Gainesville is a city in and the
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
of
Cooke CountyCooke County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 36,363. It is named for William Gordon Cooke, a soldier during the Texas Revolution. The county seat is Gainesville....
,
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...
. The population was 15,538 at the 2000 census.
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 15,538 people, 5,969 households, and 4,005 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 914.1 people per square mile (352.9/km²). There were 6,423 housing units at an average density of 377.9/sq mi (145.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.77% White, 6.00% African American, 1.33% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 9.09% 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 2.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.47% of the population.
There were 5,969 households out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% 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, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% 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 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,571, and the median income for a family was $37,137. Males had a median income of $30,480 versus $21,459 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 $15,154. About 17.0% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.5% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The City of Gainesville is served by the
Gainesville Independent School DistrictGainesville Independent School District is a public school district based in Gainesville, Texas .-Schools:*Gainesville High School *Gainesville Junior High School *Robert E. Lee Intermediate School *W.E...
. Gainesville High School boasts a 15.3 student to teacher ratio. Enrollment figures for the 2005–2006 school year stand at 800 students attending the high school. On the state administered reading proficiency tests, GISD grades 10 and 11 scored substantially lower than the state average.
The main campus for
North Central Texas CollegeNorth Central Texas College is a community college serving Cooke County, Denton County, and Montague County, Texas. NCTC operates three campuses, the main campus in Gainesville and two branch campuses in Corinth and Bowie....
is located on the west side of Gainesville. Gainesville also boasts state championships in High School Football (3A-I 2003) and High School Basketball (3A 2002).
Economy
Gaineville, Texas is often associated by visitors with
Thackerville, OklahomaThackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 404 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. Thackerville is home to a WinStar Casino which is expanding. The casino is the largest building in Thackerville, and employees usually reside in Gainesville while visitors stay in the Gainesville Motels. This was featured in
KTENKTEN is the NBC affiliate for the Sherman, Texas/Ada, Oklahoma television market. The station also carries the CW on its digital subchannel 10.2....
News in September 2009.
Gainesville is home to a full sized WalMart Supercenter #185 with manager Mike Hart. The store attracts shoppers from Cooke, Love, and Marshall Counties.
Gainesville has several
strip mallA strip mall is an open area shopping center where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front...
s with many stores, including:
- CiCi's Pizza
CiCi's Pizza is an American buffet restaurant chain based in Coppell, Texas, specializing in American-style pizza. CiCi's Pizza has approximately 600 stores, primarily in the eastern United states.-History:...
- Big Lots
Big Lots, Inc. is a Fortune 500 retail corporation with annual revenues well over $4 billion. Its department stores focus mainly on selling closeout and overstock merchandise...
- Family Dollar
Family Dollar is a variety store chain that has locations across the United States.Family Dollar is not a true "dollar store" in the strict sense; while there are many items available for $1, there are other price points as well. However, approximately 90% of the products cost less than $10...
- Dollar Tree
Dollar Tree Stores, Inc. is an American chain of retail stores headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia. Every item sold in the stores is offered for either $1.00 or less, thus making it a true dollar store....
- Dollar General
Dollar General is a chain of variety stores operating in 35 U.S. states. The chain operates 8,462 stores , and its headquarters is located in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville...
- Sherwin Williams
- Aaron's
Aaron's, Inc. is a lease-to-own retailer. It was founded by R. Charles Loudermilk in 1955. The company focuses on furniture, electronics, appliances, computer leases and retail sales....
- Bealls
Bealls is a United States chain of department stores founded in 1915 in Bradenton, Florida. The store is of no relation to Bealls Texas, although the two Bealls chains do overlap. In cases where there is overlap, Bealls Florida operates as Burkes Outlet. The current President is Stephen...
- Factory Connection
- Advance America Cash Advance
- Smokehouse II Bar-B-Q, Steaks, Catfish
Other stores that are in independent buildings:
- Wal-Mart Supercenter #185
- Super Plaza
- The Home Depot
The Home Depot is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services.The Home Depot operates 2,193 big-box format stores across the United States , Canada , Mexico and China...
