Vernon, Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Vernon, Texas | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Wilbarger |
| Area | |
| - Total | 8.1 sq mi (21.0 km²) |
| - Land | 8.1 sq mi (21.0 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation | 1,184 ft (361 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 11,660 |
| - Density | 1,439.2/sq mi (555.7/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 76384-76385 |
| Area code(s) | 940 |
| FIPS code | 48-75308[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1370623[2] |
Vernon is a city in Wilbarger County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 11,660; it was 11,077 in the 2005 census estimate. Vernon is the county seat of Wilbarger County. [3].
Vernon is the birthplace of rock and roll singer/musician Roy Orbison and jazz trombonist Jack Teagarden. It is the hometown of country singer Kaye Adams. Lawyer Kenneth Starr (special prosecutor of Bill Clinton) was born in 1946 in nearby Lockett.
Vernon is represented in the United States House of Representatives by the Republican William "Mac" Thornberry of Clarendon.
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[edit] Geography
Vernon is located at (34.151116, -99.290473)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.1 square miles (21.0 km²), of which, 8.1 square miles (21.0 km²) of it is land and 0.12% is water.
[edit] Economy
Major businesses and industries in Vernon include a Tyson Foods, formerly Wright Brand Foods, Inc., bacon processing plant, a Rhodia, Inc. guar processing plant, North Texas State Hospital, which is operated by the Texas Department of State Health Services (an agency of the Texas Health and Human Services System), Victory Field Correctional Academy (a juvenile detention facility operated by the Texas Youth Commission), and an agroid Research and Extension Center.
[edit] Education
Vernon College, a two-year junior college, is located here and also has a campus in Wichita Falls. Some major academic programs offered by Vernon College include cosmetology, nursing and many vocational technical programs.
Athletically, Vernon College fields a women's softball team, women's volleyball team, men's baseball team and a rodeo team. The rodeo team is consistently ranked high in the JUCO level of competition.
The Vernon Independent School District serves students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12. The district's school campuses include three elementary schools (grades pre-kindergarten through 5), a middle school (grades 6-8) and a high school (grades 9-12). The district also operates an alternative education program as well as an education program for juveniles of the Adolescent Forensic Program at North Texas State Hospital. Vernon High School's football team, the Vernon Lions, are one of the stronger programs in the 3A division. The Lions won the 3A state championship in 1990 and were ranked number 1 all year, after finishing as finalists the previous year. Recently the Lions have finished as semi-finalists in 2003 and 2006, and were ranked in top 10 for the 2007 season when they lost in the state quarter-finals to Snyder.
[edit] Transportation
Vernon is located 50 miles northwest of Wichita Falls, Texas and approximate distances of approximately 160 to 180 miles from surrounding metropolitan areas including Canyon, Idalou, Justin and Duncan, OK. The city is served by four U.S. Routes: 70, 183, 283, and 287.
Bus transportation is available to Amarillo and Dallas-Fort Worth. Wilbarger County Airport is located 5 miles north of Vernon and the nearest airport with scheduled flights is Wichita Falls Municipal Airport 50 miles to the east which predominantly offers flights of commuter airlines to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and recently added an airline with direct flights to Hamlin, Texas.
The nearest international airports from Vernon with major airline connections include Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, Lloyd Carson Airport in Quanah and Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport in Amarillo.
[edit] Events
Vernon is host to various events annually including the four-day Santa Rosa Roundup rodeo in May, which is sponsored by the local Santa Rosa Palomino Club. Summer's Last Blast is held each August, in which 12 automobiles converge on Vernon for a cruise night event along with a car show, concert, mud bog, swap meet and other activities.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 17,640 people, 4,506 households, and 212 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,439.2 people per square mile (555.8/km²). There were 5,166 housing units at an average density of 637.6/sq mi (246.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.33% White, 45.7% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 10.72% from other races, and 1.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 82.39% of the population.
There were 4,506 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 7.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,194, and the median income for a family was $36,913. Males had a median income of $25,167 versus $18,971 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,747. About 10.2% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 93 or over.
[edit] Notable natives and residents
- Kaye Adams (born April 9, 1941) is an American country singer.
- Kimberly Macklin - (born March 26, 1966) was a 1984 Olympian and national record holder in swimming.
- Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988), nicknamed "The Big O," was an influential Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, guitarist and a pioneer of rock and roll whose recording career spanned more than four decades.
- Rodney Lynn Pilcher - Notable tennis coach and former football coach. He coaches at Sherman High School in Sherman.
- Jack Teagarden Weldon Leo Teagarden (August 20, 1905–January 15, 1964) was an influential jazz trombonist and vocalist.
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Vernon, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Vernon Chamber of Commerce
- Vernon College
- Vernon Independent School District
- The Vernon Daily Record
- Historic Vernon materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
- Vernon, Texas is at coordinates Coordinates:
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