Goldthwaite, Texas
Encyclopedia
Goldthwaite is a small city
located in Mills County
in Central Texas
. The population
was 1,802 at the 2000 census
. It is the county seat
of Mills County, which is named for John T. Mills
, a justice of the Supreme Court for the Third, Seventh, and Eighth districts of the former Republic of Texas
. Goldthwaite is located in the western portion of the Texas Hill Country
. The elevation is 1,580 feet. Goldthwaite is situated at the intersection
s of U.S. Highways 84 and 183, Texas State Highway 16, and Texas Farm-to-Market Roads 572 and 574.
. Like many other Texas communities, Goldthwaite was named for a railroad official, Joe C. Goldthwaite of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway
, who conducted the auction
of town lots. The post office
opened in 1886. After Mills County was organized, several landowners donated property with the assurance that Goldthwaite would become the county seat. The first county jail was built in 1888, and the courthouse was completed in 1890.
The Santa Fe Railroad constructed shops and a roundhouse
switch. Goldthwaite was scheduled to have become a division point until labor
problems compelled the railroad to relocate the shops to Brownwood
, the seat of Brown County, to the north. Even without the railroad, Goldthwaite progressed. By 1898, it had a population of 1,200, three churches, a bank, a number of hotel
s and boardinghouses, two cotton gin
s, two gristmill
s, both public and private school
s business
es, and two competing weekly newspaper
s, the Goldthwaite Eagle and the Goldthwaite Mountaineer. A meeting in 1905 of the Confederate
Reunion, a major annual social event, remains the largest public gathering in the history
of Mills County. There is a large Confederate monument on the front lawn of the courthouse in Goldthwaite.
A fire
in 1912 destroyed the wooden courthouse, and it was superseded in 1913
by a brick
structure designed in classical revival style by the architect
Henry T. Phelps
. The courthouse is shaded by several large trees. The first school library was established in 1915, the same year that work began on Lake Merritt
, some seven miles from Goldthwaite. By 1928, Goldthwaite had 2,800 residents and 95 businesses. The population fell to 1,324 by 1931 because of drought
and the Great Depression
. The number of businesses dipped to fifty-five by 1933. After the depression years, Goldthwaite recovered only modestly though agricultural
diversification
brought renewed prosperity.
Goldthwaite is a trade center for farm equipment and such agricultural products as mohair
, wool
, fruits, cattle
, turkey
s, and pecan
s. Herds of mohair-producing goats are raised in the general area about Goldthwaite. In the fall and winter, the area is popular with hunters seeking white-tailed deer
. The city lies on United States Highway 183, a segment of the Ports-to-Plains Highway which connects the Texas heartland with the Texas Gulf Coast
. Goldthwaite City Park, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 183 and Texas Highway 16, offers swimming, picnicking, and playground
equipment. The nine-hole municipal golf course
is open year-round. Goldthwaite has two museum
s: (1) Mills County Museum, which contains replicas of pioneer rooms and hosts a chili
supper in mid-November, and (2) the Old Jail Museum at courthouse square, which is included in the National Register of Historic Places
.
Goldthwaite is known for its Christmas
celebration from November through December. There are lighting displays and holiday fare in the specialty shops. Goldthwaite holds an annual "Parade of Lights" on the first Saturday in December.
Goldthwaite is served by a 3200x60' unlighted asphalt airport (T37) located on Hwy 16 approximately 2 miles south of the city.