- Pizza Inn
Pizza Inn is a restaurant chain and international food franchise, specializing in American-style pizza. In many towns and cities, it is the primary competitor to Pizza Hut. The company is based in the Dallas suburb of The Colony, Texas....
- The Cracker Barrel
- Whataburger
Whataburger is a privately held, regional fast food restaurant specializing in hamburgers. The company, established by Harmon Dobson, opened its first restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas on August 8, 1950. By 1960 the chain had grown to 17 locations in Texas, Tennessee and Florida...
- Sonic
-Companies:*Sonic 102.9, independently-owned radio station in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada*Sonic Drive-In, a United States fast food restaurant chain*Sonic Foundry, a computer software company which develops programs for editing audio and video...
- Braum's
Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Stores is a family-owned and operated chain of fast-food restaurants and grocery stores based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It currently has locations in Oklahoma and in parts of Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri...
- McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving nearly 47 million customers daily. At one time it was the largest global restaurant chain, but it has since been surpassed by multi-brand operator Yum! and sandwich chain Subway.In addition to its...
- Shell
Shell may refer to* Seashell, the shells of various marine animals, especially marine mollusks* Mollusc shell, shells of molluscs* Eggshell, the outer covering of a hard-shelled egg...
- Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise based in Addison, Texas , offering different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread...
Gainesville has a
zooA zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
.
Gainesville is also home to a large outlet mall (The Gainesville Factory Shops) attracting visitors from north Texas as well as southern
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. This mall continues to remain open although many shops closed.
Geography
Gainesville is located at (33.630360, -97.140323).
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 17.0 square miles (44.1 km²), of which, 17.0 square miles (44.0 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.18%) is water.
The town is located at the interchange of two highways, with U.S. Route 82 overpassing Interstate 35. Many businesses are on 82, with a few other exits along 35. It has several 4-lane roads. Part of Highway 82's business area is widened and paved in concrete. It has partial interstate quality with an overpass on some roads and a traffic light on others.
History
Gainesville is home to a
courthouseA courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America...
with an
octagonIn geometry, an octagon is a polygon that has eight sides. A regular octagon is represented by the Schläfli symbol {8}.-Regular octagons:A regular octagon is always an octagon whose sides are all the same length and whose internal angles are all the same size.The internal angle at each vertex of a...
al
rotundaA rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, often covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
topped by stained glass, erected in 1910. "The 1912 Cooke County Courthouse was designed by the Dallas firm of Lang & Witchell. The courthouse was designed in the Beaux Arts style with some Prairie Style features and influences from famed Chicago architect Louis Sullivan. The courthouse in the center of Gainesville features black and white marbled interiors and a tall central atrium capped by a stained glass skylight under the tower." The courthouse is undergoing a major renovation project, with many of the city offices moving out to other buildings to make way for the contractors to begin.
The courthouse grounds feature a towering
ConfederateThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
soldier memorial, erected in the early 20th century by the
United Daughters of the ConfederacyThe United Daughters of the Confederacy is a women's heritage association dedicated to honoring the memory of those who served and died in service to the Confederate States of America . UDC began as the National Association of the Daughters of the Confederacy, organized in 1894 by Caroline...
(UDC), topped by a Confederate soldier facing northward, and bearing the following poetic inscription honoring Confederate casualties of war:
"
God holds the scales of justice;
He will measure praise and blame;
And the South will stand the verdict,
And will stand it without shame.
Oh, home of tears, but let her bear
This blazoned to the end of time;
No nation rose so white and fair,
None fell so free of crime."
Other memorials on the courthouse grounds honor veterans of other U.S. wars.
The presence of these monuments praising the Confederacy is ironic, given that Gainesville was the site of a notorious massacre of Texans by Confederate forces. The Confederacy had promised that Texans would not be drafted to fight the United States outside Texas. When it broke this promise Confederate officials feared that Cooke County, known to be loyal to the United States, would be the site of protests and would possibly secede back to America as several counties in Tennessee already had. It should also be noted that, when Texans voted on secession, Cooke County residents voted against the act.
Confederate soldiers rounded up over 200 Texans, and on October 1, 1862 hanged 42 after a mock trial. This event sparked a reign of terror in which dozens of Texans suspected of being loyal to America were lynched by Confederate soldiers.
