Huntsville 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
Walker County, TexasWalker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 67,861. Its county seat is Huntsville.Initially, Walker County was named for Robert J. Walker, a legislator from Mississippi who introduced into the United States Congress the resolution to annex Texas...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 35,508 at the
2010 censusThe Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
. It is the center of the Huntsville
micropolitan areaUnited States Micropolitan Statistical Areas , as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, are urban areas in the United States based around a core city or town with a population of 10,000 to 49,999. The micropolitan area designation was created in 2003...
.
Huntsville is located in the
East TexasEast Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...
Piney WoodsThe Piney Woods is a temperate coniferous forest terrestrial ecoregion in the Southern United States covering of East Texas, southern Arkansas, western Louisiana, and southeastern Oklahoma. These coniferous forests are dominated by several species of pine as well as hardwoods including hickory and...
on the
Interstate 45Interstate 45 is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It connects the cities of Dallas and Houston, continuing southeast from Houston to Galveston over the Galveston Causeway to the Gulf of Mexico...
corridor between Houston and Dallas. Huntsville is home to
Sam Houston State UniversitySam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
, the
Texas Department of Criminal JusticeThe Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
,
Huntsville State ParkHuntsville State Park is a wooded recreational area, six miles southwest of Huntsville, Texas, within the county of Walker.- History :The park was acquired by deeds from private owners in 1937 and was opened in 1938....
, the HEARTS Veterans Museum of Texas, located on Texas
Veterans Memorial ParkwayThe Veterans Memorial Parkway is a expressway located in London, Ontario. The expressway was previously known as Highway 100 from 1977 until 1994 and as Airport Road prior to September 2006. It is currently an at-grade, four-lane expressway...
at
Interstate 45Interstate 45 is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It connects the cities of Dallas and Houston, continuing southeast from Houston to Galveston over the Galveston Causeway to the Gulf of Mexico...
, and the
Texas Prison MuseumThe Texas Prison Museum is located in Huntsville, Texas on State Highway 75 North. The non-profit museum features the history of the prison system in Texas. There are many different artifacts in the museum, including an electric chair named "Old Sparky" that was formerly used from 1924 to 1964 as...
, also on Highway 75 near Interstate 45. Huntsville served as the residence of
Sam HoustonSamuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
, who is recognized in Huntsville by the Sam Houston Memorial Museum and a statue on
Interstate 45Interstate 45 is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It connects the cities of Dallas and Houston, continuing southeast from Houston to Galveston over the Galveston Causeway to the Gulf of Mexico...
. Huntsville has headquarters of the
Texas Department of Criminal JusticeThe Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
(TDCJ) and several prisons operated by the department. The Huntsville Unit, one of the TDCJ units, has the execution chamber of the state of Texas.
In reference to its prison, "Huntsville" is the title and subject of a
countryCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song by
Merle HaggardMerle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
, on the album
Someday We'll Look BackSomeday We'll Look Back is an album by American country singer Merle Haggard, released in 1971. It reached #4 on the Billboard Country album chart and #108 on the Pop album chart...
.
History
The city had its beginning about 1836, when Pleasant and Ephraim Gray opened a trading post on the site. Ephraim Gray became first postmaster in 1837, naming it after his former home town,
HuntsvilleHuntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
in
Madison County, AlabamaMadison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the...
. (Incidentally, "Madison County" is also the name of an
adjacent Texas county.)
Huntsville became the home of
Sam HoustonSamuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
, who served as President of the
Republic of TexasThe 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...
, Governor of the State of
TexasTexas 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...
, Governor of
TennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
,
U.S. SenatorThe 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...
, and Tennessee congressman. General Houston led the Texas Army in the
Battle of San JacintoThe Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen...
- the decisive victory of the
Texas RevolutionThe Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
. Houston has been noted for his life among the
CherokeeThe Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
s of Tennessee, and - near the end of his life - for his
opposition to the American Civil WarPopular opposition to the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865, was widespread. Although there had been many attempts at compromise prior to the outbreak of war, there were those who felt it could still be ended peacefully or did not believe it should have occurred in the first place...
, a position which was a very unpopular in his day. Located in Huntsville are two of Houston's homes, his grave, and the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. Houston's life in Huntsville is also commemorated by his namesake
Sam Houston State UniversitySam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
, and by a 70 ft (21.3 m) statue. (The towering statue, "Tribute to Courage" by artist David Adickes, has been described as the world's largest statue of an American hero, and is easily viewed by travelers on
Interstate 45Interstate 45 is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It connects the cities of Dallas and Houston, continuing southeast from Houston to Galveston over the Galveston Causeway to the Gulf of Mexico...