Approximately twenty miles west of Goldthwaite is Regency Suspension Bridge
atop the Colorado River
of Texas
, which divides Mills County from San Saba County
. Regency is one of the few swinging bridges still in use in Texas. It is featured on Bob Phillips
's weekly syndicated
television series Texas Country Reporter
. The bridge is reached by a gravel road
of some eight miles accessed from Texas Farm-to-Market Road 574.
and five aldermen. It also employes a city manager
. The annual municipal budget
is $2 million. The city owns and operates its electric distribution system and purchases power from the Lower Colorado River Authority
. It also owns and operates a state-approved water
system and a wastewater
system approved by the Environmental Protection Agency
. Goldthwaite is served by Verizon Communications
, Atmos Energy
, Charter Communications
Cable Television
, Central Texas Wireless Television, and Community Santitation. All but 5 percent of the city sreets are paved. There is a 2 percent city sales tax (plus the 6.25 percent state sales tax) but no city property tax
. Goldthwaite claims lower utility rates than most other Texas communities.
in political orientation than the state of Texas as a whole, at least until 1996. Mills County voters supported Democratic presidential nominees Lyndon B. Johnson
in 1964, Hubert H. Humphrey in 1968, Jimmy Carter
in 1976 and 1980, and Bill Clinton
in 1992. Voters supported Republican
candidates Richard M. Nixon in 1972, Ronald W. Reagan in 1984, George Herbert Walker Bush in 1988, Robert J. Dole in 1996, and George W. Bush
in 2000 and 2004. Dole received 1,057 votes to Bill Clinton's 752 and 200 for Independent H. Ross Perot
, the Dallas
billionaire
industrialist. The second Bush polled large majorities over Democrats Albert Arnold Gore, Jr.
, and John F. Kerry.
In the 2008 presidential primaries, Mills County cast 772 ballots in the Democratic contest and 487 in the GOP
race. In the United States Senate
primary, the county cast 555 Democratic ballots and 408 Republican votes.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), all of it land.
Cities near Goldthwaite include Brownwood, Hamilton
, Comanche
, and San Saba
.
. Goldthwaite Elementary School is located at 1501 Campbell. Goldthwaite Middle School is located at 1507 Trent Street. Goldthwaite High School is located at 1509 Hannah Valley Road. New Horizons Ranch School is located off Farm-to-Market Road 574.
Four-year college instruction is available in the region through Baptist
-affiliated Howard Payne University
in Brownwood. Tarleton State University
in Stephenville
offers public higher education. Further to the south are the University of Texas at Austin
and Baylor University
in Waco
.
, there were 1,802 people, 740 households and 466 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,047.4 per square mile (404.5/km²). There were 883 housing units at an average density of 513.2 per square mile (198.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.01% White, 0.39% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 10.82% from other races
, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.42% of the population.
There were 740 households of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples
living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.87.
Age distribution was 24.6% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 28.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.1 males.
The median household income
was $26,731, and the median family income was $34,940. Males had a median income of $25,577 versus $19,602 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,591. About 12.5% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 22.2% of those age 65 or over.
For access to archival railroad photographs of Goldthwaite, see the website: http://www.atsfry.com/EasternArchive/Photo/goldthwa.htm
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...
located in Mills County
Mills County, Texas
Mills County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 5,151. Mills County is named for John T. Mills, a justice of the Texas Supreme Court...
in Central Texas
Central Texas
Central Texas , is a region in the U.S. state of Texas. It is roughly bordered by San Marcos to Fredericksburg to Waco, and to Brenham, and includes the Austin–Round Rock, Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Bryan-College Station, and Waco metropolitan areas...
. The population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
was 1,802 at the 2000 census
Census
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...
. It is 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 Mills County, which is named for John T. Mills
John T. Mills
John T. Mills was an American lawyer who served as a Supreme Court Justice for the Republic of Texas.-Biography:...
, a justice of the Supreme Court for the Third, Seventh, and Eighth districts of the former Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
. Goldthwaite is located in the western portion of the Texas Hill Country
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
. The elevation is 1,580 feet. Goldthwaite is situated at the intersection
Intersection (road)
An intersection is a road junction where two or more roads either meet or cross at grade . An intersection may be 3-way - a T junction or fork, 4-way - a crossroads, or 5-way or more...
s of U.S. Highways 84 and 183, Texas State Highway 16, and Texas Farm-to-Market Roads 572 and 574.
