today the Farmer Administration Building of Nelson University. Trinity's present-day location is in
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
. The town is the namesake of the former United States Naval Ship ''Waxahachie'' (YTB-814). In 1988, the area around Waxahachie was chosen as the site for the Superconducting Super Collider, which was to be the world's largest and most energetic
particle accelerator A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel electric charge, charged particles to very high speeds and energies to contain them in well-defined particle beam, beams. Small accelerators are used for fundamental ...
, with a planned ring circumference of . Seventeen shafts were sunk and of tunnel were bored before the project was cancelled by Congress in 1993. In 2020, County Judge Todd Little came into the national spotlight when the county's only elected African American, Constable Curtis Polk, Jr., protested having his office located in the basement of the courthouse next to a segregation-era sign that read "Negroes". The controversy was resolved amicably when Little worked with Polk to relocate him to another office.


Geography


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 ...
, Waxahachie 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 ...
, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.


Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, 41,140 people, 12,522 households, and 9,073 families resided in the city.


Economy

Employment opportunities in the city are highly oriented toward industry.
Owens Corning Owens Corning is an American company that develops and produces insulation, roofing, and fiberglass composites and related products. It is the world's largest manufacturer of fiberglass composites. It was formed in 1935 as a partnership between ...
,
Georgia-Pacific Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of Tissue paper, tissue, Pulp (paper), pulp, paper, toilet and paper towe ...
,
International Paper The International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 39,000 employees, and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. History The company was incorporated January 31 ...
, James Hardie Industries,
Berry Global Berry Global Group, Inc. was a Fortune 500 global manufacturer and marketer of plastic packaging products. Headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, it had over 265 facilities across the globe and more than 46,000 employees With $14+ billion in rev ...
, Americase, Cardinal Glass, Magnablend, and Dart Container are located within a few miles of each other. Nonindustrial employers include Baylor Scott & White Health, Waxahachie Independent School District,
Walgreens Walgreens is an American pharmacy store chain. It is the second largest in the United States, behind CVS Pharmacy. As of March 2025, the company operated more than 8,700 stores in the U.S. Walgreens has been the subject of a number of lawsuit ...
Distribution Center,
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
,
H-E-B H-E-B Grocery Company, LP, is an American privately held company, privately held supermarket chain based in San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, with more than 435 stores throughout Texas and Mexico. The company also operates Central Market (Texas) ...
, Navarro College, and Nelson University.


Arts and culture


Annual cultural events

The
Scarborough Renaissance Festival Scarborough Renaissance Festival, more commonly known as Scarborough Faire, is a renaissance fair in Waxahachie, Texas. Scarborough Faire's first run was in 1981. The festival is open Saturdays and Sundays from the first weekend in April until ...
(also called Scarborough Faire) is located southwest of the town. It opens annually during April and May, and has been in operation since 1981. The Scarborough grounds are also home to Screams Halloween Theme Park in October. The city's annual Gingerbread Trail Festival features tours of many of the Gingerbread homes. The Crossroads of Texas Festival, featuring artists, craftsmen, music, and food from around Texas, takes place in downtown on the last Saturday in October. The festival was known as the '' Texas Country Reporter'' Festival from 1996 to 2023. Bethlehem Revisited, a re-enactment of the birth of
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
, occurs behind Central Presbyterian Church in early December.


Tourism

Waxahachie is locally known for its elaborate
Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a architectural style, style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revivalism (architecture), revival style incorporates 11th- and 12th-century ...
courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...
. The town also features many examples of
Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the st ...
and Gingerbread-style homes, several of which have been converted into
bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...
inns. The Ellis County Art Association hosts ART on the Square (Cultural Attractions- Events and Facilities; 113 West Franklin Street).


Parks and recreation

Parks in Waxahachie include Spring Park, Getzendaner Memorial Park, Richards Park, Chapman Park, and Brown-Singleton Park. Getzendaner Park features the historic Chautauqua Auditorium, built in 1902. Lake Waxahachie features a range of camping and fishing areas.