Gainesville was once home to
Camp HowzeCamp Howze was an infantry replacement training center located adjacent to the town of Gainesville in Cooke County, Texas. It was named for Major Robert Lee Howze, a Medal of Honor recipient.-History:...
, one of the largest infantry replacement training centers during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Only a few remnants now exist of the camp, but now are on private property.
Gainesville is home to Morton Museum, a small museum on a mission to preserve local history.
On one of
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
's biggest commercial television station there is a weekly docu-soap about the Reimann family, which emigrated to Gainesville, Texas, in 2004. They opened a bed and breakfast business at Moss Lake in 2007.
Weather And Climate
Gainesville usually enjoys typically sunny weather similar to the rest of
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"...
with the exception of a few natural
disasterA disaster is the tragedy of a natural or human-made hazard that negatively affects society or environment....
s.
On June 18, 2007, thunderstorms moved through Gainesville, resulting in intense flooding. Over 7 inches fell in Gainesville and
nearby
ShermanSherman is a city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas, United States. The city's estimated population as of 2008 was 38,077. It is also one of two principal cities in the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
. On June 20 around 5:00 A.M., straight lines winds hit and
Wichita FallsWichita Falls is a city in the state of Texas and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S...
had winds up to 94 mph. Much of the center of the town was flooded and several lives were lost (including a few children.)
Another flood brought Gainesville into the national spotlight when, on September 21, 1981, the Trinity River flooded much of the town, including the local zoo. The Frank Buck Zoo, named for famed zookeeper Frank Buck, lost more than forty animals that day. The one that garnered the attention and love of the world was Gerry the elephant. Named Gerry II after the zoo's original elephant, Gerry managed to survive the flood, after being swept down river, by hanging on to tree limbs with her trunk for 36 hours. At the worst of the flood, the only part of her body that was not submerged was her trunk.
Since the flood Gerry (now known as Sissy) has remained in the spotlight off and on. There was an attempt to breed her at the Fort Worth Zoo in the 1980s, but that didn't work out. In 1997, she crushed a zookeeper against the doorway of her barn enclosure at the Frank Buck zoo. While details around the death are still shrouded in mystery, zoo officials labeled her as a problem animal and shipped her off in the middle of the night to avoid protests from the community that had come to love her over the years. After leaving Gainesville, she was sent to Houston Zoo and then El Paso. She made headlines again when video footage of her arrival at El Paso was leaked to media outlets. The footage showed zookeepers beating Gerry with clubs for over an hour. The zookeepers never really explained why they did what they did to her. Thankfully, Gerry/Sissy was sent to an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee, where she resides at the present time. Gerry turned 40 on Dec. 1, 2008.
Parks, Recreation, and Tourism
Gainesville has a
zooA zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
, a historic train station, and a 45 acre fully integrated soccer complex. It has miniature 1/4 size replica steam engine passenger train which was dissassembled and reassembled for viable transportation for 50 passengers for a tour around Leonard Park.
City Parks include:
- BP Douglas Park
- Edison Park
- Forsythe Transportation Skate Park
- Georgia Davis Park
- Heritage Park North
- Heritage Park South
- Home Grown Hero Walking Trail
- Jaycee Park
- Keneteso Park
- Leonard Park
- Moffett Park
- Pecan Creek Park
- Gainesville Tennis Court Area
- Washington Park
Medal of Honor
Gainesville is home to a unique program known as the Medal of Honor Host City. This program is intended to honor true American heroes, by bringing them to Gainesville. This program, which began in 2001 by a group of volunteers acting on the idea proposed by local resident and earner of the Purple Heart, Don Pettigrew, has seen immense growth over an eight year period.
On April 4, 2009; Lightning Bear Studios premiered a documentary directed by
Javier SanchezJavier Sánchez Vicario is a former professional tennis player from Spain.Sánchez won the US Open junior title in 1986, and then turned professional. He won his first professional doubles titles in 1987. His first top-level singles title came in 1988 at Buenos Aires. During his career he won a...
about the Host City program. The documentary is entitled
A Hero's Welcome, and it premiered at the State Theatre in Gainesville.
