Andrews, Texas
Encyclopedia
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Andrews County in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
within the West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
region. The population was 10,448 in 2009. Along with Midland
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
and Odessa
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
, these cities form the Midland-Odessa Combined Statistical Area with a population of 241,316 in four counties. Andrews was the fastest growing Texas micropolitan in 2008 and 2009.
Andrews was incorporated on February 2, 1937. Both the city and county were named for Richard Andrews, the first Texan soldier to die in the Texas Revolution
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
.
United States Highway 385 (north-south), Texas State Highway 115 (east-west), and Texas State Highway 176
Texas State Highway 176
State Highway 176 or SH 176 is a Texas state highway running from the New Mexico border east to Big Spring.-History:SH 176 was originally designated by 1933 as a connector route between Tyler and Kilgore...
(east-west) intersect through Andrews.
Geography
Andrews is located at 32°19′17"N 102°33′6"W (32.321401, -102.551733).Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 9,652 people, 3,478 households, and 2,598 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,017.5 people per square mile (779.6/km²). There were 4,047 housing units at an average density of 845.9 per square mile (326.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.65% White, 2.04% African American, 0.90% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 17.72% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41.95% of the population.
There were 3,478 households out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,774, and the median income for a family was $36,172. Males had a median income of $31,527 versus $22,266 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,101. About 15.3% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.
Andrews is the only populated city in Andrews County.
Economic development
Andrews is a city built on oilOil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
. After the first oil well was drilled (1929) by Deep Rock Oil Company on Missourian Charles E. Ogden's property Andrews County became one of the major oil producing counties in the State of Texas, having produced in excess of 1 Goilbbl of oil. However, the cyclical nature of the oil business (as well as dimishing production on existing wells), has caused the community to look into new means of economic development, such as waste disposal, which in some areas has caused controversy.
Waste Control Specialists
Waste Control Specialists
Waste Control Specialists is a treatment, storage, & disposal facility for radioactive, hazardous, and mixed wastes. The company, owned by Harold Simmons, is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
(WCS), owned by Harold Simmons and headquartered in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, maintains a 14000 acres (56.7 km²) site in Andrews County on the border with New Mexico. The company was awarded a license to dispose of radioactive waste
Radioactive waste
Radioactive wastes are wastes that contain radioactive material. Radioactive wastes are usually by-products of nuclear power generation and other applications of nuclear fission or nuclear technology, such as research and medicine...
by the TCEQ in 2009. The company has announced plans to begin construction on the landfill by December 2010. WCS has already received bulk waste in preparation for disposal including uranium byproduct from a decommissioned Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
plant in Fernald, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
The city is set to be the location of the proposed $400 million HT3R
HT3R
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin and the Los Alamos National Laboratory , are proposing a multifaceted energy research facility called the High-Temperature Teaching & Test Reactor to be located in Andrews County, Texas...
project.
In 1972, Andrews became the site of the first Kirby Corporation vacuum cleaner
Vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
factory outside of the original location in Ohio. It is often referred to as "Kirby West" to signify the westward expansion of the country.
In effort to attract events to the community, the city funded and built ACE Arena (a multi-purpose arena) which opened in March 2007. In addition the city opened Andrews Business Park South to attract businesses.
Junior College
The Andrews Business and Technology Center was completed in January 2006, in conjunction with Odessa CollegeOdessa College
Odessa College is a public two-year junior college based in Odessa, Texas, USA serving the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It opened in 1952 and currently enrolls about 5,000 annually in its university-parallel and occupational/technical courses, and 11,000 students annually in its...
and the University of Texas of the Permian Basin
University of Texas of the Permian Basin
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is located in Odessa, Texas. It was authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1969 and founded in 1973...
. The school focuses on technology and is a hub for distance learning.
Andrews County Veterans Memorial
The Andrews County Veterans Memorial is a memorial in Andrews which was created in 2006 as a tribute to those Andrews County residents who served in the United States' armed forcesUniformed services of the United States
The United States has seven federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10, and subsequently structured and organized by Title 10, Title 14, Title 33 and Title 42 of the United States Code.-Uniformed services:...
. Soldiers from every major conflict in which America has participated are honored.
Notable people
- Professional golfer Chad CampbellChad CampbellDavid Chad Campbell is an American professional golfer.-Early years and amateur career:Campbell was born in Andrews, Texas and grew up in west Texas. He was a member of a strong junior college men's golf squad during the years he played at Midland College...
was born in Andrews. - Author and pastorPastorThe word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
Max LucadoMax LucadoMax Lucado is a best-selling author and writer and preacher at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas...
was reared in Andrews and graduated from Andrews High School. - Randy PendletonRandy PendletonRandall George Pendleton, known as Randy Pendleton , was a businessman from Andrews, Texas, and later a lobbyist in Austin, who served as a Democrat in the Texas House of Representatives from 1961–1969....
, state representativeTexas House of RepresentativesThe Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
from District 73, was reared and educated in Andrews. - Shaud WilliamsShaud WilliamsShaud Rashae Williams is an American football running back for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Alabama.- Early career :Born in Andrews, Texas, Williams attended Andrews High...
, running back for the Buffalo BillsBuffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, was born and reared in Andrews and graduated from Andrews High School. - James Madison UniversityJames Madison UniversityJames Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...
head coach Mickey MatthewsMickey MatthewsMichael Chester "Mickey" Matthews, is the head football coach at James Madison University , and has served in that role since 1999. Under Matthews's leadership, James Madison achieved a Division 1-AA national football championship in 2004...
was born in Andrews. - Indie filmmaker Eagle PennellEagle PennellEagle Pennell was an American independent filmmaker. His film The Whole Shootin' Match is often credited with inspiring Robert Redford to start the Sundance Institute....
was born in Andrews. - The Bachelor filmed episode 705 in Andrews in 2005.
- Black GoldBlack Gold (TV series)Black Gold is a documentary-style reality television series that chronicles three oil drilling rigs in Andrews County, Texas, 30 miles northwest of Odessa. It is produced by Thom Beers, creator of Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers. The Black Gold theme song is sung by country music star Trace...
was filmed in Andrews for the 1st season.