Grow, Texas
Encyclopedia
Grow is an unincorporated community
in King County, Texas
, United States
. It lies in the north-central part of the county, approximately 85 miles east of Lubbock
.
; the Bala post office
was housed in the Davidson family home. A man by the name of Jim Goodwin built a cotton gin
in Bala in 1908, stimulating limited growth. Sometime between 1911 and 1912 the community's name was changed from Bala to Grow.
As was the case with all of the other communities in sparsely populated King County, Grow has remained a largely rural community throughout its existence. Its population hovered at twenty-five or so residents throughout the 1920s and 1930's and though the post office closed in 1930, the population high mark came in 1941 when Grow was reportedly home an estimated 150 people. However, economic changes led most residents to relocate to urban areas and by the end of the 1950s, almost half of Grow's inhabitants had moved away.
By 1970, the Grow school had long since consolidated with Guthrie
schools, and local estimates suggested the population had fallen to eighty-five; by 1980 this had fallen to seventy, a figure Grow has maintained consistently since.
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...
in King County, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It lies in the north-central part of the county, approximately 85 miles east of Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
.
History
In response to the growing number of families settling in the northern part of King County at the start of the twentieth century, a school was established in 1901 to serve area students. A woman by the name of Ora Blackwell served as the first teacher in the community, which was then known as Bala. Her sister, Mrs. Charles Davidson, was the local postmasterPostmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
; the Bala 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...
was housed in the Davidson family home. A man by the name of Jim Goodwin built a 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...
in Bala in 1908, stimulating limited growth. Sometime between 1911 and 1912 the community's name was changed from Bala to Grow.
As was the case with all of the other communities in sparsely populated King County, Grow has remained a largely rural community throughout its existence. Its population hovered at twenty-five or so residents throughout the 1920s and 1930's and though the post office closed in 1930, the population high mark came in 1941 when Grow was reportedly home an estimated 150 people. However, economic changes led most residents to relocate to urban areas and by the end of the 1950s, almost half of Grow's inhabitants had moved away.
By 1970, the Grow school had long since consolidated with Guthrie
Guthrie, Texas
Guthrie is a Census Designated Place in King County in the U.S. state of Texas. It lies at the junction of U.S. Routes 82 and 83 ninety-six miles east of Lubbock, and serves as the principal headquarters of the Four Sixes Ranch...
schools, and local estimates suggested the population had fallen to eighty-five; by 1980 this had fallen to seventy, a figure Grow has maintained consistently since.