Monahans, Texas
Monahans, Texas | ||
---|---|---|
FIPS code 48-48936[3] | | |
GNIS feature ID | 1363045[4] | |
Website | www.cityofmonahans.org |
Monahans is a city in and the
History
The
In 1583, Spanish explorer Antonio de Espejo crossed this area on his way through present-day New Mexico. The Indians in the Monahans region were called vaqueros by these Spanish explorers because they hunted the "hump-backed cattle" or bison. Records of Spanish exploring the Los Medanos (the sand dunes) outside Monahans can be traced to the early 1770s.
Located in a region where native Comanches, Mescalero, and Lipan Apache Indians once roamed, Monahans' history as a community extends back to the late 1880s with the expansion of the Texas and Pacific Railway across the South Plains. For the few people living in West Texas, the building of a transcontinental railroad through the area meant the arrival of civilization. In the summer of 1881, Texas and Pacific Railroad contracted with surveyor John Thomas Monahan, who discovered that the lack of water for the laying crew and their animals would slow down construction of the rail. Monahan's digging of a water well produced an abundance of good water (250,000 US gal (950,000 L) a day) and was instrumental in the success of the city. Prior to this solution, water had to be hauled to the area from Big Spring, Texas.
The availability of cheap land encouraged settlers to form a small community on the track known as Monahans Well. When oil was discovered in the area in 1926, though, the community changed directions. Oil discovery brought people of many occupations and of varied interests to Monahans. The local economy began to change from an agricultural to an industrial economy.
In June 1994, a temperature of 120 °F was recorded in Monahans, a still-standing record-holder for highest-ever Texan temperature.[6]
Monahans Sandhills State Park
Thousands of
Geography
Climate
Climate data for Monahans, Texas (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 87 (31) |
91 (33) |
100 (38) |
106 (41) |
114 (46) |
120 (49) |
115 (46) |
110 (43) |
108 (42) |
104 (40) |
92 (33) |
86 (30) |
120 (49) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 61.8 (16.6) |
66.5 (19.2) |
74.4 (23.6) |
83.4 (28.6) |
91.5 (33.1) |
97.5 (36.4) |
98.6 (37.0) |
97.0 (36.1) |
91.1 (32.8) |
82.5 (28.1) |
70.7 (21.5) |
61.8 (16.6) |
81.4 (27.4) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 28.6 (−1.9) |
33.0 (0.6) |
39.5 (4.2) |
48.2 (9.0) |
58.0 (14.4) |
67.0 (19.4) |
69.2 (20.7) |
68.5 (20.3) |
61.7 (16.5) |
50.5 (10.3) |
37.7 (3.2) |
29.1 (−1.6) |
49.3 (9.6) |
Record low °F (°C) | −9 (−23) |
−8 (−22) |
12 (−11) |
25 (−4) |
35 (2) |
45 (7) |
50 (10) |
50 (10) |
33 (1) |
22 (−6) |
10 (−12) |
5 (−15) |
−9 (−23) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.54 (14) |
0.71 (18) |
0.53 (13) |
0.57 (14) |
1.60 (41) |
1.35 (34) |
1.61 (41) |
1.73 (44) |
2.03 (52) |
1.63 (41) |
0.58 (15) |
0.67 (17) |
13.54 (344) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.2 (0.51) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.3 (0.76) |
0.8 (2.0) |
Source: NOAA[7] |
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1930 | 816 | — | |
1940 | 3,944 | 383.3% | |
1950 | 6,311 | 60.0% | |
1960 | 8,567 | 35.7% | |
1970 | 8,333 | −2.7% | |
1980 | 8,397 | 0.8% | |
1990 | 8,101 | −3.5% | |
2000 | 6,821 | −15.8% | |
2010 | 6,953 | 1.9% | |
2019 (est.) | 7,816 | [2] | 12.4% |
1930-2000,[8] 2010[9] |
2020 census
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (NH)
|
2,783 | 35.52% |
Black or African American (NH)
|
374 | 4.77% |
Alaska Native (NH)
|
30 | 0.38% |
Asian (NH) | 54 | 0.69% |
Pacific Islander (NH) | 2 | 0.03% |
Some Other Race (NH) | 18 | 0.23% |
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 163 | 2.08% |
Hispanic or Latino | 4,412 | 56.3% |
Total | 7,836 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,836 people, 2,571 households, and 1,799 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of the
Of the 2,496 households, 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were not families. About 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68, and the average family size was 3.19.
In the city, the age distribution was 30.3% under 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,349, and for a family was $36,726. Males had a median income of $31,307 versus $18,086 for females. The
In December 2015, the
Government and infrastructure
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Monahans District Parole Office in Monahans.[14]
The United States Postal Service operates the Monahans Post Office.[15]
Education
Public education in the city of Monahans is provided by the Monahans-Wickett-Pyote Independent School District.
All of Ward County and all of Winkler County are zoned to Odessa College.[16]
Notable people
- Guy Clark, a songwriter and country musician, mentioned the city in his songs and in the 1997 live album Keepers during a musical interlude
- Dale Dudley, Texas Radio Hall of Fame member, host of Dudley and Bob Morning Show on KLBJ-FM in Austin, spent part of his childhood in Monahans
- Deanna Dunagan, Tony Award-winning actress
- Edward Llewellyn, trumpet player
- Kathy Whitworth, a professional golfer in Texas Sports Hall of Fame and World Golf Hall of Fame, was born here
- Natalie Zea, an actress in the television series Justified, went to high school in Monahans
Transportation
The
Major highways
References
- ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Record Heat Scorches Texas". ABC News.
- ^ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
- ^ Texasalmanac (PDF-Datei; 1,13 MB). Retrieved 2013-08-01
- ^ U.S. Census Archived 2013-07-08 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-08-01
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ https://www.census.gov/ [not specific enough to verify]
- ^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- The Connecticut Post. Bridgeport, Connecticut. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
- ^ "DIRECTORY - REGIONAL AND DISTRICT PAROLE OFFICES REGION V Archived 2010-01-25 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on July 28, 2010.
- ^ "Post Office Location - MONAHANS Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on July 28, 2010.
- ^ "Sec. 130.193. ODESSA COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA".