Waskom, Texas

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Waskom, Texas
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Waskom, Texas

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mapsize1 = 250px
map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Texas
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Harrison

government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 7.1
area_land_km2 = 7.1
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 2.8
area_land_sq_mi = 2.8
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 2068
population_density_km2 = 289.6
population_density_sq_mi = 750.0

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 87
elevation_ft = 285
latd = 32 |latm = 28 |lats = 42 |latNS = N
longd = 94 |longm = 3 |longs = 50 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 75692
area_code = 903
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 48-76636GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1349531GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Waskom is a city in Harrison County, Texas, United States. It lies about 20 miles east of the county seat, Marshall, on U.S. Route 80. To the east is Shreveport, Louisiana. The population was 2,068 at the 2000 census with a United States Census Bureau 2005 population estimate of 2,129 citizens.

Geography

Waskom is located at coor dms|32|28|42|N|94|3|50|W|city (32.478416, -94.063769)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.1 km²), all of it land.

Waskom was established in 1850 as a midway point of an east-west (Dallas, TX to Shreveport, LA) cattle and cotton economic travelway to the Red River in Louisiana, some 20 miles east. In 1872 it became a main railroad station between Dallas and Shreveport to the west and east respectively and Texarkana to the north. A major railway still travels through Waskom. Today Waskom sits on I-20 that connects the Carolinas to southwest Texas and Mexico.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 2,068 people, 790 households, and 571 families residing in the city. The population density was 750.0 people per square mile (289.3/km²). There were 894 housing units at an average density of 324.2/sq mi (125.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.05% White, 15.76% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 7.16% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.86% of the population.

There were 790 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,737, and the median income for a family was $32,243. Males had a median income of $29,625 versus $18,859 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,080. About 19.4% of families and 24.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.5% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Waskom is served by the Waskom Independent School District.

Notable residents

Mary Frances Ellis "Dolly" Hamiter (November 27, 1919 - April 22, 2008) was a businesswoman and rancher in Waskom who served for more than sixteen years as an elected Harrison County justice of the peace. She was the first woman elected as a director of the Waskom Chamber of Commerce. A native of Camden, an unincorporated community in Polk County in southeast Texas, Hamiter was named "Outstanding Citizen of the Year" in 1975, and her Hamiter's Chevron was the "Outstanding Business" in 1989 and 1996. Previously, she had operated a Gulf Oil station. Hamiter was active too in civic functions and in the Methodist Church and the Order of the Eastern Star fraternal organization. She and her husband, Ernest Jewell Hamiter, originally of Bradley in Lafayette County in southwestern Arkansas, who survives her, built and managed their 200-acre Hamiter's 3-H Ranch, in Waskom. She is interred in Waskom Restland Cemetery. [ [http://www.legacy.com/shreveporttimes/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=108309100 Legacy.com Secure Server ] ]

References

External links