Alvin is a city in
Brazoria CountyBrazoria County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas located on the Gulf Coast within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Its county seat is Angleton, and its largest city is Pearland. The county also includes what was once Velasco, Texas, which was the first capitol of the...
,
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown Metropolitan Area. The city sits in Texas's
14th Congressional DistrictTexas's 14th district for the United States House of Representatives is a Congressional district that covers the area south and southwest of the Greater Houston region, including Galveston, in the state of Texas. The district was created as a result of the 1900 U.S. Census and was first contested...
http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/tx14_109.gif, currently represented by Congressman
Ron PaulRonald Ernest Paul, M.D. is an American physician and Republican Congressman for the state of Texas. Paul is a member of the Liberty Caucus of Republican congressmen which aims to limit the size and scope of the federal government, and serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Joint...
. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 21,413.
Alvin is a city in
Brazoria CountyBrazoria County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas located on the Gulf Coast within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Its county seat is Angleton, and its largest city is Pearland. The county also includes what was once Velasco, Texas, which was the first capitol of the...
,
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown Metropolitan Area. The city sits in Texas's
14th Congressional DistrictTexas's 14th district for the United States House of Representatives is a Congressional district that covers the area south and southwest of the Greater Houston region, including Galveston, in the state of Texas. The district was created as a result of the 1900 U.S. Census and was first contested...
http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/tx14_109.gif, currently represented by Congressman
Ron PaulRonald Ernest Paul, M.D. is an American physician and Republican Congressman for the state of Texas. Paul is a member of the Liberty Caucus of Republican congressmen which aims to limit the size and scope of the federal government, and serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Joint...
. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 21,413. Alvin's claim to fame is Baseball Hall of Famer
Nolan RyanLynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher and current president of the Texas Rangers....
, who moved with his family to the city in 1947 as an infant and lived there until he moved to
Round RockRound Rock is a city located in Travis and Williamson Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. A part of the metropolitan area, its population was 61,136 at the 2000 census. The 2008 census estimate placed the population at 104,446....
in 2003. The Nolan Ryan Museum is in the Nolan Ryan Foundation and Exhibit Center on the campus of
Alvin Community CollegeAlvin Community College is a public, two-year, comprehensive community college in Alvin, Texas.In addition, a museum devoted to the baseball career of Alvin's most famous resident, Nolan Ryan, is located on the ACC main campus....
. The museum covers the entire life and sports career of Nolan Ryan, and includes a machine that lets the visitor feel what it is like to catch one of Nolan Ryan's pitches.
Jerry KoosmanJerome Martin "Jerry" Koosman is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies between 1967 and 1985...
, one of Ryan's teammates on the
New York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. The Mets are a member of the East Division of Major League Baseball's National League....
, once quipped that Alvin was so small, "it didn't have a last name."
History
The Alvin area was settled in the mid 1800s when bull ranches were established in the area. The Santa Fe Railroad eventually expanded into the area and a settlement was established along the railroad. Alvin was originally named Morgan by the town's residents in honor of the settlement's original resident, Santa Fe employee Alvin Morgan. But upon discovery the name Morgan had been taken, the town named itself after Morgan's first name. The town was officially incorporated in 1893, making it the oldest incorporated settlement in Brazoria County.
On July 25, 1979 Tropical Storm Claudette stalled over Alvin and inundated the region with 45 inches in 42 hours. That total included 43 inches in 24 hours, the maximum 24-hour rainfall in US history.
Geography
Alvin is located at (29.393698, -95.271588).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of 17.3 square miles (44.9 km²), of which, 16.4 square miles (42.6 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.4 km²) of it (5.25%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 21,413 people, 7,826 households, and 5,603 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 1,302.9 people per square mile (503.2/km²). There were 8,442 housing units at an average density of 513.7/sq mi (198.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.28% White, 2.11% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 10.88% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.09% of the population.
There were 7,826 households out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 23.4% 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 2.71 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,576, and the median income for a family was $43,987. Males had a median income of $36,216 versus $22,580 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $17,016. About 10.8% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
- Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher and current president of the Texas Rangers....
, former pitcher for the Houston AstrosThe Houston Astros is a major league baseball team located in Houston, Texas. The Astros are a member of the Central Division. From 2000 to the present, the Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park . The Astros joined MLB under the name Colt .45s along with the New York Mets in...
, grew up in Alvin, Texas.
- Austin Miller
Austin Miller is an American actor, dancer, and singer, known for television and stage performances. He played the part of Hawk in the soap opera Days of our Lives, performed as the lead in the Hairspray musical in both a national tour and a Las Vegas production, and in 2007 was a second place...
, actor and singer. The town declared March 5, 2007, as "Austin Miller Day"
- Bill & Vicky Murphy; world-renowned evangelists, musicians, and authors.
- Joe Ferguson
Joseph Carlton Ferguson, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the NFL. Ferguson played college football at the University of Arkansas, where he still holds the school's single game record for most completions and in that same season was named the Southwest Conference's Offensive...
, football player for the Buffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the metropolitan area of Buffalo, New York. They play their home games in the suburb of Orchard Park, and beginning in 2008, one home game is played in Toronto. They are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football...
, was born in Alvin in 1950.
- Cary Wayne Moore: Actor. Born and raised in Alvin Texas. Filmography and Television: Vacancy (2007), Do Not Disturb, Nia's Rape, XyZ Diaries, Big Thicket, Randy, Think for Today Live for Tomorrow (MTV), Inside the Loop, Dice, Letters to Lauren, Hell Swarm (2000). http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1211335/ Theatre: Mere Mortals, All in the Timing, The Visit, The Subject was Roses
- Finney Ross
Finney Edward Ross , was a leathersmith and knife maker.Born in Missouri City, Texas on 1915; Finney Ross was a master leathersmith in Alvin, Texas from 1955 to 1983....
Master Leathersmith 1915-1985. Born in Missouri City, Texas on September 24, 1915; Finney Ross was a Master Leathersmith in Alvin, Texas from 1955 to 1983. Owner of Ross Saddles and Ross Saddle Shop, Ross designed and manufactured hand made saddles, bridles, chaps, bareback riggings, saddle blankets, saddles bronc riggings, ropes (lariats), belts and award plaques for the Rodeo Cowboy Association (forerunner of the PRCA).
- By the End of Tonight
By the End of Tonight was an American instrumental rock band from Alvin, Texas. They were signed to notable post-rock label Temporary Residence Limited for their life as a band.-History:...
, an instrumental rock band signed to Temporary Residence LimitedTemporary Residence Limited is a Brooklyn, New York-based record label. TRL was started in Baltimore, Maryland in late 1995. The label's first release was The Concord Anthology Process/Nero split 7", released April 1, 1996. After moving the operation to Portland, Oregon, owner/operator Jeremy...
- Bill Crider, mystery writer, see: http://www.billcrider.com/
Public schools
Students in Alvin attend schools in the
Alvin Independent School DistrictAlvin Independent School District is a school district based in Alvin, Texas .Alvin ISD serves the cities of Alvin, Liverpool, and Manvel, the village of Iowa Colony, and the community of Amsterdam. Alvin ISD also serves a portion of the city Pearland and the town of Rosharon...
. High school aged students attend
Alvin High SchoolAlvin High School, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Alvin Independent School District.-History:Alvin High School opened in 1894, with its first graduating class graduating in 1897...
or
Manvel High SchoolManvel High School is a secondary school located at 19601 Texas State Highway 6 in Manvel, Texas, United States.Manvel High School serves 9th through 12th grade is part of Alvin Independent School District- History :...
, based on location. Younger students are also divided by location.
6th - 8th grades:
- G.W. Harby Junior High School
- Alvin Junior High School
- Fairview Junior High School
- Nolan Ryan Junior High School
- Manvel Junior High School
Prekindergarten - 5th grade:
- Hood-Case Elementary School
- Melba Passmore Elementary School
3rd - 5th grade:
- Alvin Elementary School
- Walt Disney Elementary School
- Longfellow Elementary School
Prekindergarten - 2rd grade:
- Alvin Primary School
- R.L. Stevenson Primary School
- Mark Twain Primary School
Colleges and universities
Additionally,
Alvin Community CollegeAlvin Community College is a public, two-year, comprehensive community college in Alvin, Texas.In addition, a museum devoted to the baseball career of Alvin's most famous resident, Nolan Ryan, is located on the ACC main campus....
provides basic undergraduate courses and adult education.
Transportation
Greyhound Bus Lines operates the Alvin Station at Yellow Jacket Grocery-
CitgoCitgo Petroleum Corporation is a United States-incorporated, Venezuela-owned refiner and marketer of gasoline, lubricants, petrochemicals, and other petroleum products....
http://www.greyhound.com/scripts/en/TicketCenter/terminal.asp?city=680097.
Postal services
The
United States Postal ServiceThe United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States. It is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the United States Constitution. Within the United States, it is commonly...
operates the Alvin Post Office at 455 East House Street, 77511-9998.
External links