Palacios, Texas
Encyclopedia
Demographics
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...
of 2000, there were 5,153 people, 1,661 households, and 1,244 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 1,021.4 people per square mile (394.8/km²). There were 1,976 housing units at an average density of 391.7 per square mile (151.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.07% White, 4.74% African American, 0.68% Native American, 12.13% Asian, 22.36% 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 3.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51.19% of the population.
Palacios has an unusually high percentage of Asian-Americans as it is home to a large community of Vietnamese immigrants and their families. There is a section of town known to locals as the Vietnamese Village.
There were 1,661 households out of which 44.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% 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, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.64.
In the city the population was spread out with 35.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,623, and the median income for a family was $35,518. Males had a median income of $27,483 versus $21,875 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 $13,107. About 19.8% of families and 24.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.9% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Government
The City of Palacios has a council-manager governmentCouncil-manager government
The council–manager government form is one of two predominant forms of municipal government in the United States; the other common form of local government is the mayor-council government form, which characteristically occurs in large cities...
. As of 2011 the current mayor is John C. Sardelich.
Education
Palacios and neighboring areas are served by the Palacios Independent School DistrictPalacios Independent School District
Palacios Independent School District is a public school district based in Palacios, Texas . The district is located south of Bay City, Texas.Located in southwestern Matagorda County, a small portion of the district extends into southeastern Jackson County...
, with a vision statement of "Each child prepared with skills for a successful future." The school district includes Central Elementary, East Side Elementary, Palacios Junior High School and Palacios High School (the junior high school and high school reside on the same campus grounds).
Transportation
The city is accessed by Texas State Highway 35 and served by the Palacios Municipal AirportPalacios Municipal Airport
Palacios Municipal Airport is a commercial airport located within city limits, 3 miles NW of central Palacios, Texas.- History :Camp Palacios was originally established as a summer training camp for the 36th Infantry Division of the TX National Guard after the Palacios Campsite Association donated...
. The Palacios Channel connects the Port of Palacios to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is the portion of the Intracoastal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It is a navigable inland waterway running approximately 1700 kilometers from Carrabelle, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas.The waterway provides a channel with a controlling...
. Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound 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...
offers direct bus service from Palacios to Houston, Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi
-Religion:* Corpus Christi , a Christian feast day, or solemnity which honors the Body of Christ ,-Places and related matters:* Corpus Christi, Texas** Corpus Christi Bay** Corpus Christi International Airport...
and the Rio Grande Valley
Rio Grande Valley
The Rio Grande Valley or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, informally called The Valley, is an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas...
.
Notable Natives and Residents
- Daniel E. FloresDaniel E. FloresDaniel Ernesto Flores is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as the Bishop of Brownsville since December 2009. He had previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit....
, Bishop of BrownsvilleRoman Catholic Diocese of BrownsvilleThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville is a Roman Catholic diocese in Texas. It was founded on July 10, 1965. The number of catholics is 943,611 among the total population of 1,110,130 in 2006...
, youngest Catholic bishop in the U.S. at the time of his episcopal appointment. - William L. JungersWilliam L. JungersWilliam L. Jungers, is an American anthropologist, Distinguished Teaching Professor and the Chair of the Department of Anatomical Sciences at State University of New York at Stony Brook on Long Island, New York...
, anthropologist, best known for his work on the biomechanics of bipedal locomotion in hominids such as the 3.4 million-year-old LucyLucy (Australopithecus)Lucy is the common name of AL 288-1, several hundred pieces of bone representing about 40% of the skeleton of an individual Australopithecus afarensis. The specimen was discovered in 1974 at Hadar in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia's Afar Depression. Lucy is estimated to have lived 3.2 million years...
. - Priscilla OwenPriscilla OwenPriscilla Richman Owen is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She was previously a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court.-Early life:...
, controversial federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, often mentioned as a potential supreme court nominee of George W. Bush.
Media
Palacios is home to the Palacios Beacon, a weekly newspaper established in 1907. It also serves nearby smaller communities such as Collegeport, Blessing, Midfield, Markham, El Maton, Carancahua, Deutschburg, and Cape Carancahua.See also
- René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La SalleRené-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La SalleRené-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, or Robert de LaSalle was a French explorer. He explored the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico...
- French colonization of Texas
- La Belle (ship)La Belle (ship)La Belle was one of Robert de La Salle's four ships when he explored the Gulf of Mexico with the ill-fated mission of starting a French colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1685. La Belle was wrecked in present-day Matagorda Bay the following year, dooming La Salle's Texas colony to...
- KarankawaKarankawaKarankawa were a group of Native American peoples, now extinct as a tribal group, who played a pivotal part in early Texas history....
- Palacios Municipal AirportPalacios Municipal AirportPalacios Municipal Airport is a commercial airport located within city limits, 3 miles NW of central Palacios, Texas.- History :Camp Palacios was originally established as a summer training camp for the 36th Infantry Division of the TX National Guard after the Palacios Campsite Association donated...
External links
- City of Palacios
- Palacios Beacon
- Palacios Chamber of Commerce
- Palacios Area Historical Society and City By The Sea Museum
- Palacios, Handbook of Texas OnlineHandbook of TexasThe Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...
- Palacios Independent School District