Goldthwaite: Past and present
Goldthwaite was originally a part of the southern portion of Brown CountyBrown County, Texas
Brown County is a county in West Central Texas. As of 2000, the population was 37,674. Its county seat is Brownwood. Brown is named for Henry Stevenson Brown, a commander at the Battle of Velasco...
. Like many other Texas communities, Goldthwaite was named for a railroad official, Joe C. Goldthwaite of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway
The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway was a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in eastern Texas and to Purcell, Oklahoma.- Nineteenth Century :...
, who conducted the auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
of town lots. The post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
opened in 1886. After Mills County was organized, several landowners donated property with the assurance that Goldthwaite would become the county seat. The first county jail was built in 1888, and the courthouse was completed in 1890.
The Santa Fe Railroad constructed shops and a roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
switch. Goldthwaite was scheduled to have become a division point until labor
Labor relations
Industrial relations is a multidisciplinary field that studies the employment relationship. Industrial relations is increasingly being called employment relations because of the importance of non-industrial employment relationships. Many outsiders also equate industrial relations to labour relations...
problems compelled the railroad to relocate the shops to Brownwood
Brownwood, Texas
Brownwood is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,813 at the 2000 census.-History:The original site of the Brown County seat of Brownwood was on the east of Pecan Bayou. A dispute arose over land and water rights, and the settlers were forced...
, the seat of Brown County, to the north. Even without the railroad, Goldthwaite progressed. By 1898, it had a population of 1,200, three churches, a bank, a number of 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...
s and boardinghouses, two cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
s, two gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
s, both public and private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
s business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
es, and two competing weekly newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s, the Goldthwaite Eagle and the Goldthwaite Mountaineer. A meeting in 1905 of the 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...
Reunion, a major annual social event, remains the largest public gathering in the history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
of Mills County. There is a large Confederate monument on the front lawn of the courthouse in Goldthwaite.
A fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
in 1912 destroyed the wooden courthouse, and it was superseded in 1913
Mills County Courthouse
The Mills County Courthouse, built in 1913, is an historic 3-story redbrick Classical Revival style courthouse building located at 1011 Fourth Street in Goldthwaite, Texas...
by a brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
structure designed in classical revival style by the architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Henry T. Phelps
Henry T. Phelps
Henry Truman Phelps was a prominent Texas architect responsible for the design of many Texas county courthouses and other public and commercial buildings in San Antonio and around the state....
. The courthouse is shaded by several large trees. The first school library was established in 1915, the same year that work began on Lake Merritt
Lake Merritt, Texas
Lake Merritt is a small, private lake on Brown's Creek located about 7 miles north of Goldthwaite, Texas, in Mills County. The coordinates are N 31.53268 W 98.57569...
, some seven miles from Goldthwaite. By 1928, Goldthwaite had 2,800 residents and 95 businesses. The population fell to 1,324 by 1931 because of drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
and 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...
. The number of businesses dipped to fifty-five by 1933. After the depression years, Goldthwaite recovered only modestly though agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
diversification
Diversification
Diversification may refer to:* Diversification involves spreading investments* Diversification is a corporate strategy to increase market penetration...
brought renewed prosperity.
Goldthwaite is a trade center for farm equipment and such agricultural products as mohair
Mohair
Mohair usually refers to a silk-like fabric or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat. The word "mohair" was adopted into English before 1570 from the Arabic: mukhayyar, a type of haircloth, literally 'choice', from khayyara, 'he chose'. Mohair fiber is approximately 25-45 microns in...
, wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
, fruits, cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
s, and pecan
Pecan
The pecan , Carya illinoinensis, is a species of hickory, native to south-central North America, in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz, in the United States from southern Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana east to western Kentucky, southwestern Ohio, North Carolina, South...
s. Herds of mohair-producing goats are raised in the general area about Goldthwaite. In the fall and winter, the area is popular with hunters seeking white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
. The city lies on United States Highway 183, a segment of the Ports-to-Plains Highway which connects the Texas heartland with the Texas Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...
