Port Neches, Texas
Encyclopedia
Port Neches is a city in Jefferson County
, Texas
, United States
. The population was 13,601 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Beaumont
–Port Arthur
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
Port Neches was also the site of Fort Grigsby, a set of American Civil War
-era defenses intended to stop a Union advance up the Neches River
. The fort was constructed in October 1862, and abandoned sometime after July 1863. Its guns, munitions, and stores were moved to the then-unfinished Fort Griffin, the site of the famous Second Battle of Sabine Pass
, often credited as the most one-sided Confederate victory of the American Civil War.
Over 130 years later, Her Majesty Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands, appointed W. T. Block Jr. (his son) as "Knight of the Royal Order of Orange-Nassau" in a ceremony held at the Tex Ritter Park in Nederland, Texas
. The award was presented by the Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
. W.T. Block, Jr. is known for his work in reconstructing the history of Dutch settlers in the Port Neches areas.
Through its history, beginning in 1834 as Grigsby's Bluff and continuing after its incorporation in 1902, the City of Port Neches has had a special relationship with the natural environment, particularly the Neches River. From agriculture and timber to oil and synthetics, the City has depended heavily on the river as its lifeline. Today, the greater Neches River Basin is an international attraction for "experiential" tourism; whether that might be fishing, hunting, birding, boating or many other out-door experiences that are abundant and readily available.
The Oak Bluff cemetery, located near the river, is the burial site of famed country music singer and actor Tex Ritter
.
.
Port Neches is located at 29°58′51"N 93°57′37"W (29.980863, -93.960382).
According to the United States Census Bureau
, 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 (0.76%) is water.
of 2000, there were 13,601 people, 5,280 households, and 3,975 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,490.4 people per square mile (575.2/km²). There were 5,656 housing units at an average density of 619.8 per square mile (239.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.75% White, 0.93% African American, 0.47% Native American, 1.57% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races
, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.07% of the population.
There were 5,280 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% were married couples
living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,523, and the median income for a family was $53,729. Males had a median income of $43,089 versus $27,847 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $22,273. About 4.4% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
Port Neches Post Office is located at 1324 Port Neches Avenue.
. Parts are within the Nederland Independent School District
.
Jefferson County, Texas
Jefferson County is a county located in the state of Texas, United States. As of 2000, the population was 252,051. Its county seat is Beaumont, and it is named for the former U.S...
, 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...
. The population was 13,601 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Beaumont
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
–Port Arthur
Port Arthur, Texas
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area
The Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Area is defined by the United States Census Bureau as a three-county region in Southeast Texas, east of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The area is also known as the Golden Triangle...
.
History
The area known as Port Neches was once inhabited by tribes of the coastal-dwelling Karakawa and Atakapa Indians. Smith’s Bluff (the future site of Sun Oil and Union Oil of California riverside property) and Grigsby’s Bluff (now Port Neches) were the only two high land bluffs on the Neches River south of Beaumont. Before 1780, Grigsby’s Bluff, explicitly that part of Port Neches immediately east of Port Neches Park, had been an Indian town for at least 1,500 years, at first of the Karakawa tribe, whose 7-foot skeletons were often found in the burial mounds there; and after 1650 of the Nacazils, a sub-tribe of the Attakapas, who were a short and stocky people before their extinction about 1780. As of 1841, there were six large burial mounds at Grigsby’s Bluff, size about 60 feet wide, 20 feet tall, and 100 yards long, consisting entirely of clam and sea shells, skeletons, pottery shards, and other Indian artifacts. Between 1841 and 1901, all six of the mounds disappeared, a result of human actions. Grigsby’s Bluff became a post office in 1859 (there was also a store and sawmill there), but the office was discontinued in 1893. The city of Port Neches was later incorporated in 1902.Port Neches was also the site of Fort Grigsby, a set of American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
-era defenses intended to stop a Union advance up the Neches River
Neches River
The Neches River flows for through east Texas to its mouth on Sabine Lake near the Rainbow Bridge. Two major reservoirs, Lake Palestine and B. A. Steinhagen Reservoir are located on the Neches. Several cities are located along the Neches River Basin, including Evadale, Tyler, Lufkin, Silsbee,...
. The fort was constructed in October 1862, and abandoned sometime after July 1863. Its guns, munitions, and stores were moved to the then-unfinished Fort Griffin, the site of the famous Second Battle of Sabine Pass
Second Battle of Sabine Pass
The Second Battle of Sabine Pass took place on September 8, 1863, and was the result of a Union expedition into Confederate-controlled Texas during the American Civil War...
, often credited as the most one-sided Confederate victory of the American Civil War.
Over 130 years later, Her Majesty Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands, appointed W. T. Block Jr. (his son) as "Knight of the Royal Order of Orange-Nassau" in a ceremony held at the Tex Ritter Park in Nederland, Texas
Nederland, Texas
Nederland is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,547 at the 2010 census.The city is adjacent to the Southeast Texas Regional Airport in Port Arthur, which serves the nearby cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...
. The award was presented by the Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Diplomatic missions of the Netherlands
This is a list of diplomatic missions of the Netherlands, excluding honorary consulates.-Europe:** Tirana ** Vienna ** Baku ** Brussels ** Antwerp ** Ghent...
. W.T. Block, Jr. is known for his work in reconstructing the history of Dutch settlers in the Port Neches areas.
Through its history, beginning in 1834 as Grigsby's Bluff and continuing after its incorporation in 1902, the City of Port Neches has had a special relationship with the natural environment, particularly the Neches River. From agriculture and timber to oil and synthetics, the City has depended heavily on the river as its lifeline. Today, the greater Neches River Basin is an international attraction for "experiential" tourism; whether that might be fishing, hunting, birding, boating or many other out-door experiences that are abundant and readily available.
The Oak Bluff cemetery, located near the river, is the burial site of famed country music singer and actor Tex Ritter
Tex Ritter
Woodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
.
Geography
Port Neches is located 20 miles inland from the Gulf of MexicoGulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
.
Port Neches is located at 29°58′51"N 93°57′37"W (29.980863, -93.960382).
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 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 (0.76%) is water.
Demographics
As of the 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...
of 2000, there were 13,601 people, 5,280 households, and 3,975 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 1,490.4 people per square mile (575.2/km²). There were 5,656 housing units at an average density of 619.8 per square mile (239.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.75% White, 0.93% African American, 0.47% Native American, 1.57% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.18% 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 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.07% of the population.
There were 5,280 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% 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, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,523, and the median income for a family was $53,729. Males had a median income of $43,089 versus $27,847 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 $22,273. About 4.4% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
Government and infrastructure
The United States Postal ServiceUnited States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
Port Neches Post Office is located at 1324 Port Neches Avenue.
Education
Most of the City of Port Neches is served by the Port Neches-Groves Independent School DistrictPort Neches-Groves Independent School District
Port Neches-Groves Independent School District is a public school district based in Port Neches, Texas . In addition to Port Neches, the district also serves most of the city of Groves, as well as portions of the neighboring cities of Port Arthur and Nederland.In 2009, the school district was rated...
. Parts are within the Nederland Independent School District
Nederland Independent School District
Nederland Independent School District is a public school district based in Nederland, Texas .In addition to Nederland, the district also serves the communities of Central Gardens and portions of Port Neches and Port Arthur....
.