Borger, Texas
Encyclopedia
Borger is the largest city
in Hutchinson County
, Texas
, United States
. The population was 14,302 at the 2000 census. Borger is named for businessman Asa Philip "Ace" Borger, who also established the Hutchinson County seat of Stinnett
and several other small town
s in Texas and Oklahoma
.
spurred the petroleum boom. The first rotary drilling rig, built at the then staggering price of $25,000, was placed into use near Borger by W.T. Willis, J.E. Trigg, and H.D. Lewis. The 6 inches (152.4 mm) drill could pierce through rock.
Ace Borger and his business partner John R. Miller purchased a 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) townsite near the Canadian River
in March 1926 after the discovery of oil in the vicinity. Within a few months time, the boomtown
had swelled to a population of 45,000, most lured by sensational advertising
and "black gold
". In October 1926, the city charter was adopted, and Miller was elected mayor. By this time the Panhandle & Santa Fe Railway had completed the spur line to Borger, a post office had opened, and a school district was established. The boomtown of Borger soon had steam-generated electricity
, telephone
service, a hotel
, and a jail
.
In the months that followed, oilmen, roughneck
s, prospectors, panhandlers and fortune seekers were joined by cardsharks, prostitutes, bootlegger
s and drug dealers. The city became known as "Booger Town" as it attracted criminals and fugitives from the law. The town government soon fell under control of an organized crime
syndicate led by Mayor Miller's shady associate, "Two-Gun Dick" Herwig. Dixon Street (now Tenth Street) was the "red-light" district, housing brothel
s, dance halls, speakeasies
and gambling
dens. Murder and robbery became an everyday occurrence, and illegal moonshining and home brewing flourished under the fatherly watch of Hedwig and his henchmen, including W. J. (Shine) Popejoy, the king of the Texas bootleggers. Borger became so notorious that in the spring of 1927 Texas
Governor
Dan Moody
sent a force of Texas Rangers to rein in the town. The Texas Rangers were led by Captains Frank Hamer
and Thomas R. Hickman. (Hamer would go onto later fame and even infamy as the man who killed Bonnie and Clyde
.)
The Texas Rangers did have a stabilizing effect, but Borger still struggled with lawlessness and violence into the 1930s, climaxing with the murder of District Attorney John A. Holmes by an assassin on September 18, 1929. This event caused Governor Moody to impose martial law for a month and send in state troops to help rid the town of its criminal element. Eventually Borger settled down, but not before town founder Ace Borger was shot and killed at the post office by Arthur Huey on August 31, 1934 (Huey was county treasurer and was irked at Ace Borger for not bailing him out of jail on an embezzlement charge. Huey shot Borger five times with a Colt .45
pistol, even pulling Borger's own pistol out of his clothing and shooting him again, along with others there in the post office).
By the late 1930s Borger was pushed from one era to another by the Great Depression
. Phillips Petroleum
and others profited from the oil fields in the area, but during this time the price of oil and gas dropped, ending the "boom" and the former rapid growth of Borger. Carbon black
plants added black soot to the Dust Bowl
storms, covering the town in layers of dark grime. "Okie" migrants forced off their foreclosed farms back in Oklahoma, found work in Borger plants and refineries. The Works Project Administration provided the town with new red brick streets as the ramshackle shacks throughout town were replaced by more permanent buildings. During World War II
, synthetic rubber
and other petroleum
products became important in the Borger area. By the 1960s the Borger area was one of the largest producers of oil, carbon black, and petrochemicals and supplies in the state. The creation of nearby Lake Meredith
also added to the town's economy as an important recreational area.
Today, Borger remains an important shipping point for agricultural produce as well as for the petroleum products produced there. Borger is the home of the world’s largest inland petrochemical complexes. Chevron-Phillips Chemical Company produces specialty chemicals and is the sole manufacturer of RYTON PPS plastics in the world. ConocoPhillips Petroleum Company processes crude oil and natural gas liquids. Agrium
manufactures nitrogen fertilizer in its Borger plant. Borger also has Sid Richardson Carbon Company, which produces rubber grade carbon black and is used to strengthen rubber tires, and Degussa Engineered Carbons, Inc., which produces a variety of carbon blacks at its Borger facility.