Government

The city of Waxahachie is a voluntary member of the North Central Texas Council of Governments association, the purpose of which is to coordinate individual and collective local governments and facilitate regional solutions, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and enable joint decisions.


State government

Waxahachie is represented in the
Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...
by Republican Brian Birdwell, District 22, and in the
Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...
by Republican Brian Harrison, District 10. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Waxahachie District Parole Office in Sherman.


Federal government

At the federal level, the two U.S. senators from Texas are Republicans
John Cornyn John Cornyn III ( ; born February 2, 1952) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. ...
and
Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...
; since 2003, Waxahachie has been part of Texas's 6th congressional district, which is currently represented by Republican Jake Ellzey. The
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
operates the Waxahachie Post Office.


Education


Primary and secondary

Almost all of Waxahachie is served by the Waxahachie Independent School District (WISD), which currently has eight elementary campuses, three middle-school campuses, and two high schools. WISD offers advanced-placement and dual-credit courses, and varied career and technology courses. Waxahachie High School, classified as 6A, offers a range of extracurricular activities to its students, including football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball, golf, tennis, concert and marching band, drama, choir, drill team, and dozens of academic teams and clubs. The football program made the playoffs every year from 1989 to 2010. Waxahachie Global High School, an ECHS T-STEM school emphasizing instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in a small-learning-community environment, opened on August 27, 2007. The city limits of Waxahachie extend into the Ferris,
Midlothian Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...
, and Red Oak ISDs. In addition to the district schools, Life School, a public charter-school system, operates a 7–12 grade campus. On April 15, 2014, Life School broke ground on a new high school in Waxahachie, planned to accommodate about 1,000 9th–12th graders.


Private schools

The several private schools include Waxahachie Preparatory Academy (K-12), Mercy Preparatory Academy (K-12), First Christian Day School (through 8th grade), and St. Joseph Catholic School (through 8th grade).


Colleges and universities

Two postsecondary educational institutions have campuses in the city of Waxahachie: Navarro 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
Corsicana, Texas Corsicana is a city in and the county seat of Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45, 50 miles southeast of Dallas, Texas, Dallas. Its population was 25,109 at the 2020 census. Corsicana is considered an important ...
, and Nelson University, a private, four-year university affiliated with the
Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...
, which offers accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees. File:Sagu.jpg, Nelson University in Waxahachie File:Second Trinity University Campus 1.JPG, alt=Second Trinity University Campus 1, The Farmer Administration Building on the campus of Nelson University. The building was formerly home to Trinity University.


Media

The first newspaper in Waxahachie, the now-defunct ''Waxahachie Argus'', was established in 1870. The '' Waxahachie Daily Light'' has served the town since 1891. Additionally, 47 radio stations are within close listening range of Waxahachie. KBEC radio has served the community and surrounding area since 1955.


Gallery

File:Downtown Waxahachie 2 Wiki (1 of 1).jpg, Downtown Waxahachie, at the intersection of Rogers and West Franklin Streets File:Downtown Waxahachie 1 Wiki (1 of 1).jpg, West Franklin Street between South College and Rogers Streets, downtown Waxahachie


Infrastructure


Health care

Both Altus Emergency Center and Baylor Scott & White Health at Waxahachie provide emergency services locally, as does Ennis Regional Medical Center, about 14 miles away in Ennis. Between 2003 and 2010, Waxahachie's healthcare industry added 555 jobs, making it the city's fourth-largest employment sector.


Transportation

* Interstate 35E is a major north–south freeway serving as a bypass around the west side of Waxahachie. The freeway connects with Red Oak, DeSoto/ Lancaster, and
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 ...
to the north;
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, Hillsboro, and Waco to the south. * U.S. Route 287, also a freeway, runs in a northwest–southeast orientation through the north side of the city. The freeway connects with
Midlothian Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...
,
Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...
, and
Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
to the west and Ennis to the east. * U.S. Route 77, a north–south highway, serves as the main thoroughfare through the city, passing through downtown and the north side of the city. The highway parallels Interstate 35 and reconnects with the interstate just outside the city limits. Many of the city's commercial developments line Highway 77.


