Gainesville, Texas
Encyclopedia
Gainesville is a city in and the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Cooke County, Texas
Cooke County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 36,363 people, 13,643 households, and 10,000 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 people per square mile . There were 15,061 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
, United States. The population was 15,538 at the 2000 census.
History
Founded in 1850, the city of Gainesville was established on a 40-acre tract of land donated by Mary E. Clark. City residents called their new community Liberty, which proved short-lived, as a Liberty, Texas already existed. It was suggested by one of the original settlers of Cooke County, Colonel William Fitzhugh, that the town be named after General Edmund Pendleton Gaines. Gaines, a United States General under whom Fitzhugh had served, had been sympathetic with the Texas Revolution.The first hint of prosperity arrived with the Butterfield Stagecoach in September 1858, bringing freight, passengers, and mail. During the Civil War, the Great Hanging, a controversial trial and hanging of suspected Union loyalists, brought the new town to the attention of the state and came close to ripping the county apart.
In the decade after the Civil War, Gainesville had its first period of extended growth, catalyzed by the expansion of the cattle industry in Texas. Gainesville, only seven miles from the Oklahoma border, became a supply point for cowboys driving herds north to Kansas. The merchants of Gainesville reaped considerable benefits from the passing cattle drives.
Within 20 years, the population increased from a few hundred to more than 2,000. Gainesville was incorporated on February 17, 1873 and by 1890 was established as a commercial and shipping point for area ranchers and farmers. In the late 1870s two factors drastically altered the historic landscape of North Central Texas. The first of these was barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
. In 1875, Henry B. Sanborn, a regional sales agent for Joseph Glidden’s Bar Fence Company of DeKalb, Illinois traveled to Texas. That autumn, he chose Gainesville as one of his initial distribution points for the newly invented barbed wire which his employer had patented the previous year. On his first visit to Gainesville, he sold ten reels of the wire to the Cleaves and Fletcher hardware store –the first spools of barbed wire ever sold in Texas.
World War II had an enormous impact on Cooke County. Camp Howze, an army infantry training camp, was established on some of the best farmland in the county. The construction of the camp helped bring Cooke County out of the Great Depression by providing jobs. The county population doubled and the area boomed. In the last several years, tourism has brought renewed prosperity to the area. The return of Amtrak on June 14, 1999 brought Gainesville back full circle to one of the original sources of its growth and success. In the early 1990s, Gainesville had 600 businesses and a population of 14,587. In the year 2000, the population was 15,538, with the expected population after the 2010 Census being well over 16,000 people.
Courthouse
Gainesville is home to a courthouseCourthouse
A 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. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
with an octagonal rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes 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
Lang & Witchell
Lang & Witchell was a prominent architectural firm in Dallas, Texas. It designed a number of buildings that are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.Works include:...
. 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, resulting in the move of many county offices to surrounding buildings; thus allowing for construction to take place. ref>
The Great Hanging
During the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Gainesville was the scene of what came to be known as "The Great Hanging". 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.
The courthouse grounds feature a towering Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
soldier memorial, erected in the early 20th century by the United Daughters of the Confederacy
United Daughters of the Confederacy
The United Daughters of the Confederacy is a women's heritage association dedicated to honoring the memory of those who served in the military 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...
(UDC), topped by a Confederate soldier facing northward, and bearing the following 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.
Camp Howze, World War II
Gainesville was once home to Camp HowzeCamp Howze, Texas
Camp 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 II. Only a few remnants of the camp continue to exist, but are now located on private property.
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 15,538 people, 5,969 households, and 4,005 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 914.1 people per square mile (352.9/km²). There were 6,423 housing units at an average density of 377.9 per square mile (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 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 2.23% 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 couples 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 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 $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.
Gainesville ISD
The City of Gainesville is served by the Gainesville Independent School District
Gainesville Independent School District
Gainesville Independent School District is a public school district based in Gainesville, Texas .In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.-Schools:...