The original townsite is said to have been founded around 1898 by John F. Weatherly, a rancher who built a dugout
and gave the future town the grandiose name of Granada. Weatherly's wife wanted it named after her former home - a town in West Virginia called Isom.
In 1900 Weatherly opened a store in his ranchhouse which also became the first post office. Mrs. Weatherly opened a cafe and the community had a school opened by 1907. In October 1919, the mail was diverted through Plemons
and the Isom post office closed.
The Weatherlys lost interest in the town they founded and moved to the nearby town of Panhandle
in 1922. But they wisely retained ownership of all that was Isom. When oil was discovered in early 1926, Weatherly returned and moved the town to the oilfield spur of the railroad near Borger.
Isom was platted with all lots south of First Street being Isom, Texas, and all streets north in Borger. From June to December 1926, the towns were rivals.
Although the town had a railroad depot, several oil-well supply warehouses and no shortage of would-be citizens, a petition signed by 1,200 residents in early December declared Borger the winner. Isom's school merged with Borger's schools, driving the last stake into Isom.
The town has the dubious distinction of being the oldest of the townsites annexed by Borger.
voting districts in Texas and the nation, having cast GOP
ballots at the presidential level in all elections for more than a half century. Even Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona, who was swamped nationally and in Texas by native son Lyndon B. Johnson
, won Hutchinson County, 5,358 to 4,625. In 1984, Ronald W. Reagan carried 9,078 votes in Hutchinson County to only 2,052 for the Democrat
Walter F. Mondale of Minnesota
. In 1996, Robert J. Dole of Kansas
polled 6,350 votes in Hutchinson County to 2,553 for incumbent
President Bill Clinton
. H. Ross Perot
, the Dallas industrialist, received 864 votes. The only Democrat since Lyndon Johnson to exceed 3,600 votes in Hutchinson County was Jimmy Carter
in 1976, but Gerald R. Ford handily defeated him in the county.
In the 2008 presidential primaries, Hutchinson County cast 3,170 votes in the Republican race and 1,538 in the Democratic contest. In the United States Senate
primary, 2,875 votes were cast in the Republican primary, largely for incumbent Senator John Cornyn
, and 1,211 votes were cast in the Democratic portion of the ballot.
In the 2008 presidential election, Hutchinson County cast 7,361 votes for John McCain and 1,322 for Barack Obama
.
, Borger has a total area of 8.7 square miles (22.5 km²), of which, 8.7 square miles (22.5 km²) of it is land and 0.11% is water.
of 2000, there were 14,302 people, 5,591 households, and 3,997 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,637.9 people per square mile (632.5/km²). There were 6,462 housing units at an average density of 740.1 per square mile (285.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.75% White, 3.66% African American, 1.33% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.36% from other races
, and 2.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.70% of the population.
There were 5,591 households out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples
living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.204.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,653, and the median income for a family was $40,417. Males had a median income of $39,207 versus $19,654 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,869. About 9.7% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
School Sports
Basketball
Names In Borger Sports.
, with 2,800 students on six campuses (Paul Belton Early Childhood Center, Crockett and Gateway Elementary, Borger Intermediate School, Borger Middle School, and Borger High School). A private school, Cornerstone Christian Academy, is also in Borger, with over 40 students on campus - an all time high since it opened its doors in 1990. St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church operated a Catholic school for many years, but it has been closed since the early 1990s.
There are also some three thousand students in Borger at the community college
, Frank Phillips College
.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in Hutchinson County
Hutchinson County, Texas
Hutchinson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas in the northern portion of the Texas Panhandle. In 2000, its population was 23,857. Its seat is Stinnett . Hutchinson County is named for Andrew Hutchinson, an early Texas attorney....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 14,302 at the 2000 census. Borger is named for businessman Asa Philip "Ace" Borger, who also established the Hutchinson County seat of Stinnett
Stinnett, Texas
Stinnett is a small city in Hutchinson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,936. Located in the northern Texas Panhandle, Stinnett is the county seat of Hutchinson County.-History:...
and several other small town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
s in Texas and Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
History
The first Panhandle oil well was drilled near Borger on May 2, 1921, on the 6666 Ranch of S.B. Burnett. The strike was of a poor quality, and later wells in Borger and PampaPampa, Texas
Pampa is a city in Gray County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,887 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Gray County.Pampa is the principal city of the Pampa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Gray and Roberts counties....
spurred the petroleum boom. The first rotary drilling rig, built at the then staggering price of $25,000, was placed into use near Borger by W.T. Willis, J.E. Trigg, and H.D. Lewis. The 6 inches (152.4 mm) drill could pierce through rock.
Ace Borger and his business partner John R. Miller purchased a 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) townsite near the Canadian River
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and most of Oklahoma....
in March 1926 after the discovery of oil in the vicinity. Within a few months time, the boomtown
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
had swelled to a population of 45,000, most lured by sensational advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and "black gold
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
". In October 1926, the city charter was adopted, and Miller was elected mayor. By this time the Panhandle & Santa Fe Railway had completed the spur line to Borger, a post office had opened, and a school district was established. The boomtown of Borger soon had steam-generated electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
, telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
service, a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
, and a jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
.
In the months that followed, oilmen, roughneck
Roughneck
Roughneck is a slang term for a person whose occupation is hard-manual labour, typically in a dangerous working environment. The term applies across a number of industries, but is most commonly associated with oil rigs...
s, prospectors, panhandlers and fortune seekers were joined by cardsharks, prostitutes, bootlegger
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
s and drug dealers. The city became known as "Booger Town" as it attracted criminals and fugitives from the law. The town government soon fell under control of an organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
syndicate led by Mayor Miller's shady associate, "Two-Gun Dick" Herwig. Dixon Street (now Tenth Street) was the "red-light" district, housing brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
s, dance halls, speakeasies
Speakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition...
and gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
dens. Murder and robbery became an everyday occurrence, and illegal moonshining and home brewing flourished under the fatherly watch of Hedwig and his henchmen, including W. J. (Shine) Popejoy, the king of the Texas bootleggers. Borger became so notorious that in the spring of 1927 Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Dan Moody
Dan Moody
Daniel James Moody, Jr. , was a Democratic political figure, originally from Taylor, Texas, USA. He served as the 30th Governor of Texas between 1927 and 1931, and is best remembered as a reformer and an opponent of the Ku Klux Klan...
sent a force of Texas Rangers to rein in the town. The Texas Rangers were led by Captains Frank Hamer
Frank Hamer
Francis Augustus Hamer was a Texas Ranger, known in popular culture for his involvement in tracking down and killing the criminal duo Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934...
and Thomas R. Hickman. (Hamer would go onto later fame and even infamy as the man who killed Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were well-known outlaws, robbers, and criminals who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1934...
.)
The Texas Rangers did have a stabilizing effect, but Borger still struggled with lawlessness and violence into the 1930s, climaxing with the murder of District Attorney John A. Holmes by an assassin on September 18, 1929. This event caused Governor Moody to impose martial law for a month and send in state troops to help rid the town of its criminal element. Eventually Borger settled down, but not before town founder Ace Borger was shot and killed at the post office by Arthur Huey on August 31, 1934 (Huey was county treasurer and was irked at Ace Borger for not bailing him out of jail on an embezzlement charge. Huey shot Borger five times with a Colt .45
Colt Single Action Army
The Colt Single Action Army is a single action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six metallic cartridges. It was designed for the U.S...
pistol, even pulling Borger's own pistol out of his clothing and shooting him again, along with others there in the post office).
By the late 1930s Borger was pushed from one era to another by the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Phillips Petroleum
Phillips Petroleum
Phillips Petroleum Company was founded in 1917 by L.E. Phillips and Frank Phillips, of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Their younger brother Waite Phillips was the benefactor of Philmont Scout Ranch....
and others profited from the oil fields in the area, but during this time the price of oil and gas dropped, ending the "boom" and the former rapid growth of Borger. Carbon black
Carbon black
Carbon black is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of heavy petroleum products such as FCC tar, coal tar, ethylene cracking tar, and a small amount from vegetable oil. Carbon black is a form of amorphous carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, although its...
plants added black soot to the Dust Bowl
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
storms, covering the town in layers of dark grime. "Okie" migrants forced off their foreclosed farms back in Oklahoma, found work in Borger plants and refineries. The Works Project Administration provided the town with new red brick streets as the ramshackle shacks throughout town were replaced by more permanent buildings. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, synthetic rubber
Synthetic rubber
Synthetic rubber is is any type of artificial elastomer, invariably a polymer. An elastomer is a material with the mechanical property that it can undergo much more elastic deformation under stress than most materials and still return to its previous size without permanent deformation...
