Graham, Texas

Graham, Texas
—  City  —
Graham downtown square as seen from Twin Mountains
Location of Graham, Texas
Coordinates: 33°6′3″N 98°34′45″W / 33.10083°N 98.57917°W / 33.10083; -98.57917Coordinates: 33°6′3″N 98°34′45″W / 33.10083°N 98.57917°W / 33.10083; -98.57917
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Young
Area
– Total	5.5 sq mi (14.2 km2)
– Land	5.5 sq mi (14.2 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,047 ft (319 m)
Population (2010 United States Census)
– Total	8,903
– Density	1,584.9/sq mi (611.9/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	76450
Area code(s)	940
FIPS code	48-30392[1]
GNIS feature ID	1336783[2]

Graham is a city in north central Texas. It is the county seat of Young County, and as of the 2010 Census had a population of 8,903.

History

The site was first settled in 1871 by brothers Gustavus A. and Edwin S. Graham, primary shareholders in the Texas Emigration and Land Company of Louisville, Kentucky. The brothers moved to Texas after the Civil War, and after buying 125,000 acres (510 km²) in then-vast Young County, helped to revitalize the area, the population of which had become badly depleted during the war. The Grahams purchased a local saltworks in 1872, and after new families started to arrive, began promoting the sale of homesites. A post office opened in 1873, and after Young County reorganized the following year, Graham became the county seat. The town's newspaper, known as the Leader and still in existence today, was first printed in 1876, the same year that the first temporary courthouse was built. Other businesses from these early years included a gristmill, sawmill, cotton gin, a brick kiln, two hotels, and several stores.^[3]

On February 15, 1877 the city was the site of the organizational meeting of the group that became the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, created to police ranching and put a stop to cattle rustling.^[4] Founding officers included pioneer ranchers James C. Loving (son of Oliver Loving), Col. C.L. (Kit) Carter, and C.C. Slaughter. A three-story limestone courthouse was built in 1884, and it was destroyed by fire in the early 1930s. The 1884 structure's east door still stands on the courthouse square. From 1879-1896, Graham was the seat of a Federal District Court overseen by Dr. J.E. Ryus; his jurisdiction extended over all of Texas north and west to New Mexico.^[3][4] By 1900, Graham had incorporated as a town, and railroad service began in 1903 when the Chicago, Rock Island and Texas line arrived from Fort Worth. The town's population grew slowly until 1917, when oil was discovered nearby; the population tripled from 878 in 1900 to 2,544 in 1920. By 1966, Graham had seventeen churches, seven schools, a hospital, a radio station, two libraries, three parks, and two newspapers. The population peaked at 9,170 in 1980 and has since gradually declined; it was 8,716 at the 2000 census and 8,518 by the July 2007 estimate.^[3][5]

According to a mural on the courthouse depicting the arrival of the Graham brothers, the town square is physically the largest of any in the country.^[6][7]

Graham is also one of only a handful of towns in Texas still to have an operational drive-in theater.^[8]

Geography

Graham is located at 33°6′3″N 98°34′45″W / 33.10083°N 98.57917°W / 33.10083; -98.57917 (33.100778, -98.579254).^[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14.2 km²), all of it land.

The Twin Mountains are the dominant physical landmark of the city.

Graham is located near the western edge of the Palo Pinto Mountains.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 8,716 people, 3,391 households, and 2,366 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,584.8 people per square mile (611.9/km²). There were 3,904 housing units at an average density of 709.9 per square mile (274.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.39% White, 1.24% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 7.78% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.41% of the population.

There were 3,391 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,081, and the median income for a family was $38,118. Males had a median income of $30,221 versus $19,574 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,587. About 13.0% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools in the City of Graham are managed by the Graham Independent School District.

Notable people

• Rex Brown, former bassist for the heavy metal band Pantera
• Bob Estes, golfer. Four-time winner on the PGA Tour
• Bob Lilly, NFL Hall of Fame Football player
• William D. McFarlane, U.S. Congressman from 1933–1939
• Robert McFarlane, National Security Adviser to President Ronald Reagan
• Dean Smith, 1952 Olympic Gold Medalist
• "Big Ed" Wilkes (1931–1998), radio broadcaster, taught school at Graham in the early 1950s

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Handbook of Texas Online - Graham, TX". http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/GG/hfg7.html. Retrieved 2008-09-20. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ ^{a b} Hodge, Larry; Syers, Ed (2000). Backroads of Texas (4th ed.). Lanham, MD: Lone Star Books 
5. ^ "Graham, Texas (TX) Detailed Profile". http://www.city-data.com/city/Graham-Texas.html. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
6. ^ "Graham, Texas Chamber of Commerce". http://www.grahamtxchamber.com/aboutgraham.html. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
7. ^ "Graham Texas Historic Graham and Graham Texas Hotels Motels". http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasTowns/Graham-Texas.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
8. ^ "Texas Drive-ins :-: TX". http://www.driveinmovie.com/TX.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
9. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 

External links

Texas portal

• Graham, Texas Community Website
• City of Graham, Texas Official Website