. The district consists of the following campuses:
- Gainesville Head Start (Toddlers/Pre-School)
- Thomas A. Edison Elementary (Kindergarten & Grade 1)
- W. E. Chalmers Elementary (Grades 2 & 3)
- Robert E. Lee Intermediate (Grades 4 & 5)
- Gainesville Middle School (Grades 6, 7, & 8)
- Gainesville High School (Grades 9, 10, 11, & 12)
The high school boasts various championships won from athletic and academic competitions. The GHS Varsity Basketball team won the 3A-Division I State Championship in 2002, and the Varsity Football team won the 3A-Division I State Championship in 2003. One notable member of the 2003 championship football team was Darcel McBath
Darcel McBath
Steven Darcel McBath is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft...
, who was recruited by and played for the Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
Red Raiders and drafted in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Another player that went on to play for the NFL is Kevin Mathis
Kevin Mathis
Kevin Bryant Mathis is an American football cornerback in the National Football League who is currently a free agent. He has played for the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, and the Atlanta Falcons...
, who played first for the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, then for the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
. The high school has also been historically competitive in UIL (University Interscholastic League) academic competition; boasting numerous district, regional, and state championships in many categories. Furthermore, Gainesville High School boasts a 15.3 student to teacher ratio.
Higher Education
North Central Texas College
North Central Texas College
North Central Texas College is a community college serving Cooke County, Denton County, and Montague County, Texas. NCTC operates four campuses, the main campus in Gainesville, campuses in Corinth, Bowie, and a branch campus in Graham....
, a five campus community college system is headquartered in Gainesville; with the main campus being located on the west side of Gainesville. The college serves the North Texas area, with locations in Gainesville, Bowie, TX, Corinth, TX, Graham, TX, and Flower Mound, TX. Satellite locations also exist at Northwest High School, Little Elm High School, and Graham Education & Workforce Center. NCTC began as Gainesville Junior College in 1924, and because of this it has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operated community college in the state of Texas. In the past several years, NCTC has come to be noted for a their ever-growing health science program. They offer help such as writing and math labs, tutoring centers for people to get more out of their education. Some of the degrees of study offered include Certified Nursing Assistant, Associates degree Nursing (LVN), Registered Nurse, Emergency Medical Technician, and Radiology Technician programs. As well as none credited class for you to take that could be very useful in the future such as potery, and cake decorating if thats some thing you enjoy.
NCTC Lion/Lady Lion Athletics, which consists of Baseball, Softball, Volleyball, and Women's Tennis competes as part of the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association
National Junior College Athletic Association
The National Junior College Athletic Association , founded in 1938, is an association of community college and junior college athletic departments throughout the United States. It is held as Divisions and Regions. The current NJCAA holds 24 separate regions.-History:The idea for the NJCAA was...
). The NCTC Lion Baseball team won the 2001 NJCAA National Championship.
Economy
Gainesville, Texas is often associated by visitors with Thackerville, OklahomaThackerville, Oklahoma
Thackerville 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 being a mile long from end to end, and employees usually reside in Gainesville while visitors stay in the Gainesville Motels. This was featured in KTEN
KTEN
KTEN is the NBC-affiliated television station for Southeastern Oklahoma and North Texas that is licensed to Ada, Oklahoma. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter north of Milburn, Oklahoma along OK 7. Owned by the Lockwood Broadcasting Group, the station...
News in September 2009.
Gainesville is also home to a large outlet mall (The Gainesville Factory Shops) attracting visitors from north Texas as well as southern 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...
.
Geography
Gainesville is located at 33°37′49"N 97°8′25"W (33.630360, -97.140323).According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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...
, the city has a total area of 17.04 square miles (44.1 km²), of which, 17 square miles (44 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.18%) is water.