.)
Huntsville was also the home of
Samuel Walker HoustonSamuel Walker Houston was a prominent African-American pioneer in the field of education. He was born into slavery on February 12, 1864, in Huntsville, Texas, to Joshua Houston, a slave owned by Sam Houston....
(1864–1945), a prominent African-American pioneer in the field of education. He was born into slavery on February 12, 1864 to Joshua Houston, a slave owned by
Sam HoustonSamuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
. Samuel W. Houston founded the Galilee Community School in 1907, which later became known as the Houstonian Normal and Industrial Institute, in
Walker County, TexasWalker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 67,861. Its county seat is Huntsville.Initially, Walker County was named for Robert J. Walker, a legislator from Mississippi who introduced into the United States Congress the resolution to annex Texas...
.
In 1995, on the grounds of the old Samuel W. Houston Elementary School, the
Huntsville Independent School DistrictHuntsville Independent School District is a public school district based in the Hawkins Administration Building in Huntsville, Texas .In addition to Huntsville, the district serves the city of Riverside as well as rural areas in central Walker County. The current Superintendent is Dr...
, along with the Huntsville Arts Commission and the high school's Ex-Students Association, commissioned the creation of
The DreamersThe Dreamers is a sculpture crafted by artists Larry Zink and Monica Taylor, designed to underscore contributions made by the black community.Completed in 1995, the sculpture stands on the grounds of the Samuel W...
, a monument to underscore the contributions made by the black community in the growth and development of Huntsville and Walker County.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 35,078 people, 10,266 households, and 7,471 families residing in the city. The population density was 1438.3/km sq (10,135.1/mi sq). There were 11,508 housing units at an average density of 1143.8/km sq (1372.4/mi sq). The racial makeup of the city was 65.78% White, 26.14% African American, 0.33% Native American, 1.11% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 4.91% from Race (United States Census)other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.22% of the population.
There were 10,266 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 15.1% under the age of 18, 29.3% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 152.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 163.8 males. The prison population is included in the city's population, which results in a significantly skewed sex ratio.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,075, and the median income for a family was $40,562. Males had a median income of $27,386 versus $22,908 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,576. About 13.1% of families and 23.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
Geography
Huntsville is located at 30°42′41"N 95°32′54"W (30.711254, -95.548373).
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 land area of 35.86 square miles in 2010.
At the area code level , land area covers 559.661 sq. mi. and water area 7.786 sq. mi.
Huntsville is about 70 miles (112.7 km) north of Houston.
Economy
As of 2005 the largest employer in Huntsville is the
Texas Department of Criminal JusticeThe Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
, with 6,744 employees. The second largest is
Sam Houston State UniversitySam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
, with 2,458 employees. The third largest employer is the
Huntsville Independent School DistrictHuntsville Independent School District is a public school district based in the Hawkins Administration Building in Huntsville, Texas .In addition to Huntsville, the district serves the city of Riverside as well as rural areas in central Walker County. The current Superintendent is Dr...
, with 974 employees. The fourth largest employer, Huntsville Memorial Hospital, has 540 employees. 517 employees work for the fifth largest employer,
Wal-MartWal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
.
As of 2007 Huntsville's average income is lower than the State of Texas's average income.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Huntsville has the headquarters of the
Texas Department of Criminal JusticeThe Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
(TDCJ), the Texas agency that operates state correctional facilities for adults. The state of Texas prison system had been headquartered in Huntsville since Texas's founding as a republic, and the TDCJ is the only major state agency not headquartered in
AustinAustin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, the state capital.
Several TDCJ prisons for men, including the Byrd Unit, the
Goree UnitThe Thomas Goree Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice men's prison, located in Huntsville, Texas, miles south of downtown Huntsville on Texas State Highway 75 South. The Goree Unit is located within Region I.-History:...
, the Huntsville Unit, and the
Wynne UnitThe John M. Wynne Unit is a men's prison of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, located in northern Huntsville, Texas, at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 2821 West and Texas State Highway 75 North. The Windham School District has its headquarters in the unit...
, are in the Huntsville city limits. The Holliday Unit, a transfer unit, is in Huntsville.
