Dimmitt, Texas
Encyclopedia
Dimmitt is a city in Castro County, Texas, United States
. The population was 4,375 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Castro County. It is located on the old Ozark Trail
, a road system from St. Louis, Missouri
, to El Paso, Texas
. The Ozark Trail is marked at the courthouse.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), all of it land. Dimmitt is south of Hereford
, the seat of Deaf Smith County.
of 2000, there were 4,375 people, 1,464 households, and 1,124 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,116.4 people per square mile (816.0/km²). There were 1,692 housing units at an average density of 818.5 per square mile (315.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.02% White, 2.99% African American, 1.69% Native American, 18.10% from other races
, and 2.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 56.94% of the population.
There were 1,464 households out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples
living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.46.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,454, and the median income for a family was $33,885. Males had a median income of $24,575 versus $20,162 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,228. About 19.0% of families and 23.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.1% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 4,375 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
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 Castro County. It is located on the old Ozark Trail
Ozark Trail (auto trail)
The Ozark Trail was a network of locally maintained roads and highways organized by the Ozark Trails Association that predated the United States federal highway system. The roads ran from St. Louis, Missouri, to El Paso, Texas, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, over a series of routes. These roads were...
, a road system from St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, to El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. The Ozark Trail is marked at the courthouse.
Geography
Dimmitt is located at 34°32′57"N 102°18′55"W (34.549052, -102.315355).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), all of it land. Dimmitt is south of Hereford
Hereford, Texas
Hereford is a city in Deaf Smith County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,597 at the 2000 census. It is the only incorporated Hereford in the country. It is the county seat of Deaf Smith County....
, the seat of Deaf Smith County.
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 4,375 people, 1,464 households, and 1,124 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 2,116.4 people per square mile (816.0/km²). There were 1,692 housing units at an average density of 818.5 per square mile (315.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.02% White, 2.99% African American, 1.69% Native American, 18.10% 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 2.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 56.94% of the population.
There were 1,464 households out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% 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, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.46.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,454, and the median income for a family was $33,885. Males had a median income of $24,575 versus $20,162 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 $14,228. About 19.0% of families and 23.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.1% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
- Junior CoffeyJunior CoffeyJunior Lee Coffey Junior Coffey with 10.2* speed, was one of the finest running backs and defensive linebackers in Texas High School football during the 1960s...
Former NFL player.
- Kent HanceKent HanceKent "The Hancellor" Ronald Hance is a lobbyist and lawyer who was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from West Texas, having served from 1979 to 1985...
, former U.S. Representative from the Texas South PlainsSouth PlainsSouth Plains is a vernacular term that refers to a region in West Texas consisting of the portion of the Llano Estacado extending south of the Texas Panhandle, centered at Lubbock. While prominent in the area of petroleum production, the South Plains is mainly an agricultural region, producing a...
, former member of the Texas Railroad Commission, and the chancellor of Texas Tech UniversityTexas Tech UniversityTexas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in LubbockLubbock, TexasLubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
since 2006, was born in Dimmitt and graduated in 1961 from Dimmitt High School.
- BluegrassBluegrass musicBluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
musicians Smokey MayfieldSmokey MayfieldArlie Vincent Mayfield, I, known as Smokey Mayfield , was a ranch supervisor in the Texas Panhandle and a bluegrass musician...
(1924–2008), Thomas Edward "Edd" MayfieldThomas Edd MayfieldThomas Edward "Edd" Mayfield was a Bluegrass singer and guitarist, mostly known for being a member of the Bill Monroe and Bluegrass Boys band during the 1950s. Edd Mayfield and two of his Texas brothers, Smokey Mayfield of Spearman and Herbert E...
(1926–1958), and Herbert E. MayfieldHerbert MayfieldHerbert Earl Mayfield was a bluegrass musician and a member of the Mayfield Brothers band of West Texas. Playing the mandolin and the guitar, Mayfield played alongside his brothers, Thomas Edd Mayfield and Arlie V...
(1920–2008) grew up in Dimmitt. Herb Mayfield lived there through adulthood and was a former president of the Dimmitt RodeoRodeoRodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
Association.