Crane, Texas

Crane, Texas
—  City  —
Location of Crane, Texas
Coordinates: 31°23′35″N 102°21′3″W / 31.39306°N 102.35083°W / 31.39306; -102.35083Coordinates: 31°23′35″N 102°21′3″W / 31.39306°N 102.35083°W / 31.39306; -102.35083
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Crane
Area
– Total	1.0 sq mi (2.6 km2)
– Land	1.0 sq mi (2.6 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	2,575 ft (785 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	3,191
– Density	3,129.7/sq mi (1,208.4/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	79731
Area code(s)	432
FIPS code	48-17516[1]
GNIS feature ID	1355307[2]

Crane is a city in and the county seat of Crane County, Texas, United States.^[3] The population was 3,191 at the 2000 census. An oil boomtown dating from the 1920s, it is still in the center of a prominent oil-producing region. Crane is the only significant town in sparsely-populated Crane County, and also contains the county's only post office.

History

While the post office dates from 1908, it was the 1926 discovery of oil in the vicinity that brought in enough fortune-seekers to populate a town. Streets are named for the children of O.C. Kinnison, the realtor who drew up the town map. As in other oil boomtowns, development of services lagged behind temporary dwellings for the workers, although paved roads and other basic infrastructure was added as the town grew. Peak population as reported by the U.S. Census was in 1960 at 3,796, and it has declined slightly since, although the town remains the center for servicing the oil fields in Crane County.^[4]

Geography

Crane is located at 31°23′35″N 102°21′3″W / 31.39306°N 102.35083°W / 31.39306; -102.35083 (31.392949, -102.350751)^[5].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²), all of it land.

Climate data for Crane
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °F (°C)	61 (16)	67 (19)	75 (24)	84 (29)	91 (33)	95 (35)	97 (36)	95 (35)	89 (32)	81 (27)	71 (22)	63 (17)	81
Average low °F (°C)	31 (−1)	36 (2)	43 (6)	52 (11)	60 (16)	68 (20)	71 (22)	69 (21)	64 (18)	53 (12)	42 (6)	34 (1)	52
Precipitation inches (mm)	0.4 (10)	0.6 (15)	0.4 (10)	0.9 (23)	1.7 (43)	1.7 (43)	1.5 (38)	1.9 (48)	3 (76)	1.6 (41)	0.7 (18)	0.5 (13)	14.8 (376)
Source: [6]

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 3,191 people, 1,096 households, and 865 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,129.7 people per square mile (1,207.9/km²). There were 1,278 housing units at an average density of 1,253.5 per square mile (483.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.52% White, 3.01% African American, 0.97% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 19.43% from other races, and 2.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 45.41% of the population.

There were 1,096 households out of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.35.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,774, and the median income for a family was $36,386. Males had a median income of $32,250 versus $18,086 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,776. About 13.0% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Crane is served by the Crane Independent School District. And now due to grants, the school has provided grades 6-12 iPads for educational purposes.

Post Office

Crane Post Office, 509 South Alford Street, Crane, Texas 79731-9998

Notable people

• Ernest Angelo, oilman, former mayor of Midland, and Republican politician, lived in Crane from 1956 to 1962.^[7]
• Kip Averitt, former Republican state senator, spent his early years in Crane.
• Elmer Kelton, western novelist moved to a ranch near Crane in 1929, at age three, and attended school in Crane,^[8]
• Clayton W. Williams, Sr., rancher, oilman, and historian, operated a water and ice company in Crane from 1927-1935.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
4. ^ "Crane, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/CC/hgc17.html. Retrieved 2009-12-23. 
5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
6. ^ weatherbase.com
7. ^ Billy Hathorn, "Mayor Ernest Angelo, Jr. of Midland and the 96-0 Reagan Sweep of Texas, May 1, 1976," West Texas Historical Association Yearbook Vol. 86 (2010), p. 78
8. ^ Kelton, Elmer (2007). - Sandhills Boy. - New York, New York: Tom Doherty Associates. - p.30-31. - ISBN 9780765315212.