and other petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
products became important in the Borger area. By the 1960s the Borger area was one of the largest producers of oil, carbon black, and petrochemicals and supplies in the state. The creation of nearby Lake Meredith
Lake Meredith
Lake Meredith is a reservoir formed by Sanford Dam on the Canadian River at Sanford, Texas. It is located about northeast of Amarillo, Texas in the Texas Panhandle. It is a major source of drinking water for Amarillo and Lubbock, Texas, located about to the south along with many other towns in...
also added to the town's economy as an important recreational area.
Today, Borger remains an important shipping point for agricultural produce as well as for the petroleum products produced there. Borger is the home of the world’s largest inland petrochemical complexes. Chevron-Phillips Chemical Company produces specialty chemicals and is the sole manufacturer of RYTON PPS plastics in the world. ConocoPhillips Petroleum Company processes crude oil and natural gas liquids. Agrium
Agrium
Agrium Inc. is a major retail supplier of agricultural products and services in North and South America, a leading global wholesale producer and marketer of all three major agricultural nutrients and the premier supplier of specialty fertilizers in North America through its Advanced Technologies...
manufactures nitrogen fertilizer in its Borger plant. Borger also has Sid Richardson Carbon Company, which produces rubber grade carbon black and is used to strengthen rubber tires, and Degussa Engineered Carbons, Inc., which produces a variety of carbon blacks at its Borger facility.
The original townsite is said to have been founded around 1898 by John F. Weatherly, a rancher who built a dugout
Dugout (shelter)
A dugout or dug-out, also known as a pithouse, pit-house, earth lodge, mud hut, is a shelter for humans or domesticated animals and livestock based on a hole or depression dug into the ground. These structures are one of the most ancient types of human housing known to archeologists...
and gave the future town the grandiose name of Granada. Weatherly's wife wanted it named after her former home - a town in West Virginia called Isom.
In 1900 Weatherly opened a store in his ranchhouse which also became the first post office. Mrs. Weatherly opened a cafe and the community had a school opened by 1907. In October 1919, the mail was diverted through Plemons
Plemons, Texas
Plemons is a ghost town in Hutchinson County, in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located 10 miles southeast of Stinnett, and northwest of Borger, on Plemons Road, just north of the juncture of County Road R.-Establishment:...
and the Isom post office closed.
The Weatherlys lost interest in the town they founded and moved to the nearby town of Panhandle
Panhandle, Texas
Panhandle is a town in Carson County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,589 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Carson County. Panhandle is part of the Amarillo, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in 1922. But they wisely retained ownership of all that was Isom. When oil was discovered in early 1926, Weatherly returned and moved the town to the oilfield spur of the railroad near Borger.
Isom was platted with all lots south of First Street being Isom, Texas, and all streets north in Borger. From June to December 1926, the towns were rivals.
Although the town had a railroad depot, several oil-well supply warehouses and no shortage of would-be citizens, a petition signed by 1,200 residents in early December declared Borger the winner. Isom's school merged with Borger's schools, driving the last stake into Isom.
The town has the dubious distinction of being the oldest of the townsites annexed by Borger.
Politics
Borger and Hutchinson County are among the strongest RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
voting districts in Texas and the nation, having cast GOP
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
ballots at the presidential level in all elections for more than a half century. Even Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona, who was swamped nationally and in Texas by native son Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, won Hutchinson County, 5,358 to 4,625. In 1984, Ronald W. Reagan carried 9,078 votes in Hutchinson County to only 2,052 for the Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Walter F. Mondale of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. In 1996, Robert J. Dole of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
polled 6,350 votes in Hutchinson County to 2,553 for incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. H. Ross Perot
Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot is a U.S. businessman best known for running for President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. Perot founded Electronic Data Systems in 1962, sold the company to General Motors in 1984, and founded Perot Systems in 1988...
, the Dallas industrialist, received 864 votes. The only Democrat since Lyndon Johnson to exceed 3,600 votes in Hutchinson County was Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
in 1976, but Gerald R. Ford handily defeated him in the county.