Notable people

* Robert Benton, won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for '' Places in the Heart'', filmed in Waxahachie. * Jammal Brown, professional football player * Tevin Campbell,
Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
-nominated R&B singer * Emanuel Cleaver, U.S. Representative *
Bessie Coleman Elizabeth Coleman (January 26, 1892April 30, 1926) was an early American civil aviation, civil aviator. She was the first African-American woman and first Native Americans in the United States, Native American to hold a Pilot certification in ...
, first female African-American pilot (born in Atlanta, Texas; moved to Waxahachie at age 2) * Elizabeth Otis Dannelly, poet * Frederic Forrest, Oscar-nominated actor * Robert J. Groden, JFK assassination expert, released the
Zapruder film The Zapruder film is a silent 8 mm film, 8mm color motion picture sequence shot by Abraham Zapruder with a Bell & Howell home-movie camera, as United States President John F. Kennedy's motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on N ...
on national TV on March 6, 1975 * Josie Briggs Hall, author of ''A Scroll of Facts and Advice'' (1905), the first book published by a black Texan woman * Bill Ham, manager for
ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For almost 56 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (musician), Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill prior to his death in 2021. ZZ ...
* Dale Hansen, sports anchor WFAA-TV Channel 8 Dallas, Texas * John Paul Jackson, Charismatic minister, prophet and teacher * Desmond Mason, professional basketball player * Julie Miller, songwriter, singer, and recording artist *
Dick Murdoch Hoyt Richard Murdoch (August 16, 1946 – June 15, 1996) was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring names "Dirty" Dick Murdoch and "Captain Redneck". He was best known for his time in the NWA, WWE, Wo ...
, professional wrestler * Byron Nelson, professional golfer * Jim Pitts, former member of the
Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...
* Jalen Reagor, professional football player * Montae Reagor, former defensive tackle for the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
and
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
. * Paul Richards, Major League Baseball player, manager and executive * Aldrick Robinson, professional football player and coach * Broderick Sargent, professional football player * Brian Waters, professional football player * John Wray, former member of the Texas House of Representatives and former mayor of Waxahachie


In popular culture

Additionally, the long-running television series ''
Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action fiction, action Crime drama, crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both the film and the series starring Chuck Norr ...
'', starring
Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. Born in Oklahoma, Norris first gained fame when he won the amateur Middleweight Karate champion title in 1968, which he held for six consecutive years. H ...
, was filmed in Waxahachie on occasion. Some scenes in ''
Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers: Lincoln Burrows (Dominic P ...
'' were filmed in Waxahachie. Scenes from '' Bonnie and Clyde'' (1967) were also shot here. In 2018, an animated short film from Crypt TV titled ''Dark Vessel'' featured the town as its 1977-based setting. In 2021,
Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music, country singer. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place ...
,
Jon Randall Jon Randall Stewart (born February 17, 1969) is an American producer, songwriter, and musician. His career began as a guitarist for Emmylou Harris' Nash Ramblers with whom he won his first Grammy for their ''Live at the Ryman'' album in 1992. Be ...
and Jack Ingram released a song named for the city on their acoustic album '' The Marfa Tapes''. It was later recorded again with full production for inclusion on Lambert's solo album ''
Palomino Palomino is a equine coat color, genetic color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane (horse), mane and tail; the degree of whiteness can vary from bright white to yellow. The palomino color derived from the breeding of Spanish hor ...
'' in 2022.


Sister cities

Sabinas in Coahuila, Mexico, has been proposed as Waxahachie's
sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...
. Sabinas is located about south of
Eagle Pass, Texas Eagle Pass is a city in and the county seat of Maverick County, Texas, United States. Its population was 28,130 as of the 2020 census. Eagle Pass borders the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, which is to the southwest and across the ...
.


Notes


References


External links


City of Waxahachie official website



Texas State Historical Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waxahachie, Texas Cities in Texas Cities in Ellis County, Texas County seats in Texas Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex