Hitchcock, Texas

Hitchcock was created as a station of the railroad between Galveston and Houston in 1873 and around the turn of the 20th century became a vegetable shipping center. The settlement's economy crashed in the 1930s after insect plagues in the surrounding areas, and the area stayed impoverished until the establishment of the Camp Wallace[4] anti-aircraft training base and the Hitchcock Naval Air Station at the beginning of World War II. After the end of the war, the bases were used as discharge centers, and some former soldiers settled in the area. Hitchcock was established in 1960 as the area's population boomed, topping out at nearly 7,000 by the end of the 1960s. Today, the town serves as a suburb of Galveston and houses workers from the Johnson Space Center.

Since 1984, Hitchcock has been home to the Galveston County Fair & Rodeo.[5] The Galveston County Fair & Rodeo began in 1938 and was held at facilities in Runge Park in Arcadia. In the early 1980s, the County Fair had reached its limits of growth at Runge Park, and plans began for a move to Jack Brooks Park in Hitchcock. The move to Jack Brooks Park was completed in time for the 1984 fair.

Hitchcock was affected by Hurricane Ike in 2017. The director of community development, D. Joe Wood, stated that bankruptcy was a possibility in the post-Hurricane environment.[6]

Map of Hitchcock

Hitchcock is located at 29°20′19″N 95°0′39″W (29.338715, -95.010861).[7]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 92.1 square miles (238.5 km²), of which 60.5 square miles (156.6 km²) is land and 31.6 square miles (81.9 km²), or 34.35%, is water.[8]

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 6,386 people, 2,434 households, and 1,737 families residing in the city. The population density was 96.1 people per square mile (37.1/km²). There were 2,754 housing units at an average density of 41.4 per square mile (16.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.96% White, 32.81% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.76% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.73% of the population.

There were 2,434 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,848, and the median income for a family was $35,013. Males had a median income of $31,098 versus $22,340 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,964. About 16.3% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.

Hitchcock Post Office

The Hitchcock Post Office is located at 8120 Texas State Highway 6.[11]

Each year Juneteenth is celebrated in the Stringfellow Orchards, a9.5-acre (3.8 ha) complex previously owned by a slave owner. The Texas Historical Commission enacted a historical marker in 1992. In 2004, the site had not been previously maintained, but John Collins discovered the site in 2004 and, with his wife Doris, later purchased it. As of 2007 the Collinses remain the owners.[14]

• Taurian Fontenette (born 1983), famous streetball player whose nicknames include "The Air Up There" and "Mr. 720"
• Michael Sam, Free Agent defensive end, first openly gay NFL player
• Randy Hymes, former NFL player who played for Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Minnesota Vikings
• David M. Medina, former Texas Supreme Court and General Counsel to Governor Rick Perry

• City of Hitchcock official website
• Historic Images from the Genevieve Miller Public Library, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
• Hitchcock, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online