Hillsboro is a city in and the
county seatA 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
Hill County in
Central TexasCentral 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 was 8,232 at the
2000 censusThe Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
Hillsboro, located on
Interstate 35Interstate 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...
where
I-35EInterstate 35E , an Interstate Highway, is the eastern half of Interstate 35 where it splits to serve different cities in Texas. I-35 splits into two branch routes, I-35W and I-35E at Hillsboro. I-35E runs north for , maintaining I-35's sequence of exit numbers. It runs through Dallas before...
and
I-35WInterstate 35W , an Interstate Highway, is the western half of Interstate 35 where it splits to serve different cities in Texas. I-35 splits into two branch routes, I-35W and I-35E at Hillsboro. I-35W runs north for , carrying its own separate sequence of exit numbers. It runs through Fort Worth...
meet south of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, is the primary center for trade and commerce in Hill County. It is located almost midway between the Metroplex and
WacoWaco 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....
, and is the gateway to the popular
Lake WhitneyLake Whitney could be:*Lake Whitney *Lake Whitney...
. There are many antique stores located downtown, and a popular outlet mall is located along the Interstate, surrounded by numerous hotels and motels. In addition, Hillsboro has a historic Victorian bed and breakfast home:
The Windmill, in a country setting six miles west toward Lake Whitney.
The city is known for its abundance of restored Victorian homes and its historic county courthouse, which on January 1, 1993 was heavily damaged by an electrical fire. It was rebuilt, courtesy of donations from around the world and two concerts sponsored by Hill County native
Willie NelsonWillie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
. The courthouse (See
Hill County, Texas for photograph.) won the Downtown Association's 1999 award for "Best Restoration". The renovation sparked an interest in restoring Texas's historic courthouses. The Hill County courthouse is eight miles from Willie Nelson's hometown,
AbbottAbbott is a city in Hill County in Central Texas. The population was 356 in 2010. It is perhaps best known as the birthplace of country musician Willie Nelson.-History:...
.
The movie
Bottle RocketBottle Rocket is a 1996 comedy film directed by Wes Anderson. It was co-written by Anderson and Owen Wilson. As well as being Wes Anderson's directorial debut, Bottle Rocket was the debut feature for brothers Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson, who co-starred with James Caan and Robert Musgrave.The film...
, starring
OwenOwen Cunningham Wilson is an American actor and writer, known for his roles in the films The Haunting, The Royal Tenenbaums, Zoolander, Meet the Parents, Wedding Crashers, You, Me and Dupree, Bottle Rocket, the Cars series, The Darjeeling Limited, Marley & Me, Midnight in Paris, Shanghai Noon,...
and
Luke WilsonLuke Cunningham Wilson is an American film actor known for his roles in Old School, Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, Legally Blonde, Idiocracy and Death at a Funeral.-Early life:...
, was filmed here. They used the Days Inn motel, the High School Football stadium, and Highway 171 leading out of Hillsboro.
Geography
Hillsboro is located at 32°0′34"N 97°7′28"W (32.009557, -97.124437).
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...
, the city has a total area of 9.2 square miles (23.8 km²), of which, 9.1 square miles (23.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.98%) is water.
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. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 8,232 people, 2,876 households, and 1,909 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...
was 908.1 people per square mile (350.4/km²). There were 3,227 housing units at an average density of 356.0 per square mile (137.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.17% White, 16.16% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 11.44% from
other racesRace 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 2.32% from two or more races. 28.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 2,876 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were
married couplesMarriage 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, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.34.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,017, and the median income for a family was $30,297. Males had a median income of $22,393 versus $20,652 for females. The
per capita incomePer 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 $12,576. About 17.6% of families and 21.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.3% of those under age 18 and 19.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The City of Hillsboro is served by the
Hillsboro Independent School DistrictHillsboro Independent School District is a public school district based in Hillsboro, Texas .In addition to Hillsboro, the district also serves a portion of Carl's Corner.In 2011, the school district was rated "Recognized" by the Texas Education Agency....
.
The opportunity for higher education is provided by
Hill CollegeHill College is a comprehensive community college located in Hillsboro, Texas.Hill College opened its doors in 1923, one year before North Central Texas College...
, a comprehensive community college, located on the east side of I-35.
Museums
Hillsboro was the first home of the Texas Musicians Museum. The museum is now located in downtown
Waxahachie, TexasWaxahachie is a city in Ellis County, Texas, United States, and a southern suburb of Dallas. The population was 21,426 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ellis County....
and houses the exhibits of Texas musicians and Texas music memorabilia, including the original casket of
J.P. “The Big Bopper” RichardsonJiles Perry "J. P." Richardson, Jr. also commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star...
whose body was reinterred in 2008.
