Cisco, Texas

Cisco, Texas
FIPS code		48-15004[3]
GNIS feature ID	1332853[4]
Website	www.cityofcisco.com

Cisco is a city in Eastland County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,899 at the time of the 2010 census.^[5]

History

Cisco, at the intersection of

largely responsible for the building of the Houston and Texas Central.

Railroads continued to influence the development of Cisco as the Texas and Pacific acquired lots in the town and sold them to immigrants attracted by brochures touting the town as the "Gate City of the West". Once settlers arrived, agricultural agents employed by the railroad advised them what and when to plant and on occasion provided the seed.

During the 1880s, a Mrs. Haws built and managed the first hotel, and Mrs. J. D. Alexander brought the first "

and fancy goods" to town. Following a practice common at the time, religious groups in Cisco met together for prayer meetings in the schoolhouse until they could build separate churches. By 1892, Cisco was a growing community with two newspapers, a bank, and an economy based on trade, ranching, fruit farming, and the limestone, coal, and iron ore available nearby. A broom factory and roller corn and flour mills were among the town's 56 businesses.

On April 28, 1893, an F4 tornado struck the center of the business district of Cisco, killing 28 people and destroying or severely damaging every building in town. The city hall, every church and school, and an estimated 500 homes were destroyed.^[6][7]

During the 1920s, Cisco, like nearby Ranger, Eastland, and Desdemona, was a petroleum boomtown.^[9] Although Cisco played a relatively minor role in the Eastland County oil boom of 1919–21, its population grew rapidly at the time, with some estimates as high as 15,000; in the wake of the boom, Cisco adopted a city charter and built a new railroad station that cost $25,000, a value of $310,597.88 in 2015. ^[7]

In 1925, the first annual meeting of the West Texas Historical Association was held in Cisco. The association, formed in 1924, was then based at Hardin–Simmons University in Abilene, but moved in 1998 to Texas Tech University in Lubbock.^[10]

The Santa Claus Bank Robbery occurred in Cisco on December 23, 1927, when Marshall Ratliff and his gang attempted to rob the First National Bank. As of August 2009, the bank site is occupied by an auto parts store, with a Texas Historical Commission sign commemorating the event.^[11]

On May 9, 2015, an area just south of the city was hit by a large tornado, destroying several homes, killing one person, and critically injuring one more.^[12]

Largest concrete swimming pool in the world

Cisco in its early days was plagued with inadequate water supply. In the 1920s, the Williamson Dam was built north of town, resulting in the formation of Lake Cisco. The dam was named after James Milton Williamson, long-time mayor and survivor of the 1893 tornado. At its base was built what was billed as the largest concrete swimming pool in the world. The complex boasted a two-story building with a skating rink upstairs, a zoo, an amusement park with rides, and a park. Bob Wills was only one of the celebrities to entertain there. For decades, it was a major attraction for folks from miles around. The hollow dam was at one time open to the public, but this is no longer the case. The pool closed in the 1970s and the vacant skating rink burned a few years later.^[13]

Geography

Cisco is located in northwestern Eastland County at 32°23′5″N 98°58′53″W / 32.38472°N 98.98139°W / 32.38472; -98.98139 (32.384762, –98.981265).^[14] Interstate 20 passes through the south side of the city, leading west 45 miles (72 km) to Abilene and east 105 miles (169 km) to Fort Worth. Access to Cisco is from Exits 330 and 332. U.S. Route 183 passes through the center of Cisco, leading north 28 miles (45 km) to Breckenridge and south 49 miles (79 km) to Brownwood. Texas State Highway 6 also passes through the center of town, leading east 10 miles (16 km) to Eastland, the county seat, and northwest 33 miles (53 km) to Albany. Texas State Highway 206 leaves Cisco to the southwest, leading 22 miles (35 km) to Cross Plains.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 square miles (12.8 km²), of which 2.216 acres (8,966 m²), or 0.07%, is covered by water.^[5]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	1,063		—
1900	1,514		42.4%
1910	2,410		59.2%
1920	7,422		208.0%
1930	6,027		−18.8%
1940	4,868		−19.2%
1950	5,230		7.4%
1960	4,499		−14.0%
1970	4,160		−7.5%
1980	4,517		8.6%
1990	3,813		−15.6%
2000	3,851		1.0%
2010	3,899		1.2%
2019 (est.)	3,784	[2]	−2.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[15]

2020 census

Cisco racial composition^[16]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)^[a]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	2,960	76.23%
Black or African American (NH)	140	3.61%
Alaska Native (NH)	32	0.82%
Asian (NH)	21	0.54%
Pacific Islander (NH)	2	0.05%
Some Other Race (NH)	11	0.28%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	136	3.5%
Hispanic or Latino	581	14.96%
Total	3,883

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,883 people, 1,329 households, and 905 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

of the city was 90.00% White, 3.87% African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.02% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 10.00% of the population.

Of the 1,491 households, 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were not families; 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city, the population was distributed as 24.0% under the age of 18, 13.4% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,069, and for a family was $31,833. Males had a median income of $27,222 versus $16,250 for females. The

, including 30.3% of those under age 18 and 20.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Cisco is served by the Cisco Independent School District. The Cisco High School football team (Loboes) won the 2A Div ll championship game against Refugio High School (Bobcats) at Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium in Arlington on December 19, 2013. The championship was Cisco's first. The mascot for Cisco High School is the Loboes, proudly misspelled for decades, and their colors are black and gold.

Cisco College, an affordable, two-year college, was established in Cisco in 1940. It is one of two community colleges in Eastland County. The college mascot is the Wranglers, and their school colors are blue and white.

Notable people

• Darrell "Dash" Crofts^[18] (born August 14, 1938) of the music duo Seals and Crofts
• Jean Porter (1922–2018), actress
• Leslie Turner (1899-1988), American Animator and father of the Gerber Baby
• Dan and Farris Wilks, businessmen in the petroleum industry
• Stan Williams, NFL player

Gallery

• 
  Conrad Hilton's Mobley Hotel
• 
  Mobley Hotel historical marker
• 
  Downtown Cisco
• 
  First Baptist Church
• 
  Municipal water tower
• 
  Kean House
• 
  Laguna Hotel
• 
  Blivins Hall
• 
  S&M Supply Company Building

References

1. ^ Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.^[17]

External links

• City of Cisco official website