Montgomery, Texas

Montgomery, Texas
—  City  —
Nickname(s): lone star town
Motto: Texas is Texas
Location of Montgomery, Texas
Coordinates: 30°23′22″N 95°41′53″W / 30.38944°N 95.69806°W / 30.38944; -95.69806Coordinates: 30°23′22″N 95°41′53″W / 30.38944°N 95.69806°W / 30.38944; -95.69806
Texas	United States
State	Texas
County	Montgomery
Area
– Total	4.6 sq mi (11.8 km2)
– Land	4.5 sq mi (11.7 km2)
– Water	0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	295 ft (90 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	489
– Density	108.3/sq mi (41.8/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	77316, 77356
Area code(s)	936, 597
FIPS code	48-49128[1]
GNIS feature ID	1382317[2]

Montgomery is a city located in Montgomery County, Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 489. It is the birthplace of the Lone Star Flag of Texas.

History

The town of Montgomery was founded in the middle of the Lake Creek Settlement by W. W. Shepperd in July, 1837 on 200 acres (0.81 km²) of land that had originally been part of the John Corner League. Shepperd had established the first store in the Lake Creek Settlement in 1835. W. W. Shepperd and his partner John Wyatt Moody named the town Montgomery. John Wyatt Moody was the First Auditor of the Republic of Texas and had lived in Alabama where he was the County Clerk of Montgomery County, Alabama before coming to Texas. The town of Montgomery, Texas was named after Montgomery County, Alabama which was named after Lemuel P. Montgomery who was killed in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend (1814).^[3] Montgomery became the first county seat of Montgomery County shortly after the county was created on December 14, 1837.

Geography

Montgomery is located at 30°23'22" North, 95°41'53" West (30.389406, -95.698089)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.6 square miles (12 km²). 4.5 square miles (12 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it is water. The total area is 1.31% water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there are 489 people, 199 households, and 133 families residing in the city. The population density is 108.3 people per square mile (41.9/km²). There are 243 housing units at an average density of 53.8 per square mile (20.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 48.51% White, 49.42% African American, 1.02% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 4.09% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 199 households out of which 31.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% are married couples living together, 16.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% are non-families. 30.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.46 and the average family size is 3.08.

In the city the population is spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $37,708, and the median income for a family is $38,611. Males have a median income of $31,719 versus $21,786 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,043. 11.7% of the population and 9.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.8% of those under the age of 18 and 8.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Government and infrastructure

The United States Postal Service operates the Montgomery Post Office at 821H Eva Street (Texas State Highway 105) and the Montgomery Post Office Annex at 21359 Eva Street.^[5][6]

Education

Montgomery is a part of the Montgomery Independent School District.

Montgomery County Memorial Library System operates the Charles B. Stewart West Branch at 202 Bessie Price Owen Drive.^[7]

Area Private Schools

• Covenant Christian School

Places

Ling-Chieh "Louis" Kung, the nephew of Soong May-ling, built an underground bunker in Montgomery, which was completed in 1982. Kung took money that he made from the success of the Westland Oil Development Corp. in the 1970s and used it to build the bunker, since he feared that the Soviet Union or the People's Republic of China would launch nuclear weapons towards the United States. Kung bought hundreds of acres of cow pasture on the outskirts of Montgomery and secretly began building the bunker. The two story, 40,000 square feet (3,700 m²) bunker could house at least 700 people; Kung intended to have the bunker house his employees, their families, and others in case of a two month emergency. Melanie Trottmann of The Wall Street Journal stated that the bunker "was a source of intrigue and gossip for the town of Montgomery." After the oil bust in the 1980s, Kung lost the title to the property; Kung died in 1996. Trottman said that the bunker "sat frozen in time" until a group of investors bought the property. In 2003 the investors hired Westlin Corp. to head efforts to convert the bunker into a rental site for data storage. Trottman said that the interest in the storage space was initially "lukewarm" when the owners of the bunker began leasing space in early 2005. The aftermaths of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita prompted many companies along the Gulf of Mexico to find space for emergency data storage. By 2006 the number of tenants went from around 25 to 50. Continental Airlines became the largest tenant in the facility; Continental decided that it needed a safer place to manage its flight operations in case it has to evacuate Continental Center I, its headquarters in Downtown Houston. The other tenants include Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and several medical companies from the city of Houston and the state of Louisiana.^[8]

Montgomery Westland was acquired by Pudge Properties in April 2007. The partners have invested over $30M in campus improvements. The partnership has committed to develop the campus into one of the most secure Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Centers in the United States.

The Montgomery Westland facility sits on 52 acres in Montgomery Texas. The property is secured by 24 hour guard, completely fenced, total camera surveillance and biometric-card key access. Montgomery Westland is located approximately 40 minutes from Houston, 100 miles (160 km) from the Gulf Coast and 345’ feet above sea level. Montgomery Westland is a comprehensive data campus that offers business continuity solutions and data storage in an optimal secure environment. The data campus consist of an existing 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m²) office building for Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity and 40,000 square feet (3,700 m²) of secure underground data storage space in the bunker. The data center is scaled for collocation by the cabinet, caged suite or customized private suite. Montgomery Westland offers Tier III storage solutions.

Power to the facility is fed by two diverse routes. Power distribution is supplied via two 4000a/480V switchboards, five (5) generator sets provide a total capacity of 3600 kW, and UPS power is supplied via (5) 500kva modules. There are four underground fuel tanks with a storage capacity of 50,000 gallons. Bunker space is provided with a minimum of N+1 cooling utilizing Liebert down draft units with humidification, reheat, and moisture detection. Temperature, humidity, and alarm conditions are monitored electronically 24/7. The master plan for Montgomery Westland includes a four phase expansion in office buildings for business continuity/disaster recovery and an additional 100,000 square feet (9,300 m²) in new bunker space for secure data storage. Connectivity to the complex is offered via diverse fiber routes at Gig E speeds from various carriers. Montgomery Westland is a carrier neutral facility with eight (8) network providers including AT&T, Consolidated, ICTX Wave Media, Level(3), Phonoscope, AboveNet, Time Warner Telecom, and Suddenlink.

Fernland Historical Park Located within the heart of downtown Montgomery, Fernland Historical park is a unique hands-on educational park, bringing samples of early Texas architecture together with examples of early Texas life. The log homes and cabins presented within the park are some of the oldest remaining structures within Texas.

Notable residents

Kambri Crews, a writer, producer and publicist who frequently writes about life in Montgomery.^[9]

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. ^ "John Wyatt Moody and the Founding of the Town of Montgomery, Texas in July, 1837". Texas History Page. http://texashistorypage.com/John_Wyatt_Moody.html. Retrieved 2010-07-23. 
4. ^ "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. 
5. ^ "Post Office Location - MONTGOMERY." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 8, 2008.
6. ^ "Post Office Location - MONTGOMERY ANNEX." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 8, 2008.
7. ^ "Charles B. Stewart West Branch." Montgomery County Memorial Library System. Retrieved on December 8, 2008.
8. ^ Trottman, Melanie. "Continental Airlines Finds a Safe Haven In a Texas Bunker." The Wall Street Journal. October 2, 2006. Retrieved on December 22, 2009.
9. ^ "Profile." Kambri Crews. Retrieved on December 8, 2008.

External links

Houston portal

• City of Montgomery
• Montgomery Texas Official City Government and Tourist Website
• History of the Lake Creek Settlement and the Founding of the Town of Montgomery, Texas