Middlefaire
Located a few miles north by northwest of Hillsboro, the
MiddlefaireMiddlefaire is a festival site located near Hillsboro, Texas.The 21-acre site opened in 2006 and features two festivals. These are Texas Pirate Festival held in May, and Renaissance Festival in October and November. The fair formerly featured Magical & Medieval Fantasy Faire in September, but...
site features a Renaissance Festival and Texas Pirate Festival.
National Register of Historic Places
- Farmers National Bank 68 W. Elm St.
- Gebhardt Bakery 119 E. Franklin St.
- Grimes Garage 110 N. Waco St.
- Grimes House Country Club Rd. and Corporation St.
- Hill County Courthouse Courthouse Sq.
- Hill County Jail N. Waco St.
- Hillsboro Cotton Mills 220 N. Houston St.
- Hillsboro Residential Historic District Roughly bounded by Country Club Rd., Thompson, Corsicana, Pleasant, Franklin, and Elm Sts.
- McKenzie Site Address Restricted
- Missouri-Kansas-Texas Company Railroad Station Covington St.
- Old Rock Saloon 58 W. Elm St.
- Sturgis National Bank S. Waco and W. Elm Sts.
- Tarleton Building 110 E. Franklin St.
- U.S. Post Office 118 S. Waco St.
- Western Union Building 107 S. Covington St.
Notable natives
- Robert Lee Bobbitt
Robert Lee Bobbitt, Sr. , was an attorney and Democratic politician from San Antonio, Texas, who served in the first half of the 20th century as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, Attorney General of Texas, and chairman of the Texas Highway Department.-Early life:Named for Confederate...
, former Speaker of the Texas House of RepresentativesThe Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the Texas House of Representatives. The Speaker's main duties are to conduct meetings of the House, appoint committees, and enforce the Rules of the House...
, state attorney generalThe Texas Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Texas.The department has offices at the William P. Clements State Office Building at 300 West 15th Street in Austin.-History:...
, and chairman of the Texas Highway Commission
- Bob Bullock
Robert Douglas Bullock, known as Bob Bullock , was a Democratic politician from Texas, whose career spanned four decades. His service culminated in his term as Lieutenant Governor of Texas from January 15, 1991–January 19, 1999 during the terms of Governors Ann Richards and George W...
, former Texas lieutenant governorThe Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and controls the budgeting process as a leader of the...
, comptrollerThe Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts is an executive branch position created by the Texas Constitution. As with nearly every other executive branch head, the Comptroller is popularly elected every four years concurrently with the Governor and the other elected executive branch positions...
, secretary of stateThe Secretary of State of Texas is one of six state officials designated by the Texas Constitution to form the executive department of that U.S. state...
, and state representativeThe Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
- Rafer Johnson
Rafer Lewis Johnson is an American former decathlete and film actor.-Biography:Johnson was born in Hillsboro, Texas, but the family moved to Kingsburg, California, when he was nine. For a while, they were the only black family in the town. A versatile athlete, he played on Kingsburg High School's...
, the 1960 Olympic decathlonThe decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
gold medalist
- Troy Dungan
William Troy Dungan Jr. William Troy Dungan Jr. William Troy Dungan Jr. (born November 17, 1936, better known as Troy Dungan, is an American weatherman, formerly the chief weather anchor for Belo owned and ABC's Dallas affiliate WFAA-TV. He was also formerly the chief weather anchor for WBAP...
, WFAA-TVWFAA, channel 8, is an ABC-affiliated television station serving the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, one of the top ten media markets in North America. The station is the flagship of Belo Corporation and the largest ABC affiliate not owned and operated by the network...
chief meteorologist
- J. Vernon McGee
John Vernon McGee, Th.D., LL.D, was an ordained Presbyterian minister who later pastored an interdenominational church, a Bible teacher, theologian, and was also a radio minister.-Early Years and Education:...
, Presbyterian minister, radio broadcaster
- Maggie Jones
Maggie Jones was an American blues singer and pianist, who recorded thirty-eight songs between 1923 and 1926. She was billed as "The Texas Nightingale." Jones is best remembered for her songs, "Single Woman's Blues," "Undertaker's Blues," and "Northbound Blues."-Biography:She was born Fae Barnes...
, bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
singer and pianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
- Billy Patterson
Joseph William "Billy" Patterson Jr. was an American football player who played two seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers.-Early life:...
, former NFL football player
- Mike Harris
Michael "Mike" Harris is an American professional basketball player.-College career:Harris played college basketball for Rice University and finished his career as Rice's all-time leading scorer and rebounder .-Pro career:Harris played professionally for BC Kyiv of the Ukrainian Super League...
, basketball player
- Roger Edens
Roger Edens was a Hollywood composer, arranger and associate producer, and is considered one of the major creative figures in Arthur Freed's musical film production unit at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the "golden era of Hollywood".-Early career and work with Judy Garland:Edens was born in...
, Hollywood composer, arranger and producer
External links