. Goldthwaite City Park, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 183 and Texas Highway 16, offers swimming, picnicking, and playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
equipment. The nine-hole municipal golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
is open year-round. Goldthwaite has two museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s: (1) Mills County Museum, which contains replicas of pioneer rooms and hosts a chili
Chili con carne
Chili con carne is a spicy stew. The name of the dish derives from the Spanish chile con carne, "chili pepper with meat". Traditional versions are made, minimally, from chili peppers, garlic, onions, and cumin, along with chopped or ground beef. Beans and tomatoes are frequently included...
supper in mid-November, and (2) the Old Jail Museum at courthouse square, which is included in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Goldthwaite is known for its Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
celebration from November through December. There are lighting displays and holiday fare in the specialty shops. Goldthwaite holds an annual "Parade of Lights" on the first Saturday in December.
Goldthwaite is served by a 3200x60' unlighted asphalt airport (T37) located on Hwy 16 approximately 2 miles south of the city.
Approximately twenty miles west of Goldthwaite is Regency Suspension Bridge
Regency Bridge
The Regency Bridge, locally known as the "Swinging Bridge," is a one-lane suspension bridge over the Colorado River in Texas. It is located at the intersection of Mills County Road 433 and San Saba County Road 137, both gravel roads, near a small community called Regency. The bridge saddles Mills...
atop the Colorado River
Colorado River (Texas)
The Colorado River is a river that runs through the U.S. state of Texas; it should not be confused with the much longer Colorado River which flows from Colorado into the Gulf of California....
of 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...
, which divides Mills County from San Saba County
San Saba County, Texas
San Saba County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Western Central Texas. In 2010, its population was 6,131. Its county seat is San Saba. It is named for the San Saba River, which flows through the county.-History:...
. Regency is one of the few swinging bridges still in use in Texas. It is featured on Bob Phillips
Bob Phillips
Robert Leon Phillips, known as Bob Phillips , is an American television journalist best known for his long-running program Texas Country Reporter...
's weekly syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
television series Texas Country Reporter
Texas Country Reporter
Texas Country Reporter is a weekly syndicated television program hosted and produced by Bob Phillips. It airs in all 22 Texas media markets, generally on weekends, and reruns are broadcast nationally on the satellite/cable channel RFD-TV...
. The bridge is reached by a gravel road
Gravel road
A gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. They are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and the United States. In New Zealand, they are known as 'metal roads'...
of some eight miles accessed from Texas Farm-to-Market Road 574.
Municipal government
In 1907, Goldthwaite was chartered as a Type A General Law city with a mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and five aldermen. It also employes a city manager
City manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
. The annual municipal budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
is $2 million. The city owns and operates its electric distribution system and purchases power from the Lower Colorado River Authority
Lower Colorado River Authority
The Lower Colorado River Authority or LCRA is a nonprofit public utility that was created in November 1934 by the Texas Legislature. LCRA's mission is to protect people, property and the environment by providing public services for more than one million people in Central and Southeast Texas...
. It also owns and operates a state-approved water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
system and a wastewater
Wastewater
Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations...
system approved by the Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
. Goldthwaite is served by Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc. is a global broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average...
, Atmos Energy
Atmos Energy
Atmos Energy Corporation , headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is the largest distributor of natural gas in the United States, serving 3.2 million customers nationwide. Atmos acquired TXU's natural gas and pipeline holdings in 2004. The company began as Energas in 1983, a spinoff of the natural gas...
, Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
Cable Television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
, Central Texas Wireless Television, and Community Santitation. All but 5 percent of the city sreets are paved. There is a 2 percent city sales tax (plus the 6.25 percent state sales tax) but no city property tax
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
. Goldthwaite claims lower utility rates than most other Texas communities.
