Seymour, Texas
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| Seymour, Texas | |
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| Coordinates: 33°35′30″N 99°15′39″W / 33.59167°N 99.26083°W | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Texas |
| County | Baylor |
| Government | |
| - Chamber of Commerce Director | Myra Busby |
| Area | |
| - Total | 2.7 sq mi (7.1 km2) |
| - Land | 2.7 sq mi (7.1 km2) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,289 ft (393 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 2,908 |
| - Density | 1,067.5/sq mi (412.2/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 76380 |
| Area code(s) | 940 |
| FIPS code | 48-66968[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1368006[2] |
Seymour is a city in and the county seat of Baylor County, Texas, United States.[3]
The town was founded by settlers from Oregon, who called the town Oregon City; it was originally located where the Western Trail crossed the Brazos River, which flows just south of the townsite. A post office was established in 1879, upon which the town's name was changed to Seymour, after local cowboy Seymour Munday, after whom nearby Munday was also named.
Business, a newspaper, a hotel, and the county courthouse all followed soon after, as did violence between cowboys and settlers. The town experienced two distinct economic booms: the first, short-lived, with the construction of the Wichita Valley rail line in 1880, and the second due to the discovery of oil in 1906. The population grew from 500 in 1884 to almost 3800 in 1950; it remained at about that level for more than thirty years, but has declined since, to 2908 in the 2000 census. Agribusiness, as well as some tourism from nearby Lake Kemp, has overtaken oil as the driving factor of the local economy. The Old Settlers Reunion and Rodeo has been held each July since 1896.[4]
The town calls itself "the crossroads of North Texas" because it is located at the junction of five highways: U.S. highways 82, 277, 183 and 283, as well as State Highway 114.[5] It is a noted stopover for traffic between the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Lubbock, as well as between Abilene and Wichita Falls (and hence Oklahoma City).
The Reptiliomorpha order Seymouriamorpha and genus Seymouria are named after this city. However, the last seymouriamorph became extinct by the end of Permian.
On August 12, 1936, the temperature at Seymour reached 120 °F (49 °C), the highest temperature ever recorded in the state of Texas.[6]
The Seymour Division of the sprawling 320,000 deeded acre (1400 km²) La Escalera Ranch is located in Baylor County north of Seymour. The Seymour Division consists of 34,000 acres (120 km²) and was formally known as the Cross Bar Ranch when it was owned by the Claude Cowan Sr. Trust. The ranch was purchased in January 2005 by the Gerald Lyda family and La Escalera Limited Partnership and is managed by partner Jo Lyda Granberg and her husband K. G. Granberg of Seymour. La Escalera Ranch extends over much of Pecos County and portions of Reeves, Brewster, Archer and Baylor counties. It is known for its herd of Black Angus cattle and its abundant wildlife.
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[edit] Geography
Seymour is located at 33°35′30″N 99°15′39″W / 33.59167°N 99.26083°W (33.591552, -99.260968)[7].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 2,908 people, 1,273 households, and 790 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,067.5 people per square mile (412.8/km²). There were 1,534 housing units at an average density of 563.1/sq mi (217.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.24% White, 4.57% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 3.44% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.45% of the population.
There were 1,273 households out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 24.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 83.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,662, and the median income for a family was $32,917. Males had a median income of $21,891 versus $19,292 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,062. About 15.6% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.8% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
Seymour is served by the Seymour Independent School District.
[edit] Government
The city government of Seymour is fundamentally different than other Texas cities, as the "leader," so to speak, is the Director of the Chamber of Commerce. Currently this position is filled by Myra Busby, collectively known as "Old Fuss and Feathers".
[edit] Honorary Citizens
- H.A. Tillmann (Till) Hein, 1962 - co-chairman of the German Day in Texas Council and anesthesiologist in Dallas
[edit] Trivia
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (November 2007) |
- Lake Kemp, near Seymour, Texas is the location where the internet viral video "Failed Dock Jump", made famous on Break.com, was filmed.[8]
- Seymour also holds the hottest summer in Texas with a temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Handbook of Texas Online - Seymour, TX". http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/SS/hgs7.html. Retrieved on 2009-01-15.
- ^ "City of Seymour, Texas website". http://www.cityofseymour.org/. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
- ^ Hodge, Larry; Syers, Ed (2000), Backroads of Texas (4th ed.), Lanham, MD: Lone Star Books
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Break.com". http://www.break.com/index/dockjump17.html. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
[edit] External links
- Seymour, Texas is at coordinates 33°35′30″N 99°15′39″W / 33.591552°N 99.260968°WCoordinates: 33°35′30″N 99°15′39″W / 33.591552°N 99.260968°W
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