The TDCJ Central Region Warehouse and Huntsville Prison Store are located in the TDCJ headquarters complex. The Food Service Warehouse is behind the Wynne Unit. The TDCJ operates the Huntsville District Parole Office in Huntsville.
The Huntsville Unit houses the State of Texas execution chamber. The male
death rowDeath row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
is not in Huntsville, but in the
Polunsky UnitAllan B. Polunsky Unit is a prison in West Livingston, unincorporated Polk County, Texas, located approximately southwest of Livingston along Farm to Market Road 350. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the facility. The unit houses the State of Texas death row, and it has a maximum...
in
West LivingstonWest Livingston is a census-designated place in western Polk County, Texas, United States, located along the eastern shore of Lake Livingston west of central Livingston. The population was 6,612 at the 2000 census. West Livingston has the Livingston Municipal Airport and the Texas Department of...
; the female death row is located at the
Mountain View UnitMountain View Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison housing female offenders in Gatesville, Texas. The unit, with about of land, is located north of central Gatesville on Farm to Market Road 215. The prison is located in a 45 minute driving distance from Waco...
in
GatesvilleGatesville is a city in and the county seat of Coryell County in Central Texas, United States of America. The population was 15,591 at the 2000 census...
.
Other state agencies
The
Texas Forensic Science CommissionThe Texas Forensic Science Commission is a state agency of Texas, headquartered on the grounds of the College of Criminal Justice of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville...
is headquartered on the grounds of
Sam Houston State UniversitySam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
.
Federal representation
The
United States Postal ServiceThe United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates the Huntsville Post Office and the Downtown Huntsville Post Office.
Transportation
Greyhound LinesGreyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
operates the Huntsville Station in Huntsville. As of 2001 many former prisoners released from the
Texas Department of Criminal JusticeThe Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
system use the station to travel to their final destinations. The station is three blocks uphill from the Huntsville Unit, a point of release for prisoners exiting the TDCJ.
Bruce Brothers Huntsville Regional Airport is in Huntsville.
Culture
Ruth Massingill and Ardyth Broadrick Sohn, authors of
Prison City: Life with the Death Penalty in Huntsville, Texas, said that Huntsville shares several traits with other small towns. For instance many insiders include members of Huntsville's founding families who still reside in Huntsville. They also said "Disagreement is a well-established Huntsville Tradition." The authors say that debate is a significant part of the leadership agenda, and that the residents of Huntsville disagree about capital punishment.
Since Huntsville has a well-known reputation as a location of executions, Huntsville has a negative reputation in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Huntsville has often been referred to as the "Death Penalty capital of the world".
Primary and secondary schools
The City of Huntsville is served by the
Huntsville Independent School DistrictHuntsville Independent School District is a public school district based in the Hawkins Administration Building in Huntsville, Texas .In addition to Huntsville, the district serves the city of Riverside as well as rural areas in central Walker County. The current Superintendent is Dr...
(HISD).
By 2007 a Huntsville community report stated that over 50% of the HISD students are "classified as economically disadvantaged"; this is a higher percentage than the overall state percentage. As of 2007 over 18% of the students do not graduate from high school.
Colleges and universities
The city has
Sam Houston State UniversitySam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
. It also served as the first location for
Austin CollegeAustin College is a private liberal arts college affiliated by covenant relationship with the Presbyterian Church and located in Sherman, Texas, about 60 miles North of Dallas....
.
Public libraries
The 7000 square foot Huntsville Public Library opened on Sunday September 24, 1967 after the group "Friends for a Huntsville Public Library" had campaigned for the opening of a public library.
Adult prisoner education
The
Windham School DistrictThe Windham School District is a non-geographical school district that provides educational services to offenders in the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice . The district has its headquarters in Building B in the Wynne Unit in Huntsville. The school district is a separate and...
, which provides educational services to prisoners in the TDCJ, is headquartered in Building B in the
Wynne UnitThe John M. Wynne Unit is a men's prison of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, located in northern Huntsville, Texas, at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 2821 West and Texas State Highway 75 North. The Windham School District has its headquarters in the unit...
in Huntsville.
Tourism
Huntsville has several tourist attractions. They include an art tour, a downtown walking tour,
Sam HoustonSamuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
's grave, the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, the Sam Houston Woodland Home, and a folk and cowboy music festival held every April.
External links