Political behavior
Mills County and Goldthwaite were somewhat more DemocraticDemocratic 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...
in political orientation than the state of Texas as a whole, at least until 1996. Mills County voters supported Democratic presidential nominees 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...
in 1964, Hubert H. Humphrey in 1968, 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 and 1980, and 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...
in 1992. Voters supported Republican
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...
candidates Richard M. Nixon in 1972, Ronald W. Reagan in 1984, George Herbert Walker Bush in 1988, Robert J. Dole in 1996, and George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in 2000 and 2004. Dole received 1,057 votes to Bill Clinton's 752 and 200 for Independent 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
Dallas, Texas
Dallas 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...
billionaire
Billionaire
A billionaire, in countries that use the short scale number naming system, is a person who has a net worth of at least one billion units of a given currency, usually the United States dollar, Euro, or Pound sterling. Forbes magazine updates a complete list of U.S. dollar billionaires around the...
industrialist. The second Bush polled large majorities over Democrats Albert Arnold Gore, Jr.
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, and John F. Kerry.
In the 2008 presidential primaries, Mills County cast 772 ballots in the Democratic contest and 487 in the 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...
race. 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, the county cast 555 Democratic ballots and 408 Republican votes.
Geography
Goldthwaite is located at 31°27′2"N 98°34′16"W (31.450478, -98.571095).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 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), all of it land.
Cities near Goldthwaite include Brownwood, Hamilton
Hamilton, Texas
Hamilton is a city in Hamilton County in Central Texas. The population was 3,095 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Hamilton County.-Geography:Hamilton is located at ....
, Comanche
Comanche, Texas
Comanche is a city located in Comanche County in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 4,482 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Comanche County. The town square has been renovated and is becoming a popular tourist attraction. With "Star Beaus" and "karens" on the square and their...
, and San Saba
San Saba, Texas
San Saba is a town located in Central Texas. It was settled in 1854 and named for its location on the San Saba River. The population was at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of San Saba County...
.
Education
Goldthwaite is served by the Goldthwaite Independent School DistrictGoldthwaite Independent School District
Goldthwaite Independent School District is a public school district based in Goldthwaite, Texas .In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.-Schools:*Goldthwaite High School...
. Goldthwaite Elementary School is located at 1501 Campbell. Goldthwaite Middle School is located at 1507 Trent Street. Goldthwaite High School is located at 1509 Hannah Valley Road. New Horizons Ranch School is located off Farm-to-Market Road 574.
Four-year college instruction is available in the region through Baptist
Baptist
Baptists 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...
-affiliated Howard Payne University
Howard Payne University
Howard Payne University is a four-year private university located in Brownwood, Texas.Currently the university enrolls 1,400 full-time students. Howard Payne is known for the Douglas MacArthur Academy of Freedom, its Music program and its Christian Studies program...
in Brownwood. Tarleton State University
Tarleton State University
Tarleton State University is a public, coeducational, state university located in Stephenville, Texas. It is the largest non-land-grant university primarily devoted to agriculture in the United States....
in Stephenville
Stephenville, Texas
Stephenville is a city in and the county seat of Erath County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,921 at the 2000 census. Founded in 1856, it is home to Tarleton State University. Stephenville is among several communities that calls itself the "Cowboy Capital of the...
offers public higher education. Further to the south are the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
and Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
in Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
.
Demographics
At the 2000 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...
, there were 1,802 people, 740 households and 466 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 1,047.4 per square mile (404.5/km²). There were 883 housing units at an average density of 513.2 per square mile (198.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.01% White, 0.39% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 10.82% 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 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.42% of the population.
There were 740 households of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% 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, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.87.
Age distribution was 24.6% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 28.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.1 males.
The median household income
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
was $26,731, and the median family income was $34,940. Males had a median income of $25,577 versus $19,602 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 $14,591. About 12.5% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 22.2% of those age 65 or over.
Goldthwaite photographs
Also see (http://www.centexphotos.com) for local photosFor access to archival railroad photographs of Goldthwaite, see the website: http://www.atsfry.com/EasternArchive/Photo/goldthwa.htm