Dell City, Texas
Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Dell City is a city in Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. The population was 365 at the time of the 2010 census,<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite web</ref> down from 413 at the time of the 2000 census. The population is now at 245 by the 2020 census.<ref name=":0" /> It is near the former location of Paulville, a failed Ron Paul-inspired Libertarian cooperative and planned community.
The city was incorporated in 1948,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> shortly after the discovery of an underground water supply by oil prospectors, which attracted farmers to the area. Its name is a reference to the nursery rhyme "The Farmer in the Dell."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Unreliable source?
History
Dell City was established in 1948,<ref name=GraceGrebingHist>Template:Cite web - HTML preview</ref> as an aquifer had been found in the area. Settlers came from other areas of Texas and New Mexico.<ref name=Patoski>Template:Cite web</ref> It developed into being a farming town. The community had about 500 people in the 1950s.<ref name=Onsurez>Template:Cite web - Alternate link - Alternate version: "Dell City, Texas: Ghost town in the making? (with Mark R. Lambie)</ref>
In 2012, Jeanne Catsoulis of The New York Times described Dell City as "a borderline ghost town".<ref name=Catsoulis>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2014, there were 336 people, according to the United States Census Bureau, with 50 being the average age. In 2016, Jessica Onsurez wrote that residents in the town, which had a decline in the number of businesses, are divided over whether the town is "dying", in her words, or whether it will rebound. Residents rejected proposals to establish a prison and a manufacturing plant.<ref name=Onsurez/>
Geography
Dell City is located in northeastern Hudspeth County in West Texas. It is Template:Convert north of U.S. Routes 62 and 180, and Template:Convert south of the New Mexico border. The Guadalupe Mountains are visible to the east.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Template:Convert, all land.<ref name="Census 2010"/>
It is approximately Template:Convert from El Paso, which is west of Dell City.<ref name=Falk>Template:Cite web</ref> Carlsbad, New Mexico, to the northeast, is Template:Convert away.<ref name=Belkinfire>Template:Cite web</ref>
It is about Template:Convert west of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Texas Highways states that it is about 45 minutes' travel time away.<ref name=Patoski/>
Climate
Economy
As of 2019, the major sectors were farming and ranching.<ref name=Falk/> There were multiple farms owned by families and two cotton gins that provided employment. By 2016, the number of farms had declined.<ref name=Onsurez/> By 2019, several alfalfa growing operations were established and several persons from the Mesilla Valley and the area around Hatch, New Mexico began growing chile peppers on leased land around Dell City.<ref name=Patoski/>
In 1979, there were three grocery stores and four bars.<ref name=Onsurez/> By 1989, there was only one grocery and general store, Dell City Mercantile, which had burned down in a fire that year. There were also three bars, two gas stations, two restaurants, a hardware store, and a video rental business.<ref name="Belkinfire" /> In 2016, the city had one grocery store, Two T's Grocery, in a former bar, and one multipurpose store, the Dell City Mercantile. Additionally as of that year there were two restaurants, Spanish Angel Cafe, and Rosita's Cafe.<ref name=Onsurez/>
By 2019, a business owner began operating an Airbnb from several previously disused buildings.<ref name=Patoski/>
Healthcare
In 1989, there was one doctor who had office hours on Wednesdays in Dell City, but otherwise townfolk had to travel to El Paso to get medical appointments. Template:As of, the closest hospital was in El Paso.<ref name=Belkinfire/> As of now there is only an Emergency Services District tasked with dealing with medical emergencies
Townscape
There are no traffic lights in town. Several of the buildings are in an adobe style. As it was established in the 20th century, it lacks prior architecture found in other small towns in Texas.<ref name=Patoski/> The late Laura Lynch, a member of the original Dixie Chicks, tasked herself with Rehabilitating historical architecture.
Education
The area is served by the Dell City Independent School District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The district has just one school, covering grades kindergarten through 12. In 1949, a teacher from Sierra Blanca Independent School District was sent to Dell City on request by Dell City residents, and another teacher, Grace Grebing, took over the role in 1950; she became the first superintendent of Dell City ISD.<ref name=GraceGrebingHist/>
The district operates Grace Grebing Public Library, which also serves as a community library for Dell City.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was named after a longtime teacher.<ref name="GraceGrebingHist" />
Hudspeth County is within the official service area of El Paso Community College.<ref>Texas Education Code, Section 130.178, "El Paso County Community College District Service Area".</ref>
Demographics
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 84 | 34.29% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 1 | 0.41% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 4 | 1.63% |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 7 | 2.86% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 149 | 60.82% |
| Total | 245 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 245 people, 83 households, and 30 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, 413 people, 155 households, and 119 families resided in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. The 226 housing units averaged 136.9 per square mile (52.9/kmTemplate:Sup). The racial makeup of the city was 61.50% White, 1.45% African American, 1.94% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 32.69% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latinos of any race were 69.25% of the population.
Of the 155 households, 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were not families. About 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the city, the population was distributed as 30.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $19,602, and for a family was $21,667. Males had a median income of $24,135 versus $18,571 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,580. About 26.4% of families and 29.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.1% of those under age 18 and 38.6% of those age 65 or over.
Media
The Dell Valley Review began publication in Dell City in 1956. It became known as the Hudspeth County Herald in 1964.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its offices are now in Odessa. The publication maintains a mailing address PO Box in Fort Hancock.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The full name is Hudspeth County Herald and Dell Valley Review. In 2012 the newspaper had one employee, who served as the editor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In culture
The filmmaker Josh Carter, beginning in 2002, assisted the creation of four films created by natives of Dell City, and he spliced them into a single work called Tales from Dell City, Texas, released in 2012. Catsoulis wrote that the film "immortalizes a dusty slice of vanishing Americana, delivering a parched ode to hard work, endurance and desert dreams."<ref name=Catsoulis/>
Notable people
- Laura Lynch, founder and member of the original Dixie Chicks
Gallery
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City hall -
Post office -
Sign for Dell City at Dell City Junction (south of Dell City, U.S. Highway 62 at FM 1437)
References
<references /> Template:Notelist
External links
- Information about Dell City sponsored by the Dell City Chamber of Commerce.
- About Hudspeth County herald and Dell Valley review. [volume] (Dell city, Tex.) 1964-current - Library of Congress
- Hudspeth County Herald and Dell Valley Review (Dell City, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 51, Ed. 1 Friday, August 13, 1965 - Digital Public Library of America
- Template:Cite web - The earliest census map posted online, from 1990: 1990 COUNTY BLOCK MAP (RECREATED): HUDSPETH County Page A - 2000 Map - 2010 Map