Traditionally the MOH Host City Weekend is celebrated the first week in April.
The program has been visited to date by 25 different men awarded with the Congressional Medal of Honor. The list includes
John William FinnLieutenant John William Finn is a retired officer of the United States Navy who received the Medal of Honor in recognition of heroism and distinguished service during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941....
,
Michael ThorntonMichael Edwin Thornton, , is a Medal of Honor recipient for actions as a United States Navy SEAL Engineman Second Class during the Vietnam War...
,
Donald E. BallardDonald E. Ballard is an American colonel in the Kansas National Guard and former member of the United States Navy, in which he was a Hospital Corpsman in the Vietnam War and was awarded the Medal of Honor.-Biography:...
,
James Allen TaylorJames Allen Taylor is a retired United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.-Biography:...
,
John BacaJohn P. Baca is a former United States Army soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty" during the Vietnam War....
,
Bruce P. CrandallBruce P. Crandall is a retired U.S. Army officer who was awarded the Medal of Honor on February 26, 2007 for his heroic actions during the Battle of Ia Drang on November 14, 1965, in which he repeatedly flew an unarmed helicopter into enemy fire to bring in ammunition and supplies and evacuate the...
,
Drew Dennis DixDrew Dennis Dix is a decorated United States military veteran and retired major in the United States Army. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War; he was the first enlisted Special Forces soldier to receive the medal.Dix was born in West Point, New York, and raised in...
, John J. McGinty III,
David H. McNerneyDavid H. McNerney is a retired United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.-Biography:...
, Robert Emmett O’Malley,
Jacklyn H. LucasPrivate First Class Jacklyn Harold Lucas was a United States Marine who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Iwo Jima campaign — for unhesitatingly hurling himself over his comrades upon one grenade and for pulling another one under himself...
, to name a few.
Notable residents
- 1920 Olympics gold medal sprinter Charles Paddock was immortalized in the film Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire is a 1981 British film loosely based on historical events surrounding the British athletic team before and during the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris...
.
- Aurelian Smith, Jr., aka Jake "The Snake" Roberts of WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is a publicly-traded, privately-controlled integrated media and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
wrestling fame of the 1980s.
- Darcel McBath
Steven Darcel McBath is an American football Safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2009 NFL Draft...
, Safety for the Denver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently a member of the American Football Conference Western Division in the National Football League . The Broncos began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League and joined...
- Paul O'Dell, Diver for the National Park Service Submerged Resources Center
The Submerged Resources Center is a unit within the United States National Park Service. The unit is based out of Lakewood, Colorado in the NPS Intermountain Region headquarters.-History:...
and prophetic singer/songwriter
- Lewis C. Rigler, Famed Texas Ranger
- Norman Bennett, Movie Star in Academy Award winning films
- Eric Moore, U.S Army ( Staff Sergeant) Combat Veteran inducted into the Prestigous Order of Samuel Sharpe. Class of 2002, Gainesville High School
Cody Hart, professional
bull riderBull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a large bull and attempting to stay mounted for at least 8 seconds while the animal attempts to buck off the rider. The rider tightly fastens one hand to the bull with a long braided rope...
and 1999 PBR world champion
Health System
Gainesville formerly had a hospital called Gainesville Memorial Hosipital.
Its replacement is North Texas Medical Center.
Television
- Gainesville, TX gets over the air reception from Sherman-Ada which also includes OETA translator out of Ardmore, Oklahoma
Ardmore is a business, cultural and tourism city in and the county seat of Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2007 census estimates, the city had a population of 24,625, while a 2007 estimate has the Ardmore micropolitan statistical area totaling 56,694 residents...
Amplified outdoor antennas can receive stations from Dallas, TexasDallas , with a population of 1,279,910, is the third-largest city in Texas and the 8th-largest in the United States. The city is the main economic center of the 12-county Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area that according to the March 2009 U.S. Census Bureau release, had a population of...
.
Rail
Gainesville has a historic rail depot.
Main Article:
Gainesville, Texas (Amtrak station)The Gainesville Amtrak station is a train station in Gainesville, Texas, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system....
External links