Flatonia, Texas

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Flatonia, Texas
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Flatonia, Texas

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mapsize1 = 250px
map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Texas
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Fayette

government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
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established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 4.2
area_land_km2 = 4.2
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 1.6
area_land_sq_mi = 1.6
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 1377
population_density_km2 = 328.5
population_density_sq_mi = 850.8

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 139
elevation_ft = 456
latd = 29 |latm = 41 |lats = 13 |latNS = N
longd = 97 |longm = 6 |longs = 28 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 78941
area_code = 361
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 48-26028GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1335937GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Flatonia is a town in the southwestern corner of Fayette County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,377 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated in 1875 and is known for its Czech and German heritage, local "Czhilispiel" festival, and the two railroads that pass through the town.

Geography

Flatonia is located at coor dms|29|41|13|N|97|6|28|W|city (29.686981, -97.107728)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.2 km²), of which, 1.6 square miles (4.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.22%) is water.

History

Flatonia is on Interstate Highway 10, U.S. Highway 90, and the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad twelve miles west of Schulenburg in southwestern Fayette County. It was established on April 8, 1874, on land acquired from William Alexander Faries (Ferris, Farris) by the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway and named for pioneer merchant F. W. Flato. At that time residents of the original Flatonia settlement, one mile southeast, and Oso, three miles northeast, loaded their homes and businesses on wagons and moved to the new location on the tracks. The post office that had been established at old Flatonia in 1870 was moved to the new town without changing its name. Flatonia was incorporated on November 10, 1875, and its first election was held the following December 6. By 1878 the town had a population of 800, and the economy depended equally on cattle and cotton.

The original settlers in the area were primarily Anglo-American. Opportunities provided by the railroad and inexpensive real estate, which sold for one to fifteen dollars an acre for uncultivated land and five to thirty-five dollars per acre for cultivated, brought successive waves of German, Bohemian, Greek, Arabian, and Italian immigrants. In the mid-1880s the Waco branch of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway completed a north-south line through Flatonia and brought new settlements, Muldoon on the north and Moulton on the south. This competition for business plus the agricultural depression of the time caused a decline in the town's economy and by 1900 occasioned a substantial loss in population.

During the first half of the twentieth century the prospects of Flatonia rose and fell in response to the national economy and the markets for cotton and cattle. In 1950 the town had forty businesses, a population of 1,024, and a wide service area of farms and ranches. Cotton ceased to be a factor in the local economy during the 1960s, and many farms were converted to cattle ranching. The population remained between 1,000 and 1,500, and the number of businesses rose to sixty-nine by 1985. The completion of I-10 during the 1970s caused tourist-oriented businesses to move away from Highway 90 and the railroad to the new highway, a mile north. Each year a weekend-long "Czhilispiel," a festival named by Czechs who like chili, attracts visitors from a wide area of Central Texas. In 1990 the population of Flatonia was 1,295, and in 2000 it was 1,377. [Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/FF/hjf4.html (accessed December 25, 2007).]

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 1,377 people, 504 households, and 347 families residing in the town. The population density was 850.8 people per square mile (328.2/km²). There were 568 housing units at an average density of 350.9/sq mi (135.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 74.07% White, 7.48% African American, 0.94% Native American, 16.85% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 36.17% of the population.

There were 504 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% 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 3.21.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,000, and the median income for a family was $31,471. Males had a median income of $23,700 versus $16,429 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,329. About 18.9% of families and 23.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.4% of those under age 18 and 27.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Town of Flatonia is served by the Flatonia Independent School District.

References

External links

* [http://www.flatoniachamber.com/ Chamber of Commerce website]
* [http://www.ci.flatonia.tx.us/city.html City of Flatonia website]
* [http://www.czhilispielfestival.com/ Czhilispiel Festival]
* [http://www.flatoniaargus.com Flatonia Argus]
* [http://www.sacredheartflatonia.org/ Flatonia Sacred Hearth Catholic Church]
* [http://www.birdseyeviews.org/zoom.php?city=Flatonia&year=1881&extra_info Flatonia in 1881]
* [http://www.flatoniabaptist.org/ Flatonia Baptist Church]
* [http://www.flatoniagolf.com Flatonia Golf Course]
* [http://www.flatoniachamber.com/Flatonia_Rail_Park.html Flatonia Rail Park]
* [http://www.ollehotel.com/ The historic Olle Hotel]
* [http://flatoniatx.lionwap.org/ Lions Club of Flatonia]