In the 2008 presidential primaries, Hutchinson County cast 3,170 votes in the Republican race and 1,538 in the Democratic contest. In the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
primary, 2,875 votes were cast in the Republican primary, largely for incumbent Senator John Cornyn
John Cornyn
John Cornyn, III is the junior United States Senator for Texas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 111th U.S. Congress....
, and 1,211 votes were cast in the Democratic portion of the ballot.
In the 2008 presidential election, Hutchinson County cast 7,361 votes for John McCain and 1,322 for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The 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...
, Borger has a total area of 8.7 square miles (22.5 km²), of which, 8.7 square miles (22.5 km²) of it is land and 0.11% is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A 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. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 14,302 people, 5,591 households, and 3,997 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,637.9 people per square mile (632.5/km²). There were 6,462 housing units at an average density of 740.1 per square mile (285.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.75% White, 3.66% African American, 1.33% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.36% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, 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 2.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.70% of the population.
There were 5,591 households out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.204.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,653, and the median income for a family was $40,417. Males had a median income of $39,207 versus $19,654 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,869. About 9.7% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Sports
Baseball- Borger GassersBorger GassersThe Borger Gassers were a minor league baseball team that operated in the West Texas-New Mexico League 1937 through 1954 with a break from '43-'45 due to World War II...
1939–1942, 1946–1954 - West Texas-New Mexico LeagueWest Texas-New Mexico LeagueThe West Texas-New Mexico League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1937 through 1955. The league was not active in 1943-1945 because of World War II... - Frank Phillips Junior College
School Sports
- Borger High School Bulldogs
- Gene MayfieldGene Mayfield-Further reading:...
(Bulldogs Head Football Coach 1958–1964) In 1962 Borger Bulldogs lost 30-26 to San Antonio Brackenridge in the 4A state championship game. - Tex Hanna - Longest serving basketball coach at Borger High School. (414 wins, 111 losses)
Basketball
- Frank Phillips Jr College
Names In Borger Sports.
- John LaGroneJohn LaGroneJohn LaGrone is a former professional Canadian football player with the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos.-CFL:...
Borger High School, SMU, Dave Campbell's Texas FootballDave Campbell's Texas FootballDave Campbell's Texas Football is an annual publication, previewing football teams in the state of Texas.It is unique in that it is the only publication to preview every team in Texas , from the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, through every level of college football, to the roughly 1,400...
and (DT), Edmonton EskimosEdmonton EskimosThe Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
(Football) - Gene MayfieldGene Mayfield-Further reading:...
Coach Borger Bulldogs, West Texas State University - Stan HansenStan HansenJohn Stanley Hansen, Jr. is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Stan Hansen. As a wrestler, Hansen was well known for his stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to poor eyesight, as he is nearly blind without glasses...
, Retired professional wrestler - Donny AndersonDonny AndersonGarry Don "Donny" Anderson is a former professional American football player who played nine years in the National Football League...
, Pro Football, Halfback Green Bay Packers (Born in Borger) - Matt Simon (American football)Matt Simon (American football)Matt Simon is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He currently serves as the head varsity football coach at Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio and as Gilmour Academy's seventh grade physical education teacher...
, Borger HS (Assist.)Coach 1978 - Tim BakerTim BakerTim Baker is an Australian journalist specialising in surf culture. He has twice received the Australian Surfing Hall of FameCulture Award, and is a former editor of Tracks and Australia's Surfing Life magazines...
, Borger High School, Texas Tech, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, San Diego Chargers
Education
Education in the city in secondary and primary education is almost entirely conducted by the Borger Independent School DistrictBorger Independent School District
Borger Independent School District is a public school district based in Borger, Texas .In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.-Schools:*Borger High *Borger Middle...
, with 2,800 students on six campuses (Paul Belton Early Childhood Center, Crockett and Gateway Elementary, Borger Intermediate School, Borger Middle School, and Borger High School). A private school, Cornerstone Christian Academy, is also in Borger, with over 40 students on campus - an all time high since it opened its doors in 1990. St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church operated a Catholic school for many years, but it has been closed since the early 1990s.
There are also some three thousand students in Borger at the community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
, Frank Phillips College
Frank Phillips College
Frank Phillips College is a community college, located in Borger, TexasAs with many community colleges, the Phillips motto is "Start here, go anywhere."The college also offers the Allen Campus in Perryton in Ochiltree County....
