Roma, Texas

Coordinates: 26°24′22″N 99°0′20″W / 26.40611°N 99.00556°W / 26.40611; -99.00556
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Roma, Texas
FIPS code
48-63020[3]
GNIS feature ID1388200[4]
Websitewww.cityofroma.net

Roma is a city in

Ciudad Miguel Alemán in Tamaulipas, Mexico. The city is also popularly known as Roma-Los Saenz, since the incorporated city also took the area known as Los Saenz. It serves as a port of entry from Mexico into the U.S. via the Roma–Ciudad Miguel Alemán International Bridge
.

Sights

The town center has a number of picturesque historic buildings, now collected in the Roma Historic District.

Roma is a popular birding site in the Rio Grande Valley, and a section of the World Birding Center is on Portsheller Street across from the city hall.

The channel of the Rio Grande is less than 200 feet wide at Roma. The bluff adjacent to the town square overlooks the river, and parts of the Ciudad Miguel Aleman crossing are readily visible. Because of the arresting views, this location is frequently used by television journalists, public officials, and others who visit the region as a photo op to visualize the border region.

History

Roma was established in 1821 in what had been the Spanish province of Nuevo Santander.

Prior to Texas's independence from Mexico in 1836, the town was listed as under the jurisdiction of the town of

Mexican independence existed under Spanish rule.[5]

The site offered a convenient crossing on the Rio Grande, which became known as El Paso de la Mula (Pass of the Mule). The area was notable for a salt trade from the Roma area to Monterrey. The Roma area became the Mexican state of Tamaulipas with the Mexican Constitution of 1824. Texas claimed Roma with the establishment of the

Mier Expedition
of 1842, which resulted in the death, capture, or execution of many volunteers.

After the Mexican–American War established U.S. control over the northern bank of the Rio Grande in 1846, Texas governed Roma. During the American Civil War, the region became wealthy on the cotton trade, which was transshipped via Mexico to Europe. While steamboats were able to access Roma through the mid-19th century, lowering water levels as a result of development upstream ended river shipment by the 1880s. Bypassed by railroads, Roma stagnated and inadvertently preserved itself from development.[6]

The Roma National Historic Landmark District contains over 30 structures built before 1900. Some of those buildings include:


Geography

Roma is located at 26°24′22″N 99°0′20″W / 26.40611°N 99.00556°W / 26.40611; -99.00556 (26.406101, −99.005644).[11]

The city gained area prior to the 2010 census[12] giving it a total area of 4.2 square miles (11.0 km2), of which 0.1 square mile (0.3 km2) (4.50%) is covered by water.[13]

The City of Roma is located along the Rio Grande, which is the frontier between the United States and Mexico.[14][15]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19401,414—
19501,57611.5%
19601,496−5.1%
19702,15444.0%
19803,38457.1%
19908,059138.2%
20009,61719.3%
20109,7651.5%
2019 (est.)11,490[2]17.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]

2020 census

Roma racial composition[17]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)[a]
Race Number Percentage
White
(NH) 		140 1.21%
Black or African American
(NH) 		1 0.01%
Alaska Native
(NH) 		2 0.02%
Asian (NH) 3 0.03%
Some other race (NH) 13 0.11%
Mixed/multiracial (NH) 17 0.15%
Hispanic or Latino 11,385 98.48%
Total 11,561

As of the 2020 United States census, 11,561 people, 3,045 households, and 2,394 families were residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

racial makeup
of the city was 90.3% White, 0.15% African American, 0.2% Native American, 7.85% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 98.54% of the population.

Of the 2,678 households, 50.3% had children under 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 19.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.2% were not families. About 11.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.59, and the average family size was 3.91.

In the city, the age distribution was 34.9% under 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $15,563, and for a family was $16,883. Males had a median income of $16,020 versus $12,656 for females. The

poverty line
, including 64.2% of those under 18 and 46.3% of those 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The city opened its first fire station, a $788,000 facility, on August 1, 2011. The Texas Department of Rural Affairs provided a $540,000 block grant to help build the station.[20]

The United States Postal Service operates the Roma Post Office.[21]

Education

Public education in the city of Roma is provided by the

Roma High School[28] serves students in grades 9–12.[29][30]

Recreation and culture

Spanish is frequently spoken in the community as of 2017. Molly Hennessy-Fiske of the

Mexican Independence Day and a December caminata. According to Hennesy-Fiske, the "vibe is more Tejano than Mexican".[31]

Roma in popular culture

The town is the scene identified as the burial site of artifacts from the

Treasure
.

Filming for the 1952 film Viva Zapata!, scripted by John Steinbeck and directed by Elia Kazan, took place in Roma. The film and the city are recurring motifs in Larry McMurtry's 1972 novel All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers, and the book's conclusion takes place in and around Roma.

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ "Untitled Document". Archived from the original on November 3, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2007.
  6. ^ Weitze, Karen J.; Corbett, Michael R.; Charleton, James H. (April 19, 1993). "National Historic Landmark Nomination". National Park Service. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
  7. ^ "Ramirez Hall". uncoveredtexas.com. Crowdpoper Media. 2016. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016.
  8. ^ "Texas Historical Marker - Ramirez Hall". www.stxmaps.com.
  9. ^ Commission, Texas Historical (March 10, 1973). "[Historic Marker Application: Ramirez Hall]". The Portal to Texas History.
  10. ^ "Brownsville to Laredo on U.S. 83 and Mexico Highway 2". Texas Monthly. May 1, 2002.
  11. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  12. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Counts, 2010 Census of Population and Housing" (PDF). Texas: 2010.
  13. ^ "Roma, Texas :: Boundary Map of Roma, Texas".
  14. NPR News
    . Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  15. ^ Hennessy-Fiske, Molly (December 18, 2018). "The border wall will divide this Texas town, displacing or blocking homes - but where?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  16. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  17. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  18. ^ "Census.gov". Census.gov.
  19. ^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  20. ^ Burkhardt, Gail. "Roma, Escobares open 1st fire stations Archived 2012-09-12 at archive.today." The Monitor. August 8, 2011. Retrieved on August 26, 2011.
  21. ^ "Post Office™ Location - ROMA." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on August 26, 2011.
  22. ^ Guillen, Noelia (2007). "A. S. Canavan Elementary". romaisd.com. Roma Independent School District. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007.
  23. ^ "Home". romaisd.com. Roma Independent School District. 2009. Archived from the original on September 23, 2009.
  24. ^ "Roel and Cella Saenz Elementary". romaisd.com. Roma Independent School District. 2011. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011.
  25. ^ "EChalk". Archived from the original on July 29, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  26. ^ "EChalk". Archived from the original on July 24, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  27. ^ "EChalk". Archived from the original on July 31, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  28. ^ "EChalk". Archived from the original on September 20, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  29. ^ "2009-2010 Roma ISD Elementary Boundaries" (PDF). Roma Independent School District. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  30. ^ "2009-2010 Roma ISD Middle School Boundaries" (PDF). Roma Independent School District. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  31. ^ a b Hennessy-Fiske, Molly (December 17, 2018). "On the Texas-Mexico border, no one knows who's smuggling the border crossers. Everyone's a suspect". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  32. ^ "Hector Hugo Gonzalez, PhD, VR-RN (Retired)". National Association of Hispanic Nurses. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  33. ^ See Purdy 142–146.
  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.[18][19]

Further reading

External links

Media related to Roma, Texas at Wikimedia Commons

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