The town is located at the interchange of two major thuroughfares; U.S. Route 82
U.S. Route 82
U.S. Route 82 is an east–west United States highway in the southern United States. What started as a 1932 addition to the system across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas eventually became a 1,609 mile route extending from the White Sands of New Mexico to Georgia's Atlantic coast.The...
going east/west overpassing Interstate 35
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
(north/south). Though not considered a part Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, the relatively short distance between them allows Gainesville residents to easily commute for work and/or business. The next largest towns in all directions are as follows:
- North - Ardmore, OK
- South - Denton, TX
- East - Sherman, TX
- West - Wichita Falls, TX
Weather and climate
Gainesville usually enjoys typically sunny weather similar to the rest of TexasTexas
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...
with the exception of a few natural disaster
Disaster
A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...
s.
On June 18, 2007, thunderstorms moved through Gainesville, resulting in intense flooding. Over 7 inches (177.8 mm) fell in Gainesville and
nearby Sherman
Sherman, Texas
Sherman is a city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas, United States. The city's estimated population as of 2009 was 38,407. 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 Falls
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, 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. Census estimate of 2010,...
had winds up to 94 mi/h. Much of the center of the town was flooded and several people died.
Government and infrastructure
The Texas Youth CommissionTexas Youth Commission
The Texas Youth Commission is a Texas state agency which operates juvenile corrections facilities in the state. The commission is headquartered in the Brown-Heatly Building in Austin...
operates the Gainesville State School
Gainesville State School
The Gainesville State School is a juvenile correctional facility of the Texas Youth Commission in unincorporated Cooke County, Texas, near Gainesville. The fenced, maximum security state school is located on a tract east of Gatesville, north of Dallas, along Farm to Market Road 678 and near...
in an unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
east of Gainesville.
Parks, Recreation, and Tourism
Gainesville has a zooZoo
A 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 acres (182,108.7 m²) 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
Notable residents
- Lew AllenLew AllenLew Allen, Jr. was a United States Air Force four-star General who served as the tenth Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force...
, United States Air Force four-star General; former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force; former Director of the National Security AgencyDirector of the National Security AgencyThe Director of the National Security Agency is the highest-ranking official in the National Security Agency, which is a Defense Agency within the U.S. Department of Defense. The Director of the NSA also concurrently serves as Chief of the Central Security Service and as Commander of U.S. Cyber... - Cody Hart, professional bull rider, 1999 Professional Bull Riders world champion
- Kevin MathisKevin MathisKevin Bryant Mathis is an American football cornerback in the National Football League who is currently a free agent. He has played for the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, and the Atlanta Falcons...
, former NFL cornerback for the Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
and other teams - Darcel McBathDarcel McBathSteven Darcel McBath is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft...
, NFL safety formerly of the Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Charlie PaddockCharlie PaddockCharles "Charlie" William Paddock was an American athlete and twofold Olympic champion.After serving in World War I as a lieutenant of field artillery in the U.S. Marines, Paddock - a native of Gainesville, Texas - studied at the University of Southern California...
, Olympic sprinter who won gold in 1920 - Jim RayburnJim RayburnJim Rayburn, Jr was an ordained Presbyterian minister and the founder of Young Life. He was born in Marshalltown, Iowa, on July 21, 1909, to James Chalmers Rayburn, Sr. , and Elna Beck Rayburn. Rayburn was the oldest of four sons, and grew up in Newton, Kansas...
, founder of non-denominational Christian youth organization Young LifeYoung LifeYoungLife is a worldwide, non-profit, Evangelical Christian organization. YoungLife consists of many branches of ministry , but most commonly the name "YoungLife" refers to the outreach arm of the organization directed toward high school students... - Aurelian Smith, Jr., aka Jake "The Snake" Roberts, professional wrestler
Health System
Gainesville is served by a tax-funded public hospital district which operates North Texas Medical Center, formerly known as Gainesville Memorial Hosipital.Television
- Gainesville, Texas gets over the air reception from Sherman-Ada which also includes OETA translator out of Ardmore, OklahomaArdmore, OklahomaArdmore is a business, cultural and tourism city in and the county seat of Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 24,283, while a 2007 estimate has the Ardmore micropolitan statistical area totaling 56,694 residents...
Amplified outdoor antennas can receive stations from Dallas, TexasDallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.