Valley Mills, Texas

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Valley Mills, Texas
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
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image_

mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Valley Mills, Texas

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mapsize1 = 250px
map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Texas
subdivision_type2 = Counties
subdivision_name2 = Bosque, McLennan

government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 1.8
area_land_km2 = 1.8
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 0.7
area_land_sq_mi = 0.7
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 1123
population_density_km2 = 618.2
population_density_sq_mi = 1601.2

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 181
elevation_ft = 594
latd = 31 |latm = 39 |lats = 27 |latNS = N
longd = 97 |longm = 28 |longs = 21 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 76689
area_code = 254
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 48-74732GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1376565GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Valley Mills is a city in Bosque and McLennan Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 1,123 at the 2000 census.

The McLennan County portion of Valley Mills is part of the Waco Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Valley Mills was named for a flour mill established on the banks of the Bosque River in 1867 by Dr. E.P. Booth and Asbury Stegall.

In 1881 the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway laid tracks a mile south of the community. Merchants, hoping to benefit from the railroad, began moving their stores to the tracks.

On February 17, 1882 a cyclone (tornado) hit the new townsite, destroying a large number of buildings. Nevertheless, the remaining residents from the community's original site moved across the river and rebuilt their homes. Thus, by the end of 1882 Valley Mills had extended into McLennan County.

Dairy farming and stock raising were the principal industries of the community. By 1900, however, the railroad and the nearby Chisholm Trail had made Valley Mills a prosperous retail and trading center for Bosque and McLennan counties. The community's population reached 855 by 1995. Like many rural Texas communities, Valley Mills declined during the 1930s. Following World War II, however, as farm prices increased and ranching prospered, the economy grew, and the population, which had declined to 83 by 1937, increased to 1,037 by the mid-1950s. During the next three decades Valley Mills maintained its position as a leading retail market and shipping point for Bosque and McLennan counties.

The town was hit by an F-5 Tornado in 1973.

In 1984 it had a newspaper, a municipal airport, more than 25 businesses, several dairy farms and ranches, and a population of 1,236. A new school was opened in 1988; it and four churches were the social centers of the community. In 1990 the population was 1,085.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 1,123 people, 430 households, and 301 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,601.2 people per square mile (619.4/km²). There were 487 housing units at an average density of 694.4/sq mi (268.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.73% White, 4.99% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 5.97% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.73% of the population.

There were 430 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,115, and the median income for a family was $39,659. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $18,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,062. About 6.7% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Valley Mills is served by the Valley Mills Independent School District.

References

External links