.
Notable natives and residents
- Donny AndersonDonny AndersonGarry Don "Donny" Anderson is a former professional American football player who played nine years in the National Football League...
- NFL player - A. P. (Ace) BorgerA. P. (Ace) BorgerAsa Phillip Borger , the founder of Borger, Texas, was born to Phillip Borger and the former Minnie Ann West on a family farm near Carthage, Missouri. His father, a veterinarian, died when Borger was just six years old. He and his siblings were reared by their mother and grandmothers...
— community founder - Darlene CatesDarlene Cates-Background:Rita Darlene Guthrie was born in Borger, Texas to Dorothy Ann and Truman Madison Guthrie. She made her feature film debut in Lasse Hallström's What's Eating Gilbert Grape, alongside Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio, in which she played the title character's housebound...
- American actress - Emy ColigadoEmy ColigadoEmy Coligado is an American actress, known for her role as Piama Tananahaakna on the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle.Coligado was born in Geneva, Ohio, and lived in Borger in the Texas Panhandle. She attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, where she studied psychology...
- American actress - Mike ConawayMike ConawayKenneth Michael "Mike" Conaway, is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district is located in West Texas and includes Midland, Odessa, San Angelo, Brownwood and Fredericksburg....
- Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 11th District (which does not include Borger) - Bill DeesBill DeesWilliam "Bill" Dees is an American musician most famous for his song writing collaborations with singer Roy Orbison.-Career:...
- Co-wrote song Oh, Pretty Woman and It's Over - E.B "Tex" Hanna - Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame
- Stan HansenStan HansenJohn Stanley Hansen, Jr. is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Stan Hansen. As a wrestler, Hansen was well known for his stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to poor eyesight, as he is nearly blind without glasses...
- Retired professional wrestler - Charlotte MailliardCharlotte MailliardCharlotte Smith Mailliard Swig Shultz is an American heiress and socialite. She is the Chief of Protocol for the state of California, and the former Chief of Protocol and Director of Special Events for the City and County of San Francisco. She is the wife of former United States Secretary of State...
- Chief of protocol for San Francisco; wife of former United States Secretary of State George P. ShultzGeorge P. ShultzGeorge Pratt Shultz is an American economist, statesman, and businessman. He served as the United States Secretary of Labor from 1969 to 1970, as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1972 to 1974, and as the U.S. Secretary of State from 1982 to 1989... - Gene MayfieldGene Mayfield-Further reading:...
-- Borger High School football coach, 1958–1965 - G. William MillerG. William MillerGeorge William Miller served as the 65th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Carter from August 6, 1979 to January 20, 1981...
- Former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board and United States Secretary of the Treasury - W. Winfred MooreW. Winfred MooreWilliam Winfred Moore , the retired pastor of the First Baptist Church of Amarillo, Texas. was president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and, a prominent figure in the Southern Baptist Convention during the second half of the 20th century.-Family and education:Moore was born to the late...
- BaptistBaptistBaptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
clergyman - Gerald MyersGerald MyersGerald Myers is an American former college basketball coach. He was the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders men's basketball team and the Houston Baptist Huskies men's basketball team....
- Texas Tech University Basketball Coach (1970–1991), Current Athletic Director - Kel SeligerKel SeligerKelton Gray “Kel” Seliger is a Republican member of the Texas State Senate representing District 31 in the Panhandle and the Permian Basin....
- Member of the Texas State Senate from the 31st district - Art Smirl -- Condensed matter physicist
- Billy Sprague - Christian Music Artist, Dove-Award(R) winning songwriter
- Roy WhittenburgRoy WhittenburgRoy Robert Whittenburg, Sr. , was a landowner, oilman, rancher, banker, and newspaper publisher from Amarillo, Texas, who was the Republican nominee in 1958 for the U.S. Senate against the Democratic incumbent, Ralph W...
- Borger newspaper publisher (1946–1956); Republican nominee for U.S. Senate (1958) - Jackie "Jackson" Haney - Lead Vocal & Guitar, Bill Haley's Original Comets, "Rock Around The Clock"
External links
- Official City Website
- Borger News Herald
- Borger Independent School District
- Isom, Texas, A Panhandle Ghost Town - from Texasescapes.com
- Emy Coligado at the Internet Movie Database