Mertens, Texas

Mertens, Texas
—  Town  —
Location of Mertens, Texas
Coordinates: 32°3′31″N 96°53′42″W / 32.05861°N 96.895°W / 32.05861; -96.895Coordinates: 32°3′31″N 96°53′42″W / 32.05861°N 96.895°W / 32.05861; -96.895
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Hill
Area
– Total	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
– Land	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	538 ft (164 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	146
– Density	332.3/sq mi (128.3/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	76666
Area code(s)	903
FIPS code	48-47820[1]
GNIS feature ID	1341393[2]

Mertens is a town in Hill County in Central Texas. It is located along State Highway 22. The population was 146 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Mertens is located at 32°3′31″N 96°53′42″W / 32.05861°N 96.895°W / 32.05861; -96.895 (32.058545, -96.894887)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²), all of it land.

Historical development

The first settlers arrived at this location in the late 1880s. During this time, the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas railroad would be built through the area. The town's name originated from the engineer's wife of the first train that traveled though.^[4] In 1888, the post office opened and within 4 years, a bank was established with the population just above 75 residents. The International and Great Northern line reached the community during this time, creating a crossroads with the railways. The town became incorporated in 1914 with electric power reaching the city the year after.^[4]

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 146 people, 58 households, and 42 families residing in the town. The population density was 332.3 people per square mile (128.1/km²). There were 65 housing units at an average density of 148.0 per square mile (57.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 84.25% White, 4.11% Native American, 10.96% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.81% of the population.

There were 58 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 111.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,250, and the median income for a family was $36,667. Males had a median income of $29,500 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,422. There were 12.0% of families and 23.4% of the population living below the poverty line, including 51.4% of under eighteens and 13.2% of those over 64.

Education

The Town of Mertens is served by the Frost Independent School District.

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. ^ "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. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Lisa C. Maxwell . "Mertens, Texas." Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.