Denver City, Texas

Denver City, Texas
Town
Denver City, Texas

Location of Denver City, Texas
Coordinates: 32°58′7″N 102°49′52″W / 32.96861°N 102.83111°W / 32.96861; -102.83111Coordinates: 32°58′7″N 102°49′52″W / 32.96861°N 102.83111°W / 32.96861; -102.83111
Country United States
State Texas
Counties Yoakum
Area
 • Total 2.5 sq mi (6.5 km2)
 • Land 2.5 sq mi (6.5 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 3,573 ft (1,089 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 4,479
 • Density 1,800/sq mi (690/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code 79323
Area code(s) 806
FIPS code 48-19984[1]
GNIS feature ID 1334272[2]

Denver City is a town located partly in Gaines County, but mostly in Yoakum County in the far western portion of the U.S. state of Texas, just a short distance from the New Mexico boundary. It is named for the petroleum company, Denver Productions. The population was 4,479 at the 2010 census. The town is located at the intersection of Texas State Highways 214 and 83.

Oil and ranching remain important to Denver City. The first well was drilled by the wildcatter "Red" Davidson of Fort Worth on the ranch lands of L.P. and Ruth Bennett and her father, Dr. J. R. Smith. Oil gushed to the surface for the first time on October 10, 1935. A part of this Wasson Field, as it is known, is the site of the Yoakum County Park, donated in 1964 by Gene H. Bennett (1921–1998), the youngest son of the Bennetts.[3]

On May 11, 2013, voters in both Denver City and Yoakum County, as well as Crosby County, also in West Texas, all previously under local-option prohibition laws, approved the sale of liquor.[4]

Geography

Denver City is located at 32°58′07″N 102°49′52″W / 32.968580°N 102.831218°W / 32.968580; -102.831218 (32.968580, −102.831218).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2), all of it land.


Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
19501,855—
19604,302131.9%
19704,133−3.9%
19804,70413.8%
19905,1459.4%
20003,985−22.5%
20104,47912.4%
Est. 20164,842[6]8.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the census[1] of 2000, 3,985 people, 1,366 households, and 1,102 families resided in the town. The population density was 1,594.5 people per square mile (615.4/km2). The 1,644 housing units had an average density of 657.8 per square mile (253.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 68.38% White, 1.53% African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 27.60% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 47.15% of the population. Of the 1,366 households, 44.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.3% were not families. About 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the town, the population was distributed as 31.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $29,418, and for a family was $35,972. Males had a median income of $35,156 versus $15,476 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,921. About 18.2% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

Climate data for Denver City, Texas (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 56.2
(13.4)		 60.3
(15.7)		 67.7
(19.8)		 76.7
(24.8)		 84.3
(29.1)		 91.5
(33.1)		 91.7
(33.2)		 90.5
(32.5)		 84.7
(29.3)		 76.3
(24.6)		 64.4
(18)		 56.1
(13.4)		 75.0
(23.9)
Average low °F (°C) 27.2
(−2.7)		 30.0
(−1.1)		 35.7
(2.1)		 43.2
(6.2)		 53.4
(11.9)		 62.2
(16.8)		 65.1
(18.4)		 63.9
(17.7)		 57.1
(13.9)		 46.5
(8.1)		 34.7
(1.5)		 27.2
(−2.7)		 45.5
(7.5)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.72
(18.3)		 0.99
(25.1)		 1.27
(32.3)		 1.16
(29.5)		 2.37
(60.2)		 2.23
(56.6)		 2.37
(60.2)		 2.41
(61.2)		 2.51
(63.8)		 1.47
(37.3)		 1.07
(27.2)		 0.87
(22.1)		 19.44
(493.8)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 1.1
(2.8)		 0.8
(2)		 0.2
(0.5)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 1.0
(2.5)		 2.0
(5.1)		 5.1
(13)
Source: NOAA[8]

Notable persons

  • Paul Leon Gooch (1928–2013), former alderman and mayor of Denver City, operated Dairy Mart and Broadway Superette, native of Muskogee, Oklahoma, member of Church of Christ, interred at Denver City Memorial Park Cemetery[9]
  • Bert Gravitt and Bill Gravitt, inductees of the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame, 2010
  • Chad W. Jones, winner of Bronze Star and ARCOM with Valor awards in Operation Iraqi Freedom
  • Robert Edgar Self, Jr. (September 11, 1925 – September 7, 2008), a businessman, served as mayor of Denver City from June 1978 – April 1979. Elected to the city council in April 1975, he became mayor upon the resignation of Dan Harris. He served on the first Denver City zoning board and worked to gain approval of the Connor and Santa Fe housing additions. Born in Brownfield in Terry County, Self was an Eagle Scout, a graduate of Brownfield High School and Texas Tech University, and served in the United States Army during World War II. He was proprietor of Collins Department Store. Services were held in the Denver City Church of Christ. Interment was at Denver City Memorial Park.[10]
  • Woodson Wade Lindsey, Freida Lonette Lindsey: The Lindsey family was an integral part of Denver City as proprietors of Lindsey Hardware for over 50 years, until the retirement of Woodson Lindsey in 1996.

Recreation

The city park has an area of four square blocks, with shade trees and a public swimming pool. The public pool is 12 feet in depth, and opens each year when school is not in session.

See also

Texas portal

References

  1. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ Texas Historical Commission marker, State Highway 114, 1981
  4. ↑ "Voters approve sales of alcohol in three elections". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, May 12, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  5. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  6. ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Paul Leon Gooch obituary". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  10. ↑ Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, September 8, 2008
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