Mineral Wells, Texas
Encyclopedia
Mineral Wells is a city in Palo Pinto
and Parker
counties in the U.S. state
of Texas
. The population was 16,946 at the 2000 census. The city is named for mineral springs
in the area, which were highly popular in the early 1900s. Mineral Wells is most famous for its Baker Hotel.
In 1952, Mineral Wells was the host of the Republican
state convention in which delegates divided between presidential candidates Dwight D. Eisenhower
and Robert A. Taft. Though state chairman Orville Bullington
of Wichita Falls
led the Taft forces, the convention vote ultimately went 33-5 in favor of Eisenhower, who was threafter nominated and elected.
Mineral Wells was the birthplace and principal place of residence of Chet Upham
, chairman of the Texas Republican Party from 1979-1983 and founder of Upham Oil and Gas Company in Mineral Wells and the Loveland Ski Area in Colorado
.
Also from Mineral Wells is Astronaut Millie Hughes-Fulford
, who graduated from Mineral Wells High School in 1962. Dr. Hughes-Fulford flew aboard STS-40 Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS 1) in June 1991 as a Mission Specialist conducting medical experiments, logging over 3.2 million miles in 146 orbits.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 21.2 square miles (54.9 km²), of which, 20.5 square miles (53.0 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²) of it (3.45%) is water.
of 2000, there were 16,946 people, 5,707 households, and 3,857 families residing in the city. The population density
was 828.6 people per square mile (319.9/km²). There were 6,386 housing units at an average density of 312.2 per square mile (120.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.69% White, 8.77% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 10.50% from other races
, and 1.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.27% of the population.
There are 5,707 households, of which 31.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples
living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% are classified as non-families by the United States Census Bureau
. Of 5,707 households, 373 are unmarried partner households: 348 heterosexual, 18 same-sex male, and 7 same-sex female households. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 120.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 123.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,233, and the median income for a family was $33,765. Males had a median income of $29,074 versus $18,633 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,336. About 16.6% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.2% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.
(TDCJ) operates the Mineral Wells District Parole Office in Mineral Wells.
The United States Postal Service
operates the Mineral Wells Post Office. Zip codes are 76067 and 76068.
.
The area is also served by Community Christian Schoolhttp://www.ccsmw.org/, a private educational facility, offering Pre-K4 through 12th Grades.
Weatherford College
also operates a branch campus on the old Fort Wolters
facility.
Palo Pinto County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,026 people, 10,594 households, and 7,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 people per square mile . There were 14,102 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
and Parker
Parker County, Texas
As of the census of 2003, there were 98,495 people, 31,131 households, and 24,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 98 people per square mile . There were 34,084 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
counties 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...
. The population was 16,946 at the 2000 census. The city is named for mineral springs
Mineral Springs
Mineral Springs is the name of several locations in the United States:* Mineral Springs, Arkansas* Mineral Springs, North Carolina* Mineral Springs Township, North Dakota* Mineral Springs at Green Springs, Ohio...
in the area, which were highly popular in the early 1900s. Mineral Wells is most famous for its Baker Hotel.
In 1952, Mineral Wells was the host of the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
state convention in which delegates divided between presidential candidates Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
and Robert A. Taft. Though state chairman Orville Bullington
Orville Bullington
Orville Bullington was an attorney and businessman in Wichita Falls, Texas, who was the unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1932 against former Governor Miriam Wallace "Ma" Ferguson....
of Wichita Falls
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
led the Taft forces, the convention vote ultimately went 33-5 in favor of Eisenhower, who was threafter nominated and elected.
Mineral Wells was the birthplace and principal place of residence of Chet Upham
Chet Upham
Chester Robert Upham, Jr., known as Chet Upham , was an oil and natural gas businessman from Mineral Wells, Texas, who served as the chairman of the Texas Republican Party from 1979–1983, corresponding with the first gubernatorial administration of his friend, William P. "Bill" Clements, Jr...
, chairman of the Texas Republican Party from 1979-1983 and founder of Upham Oil and Gas Company in Mineral Wells and the Loveland Ski Area in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
Also from Mineral Wells is Astronaut Millie Hughes-Fulford
Millie Hughes-Fulford
Millie Elizabeth Hughes-Fulford is an American medical investigator and molecular biologist who flew aboard a NASA Space Shuttle mission as a Payload Specialist.-Background:Hughes-Fulford was born December 21, 1945, in Mineral Wells, Texas...
, who graduated from Mineral Wells High School in 1962. Dr. Hughes-Fulford flew aboard STS-40 Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS 1) in June 1991 as a Mission Specialist conducting medical experiments, logging over 3.2 million miles in 146 orbits.
Geography
Mineral Wells is located at 32°48′31"N 98°6′7"W (32.808594, -98.101859).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 21.2 square miles (54.9 km²), of which, 20.5 square miles (53.0 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²) of it (3.45%) is water.
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 16,946 people, 5,707 households, and 3,857 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 828.6 people per square mile (319.9/km²). There were 6,386 housing units at an average density of 312.2 per square mile (120.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.69% White, 8.77% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 10.50% 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 1.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.27% of the population.
There are 5,707 households, of which 31.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% 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, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% are classified as non-families by 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...
. Of 5,707 households, 373 are unmarried partner households: 348 heterosexual, 18 same-sex male, and 7 same-sex female households. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 120.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 123.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,233, and the median income for a family was $33,765. Males had a median income of $29,074 versus $18,633 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 $13,336. About 16.6% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.2% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.
Government and infrastructure
The Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTexas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
(TDCJ) operates the Mineral Wells District Parole Office in Mineral Wells.
The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates the Mineral Wells Post Office. Zip codes are 76067 and 76068.
Education
The City of Mineral Wells is served by the Mineral Wells Independent School DistrictMineral Wells Independent School District
Mineral Wells Independent School District is a public school district based in Mineral Wells, Texas . M.W.I.S.D. is a TEA Recognized School DistrictLocated in Palo Pinto County, a very small part of the district extends into Parker County.-Schools:...
.
The area is also served by Community Christian Schoolhttp://www.ccsmw.org/, a private educational facility, offering Pre-K4 through 12th Grades.
Weatherford College
Weatherford College
Weatherford College is a community college located in Weatherford, Parker County, Texas, with branch campuses in nearby Decatur and Mineral Wells...
also operates a branch campus on the old Fort Wolters
Fort Wolters
Fort Wolters was a United States military installation four miles northeast of Mineral Wells, Texas. Originally named Camp Wolters, it was an Army camp from 1925 to 1946. During World War II, it was for a time the largest infantry replacement training center in the United States. After the war, the...
facility.
External links
- Chamber of Commerce
- Historic Mineral Wells materials hosted by the Portal to Texas History
- Mineral Wells City Directories, 1909 and 1920, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
- A Pictorial History of Fort Wolters, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
- Historic Mineral Wells postcards and photographs hosted by TXGenWeb Project
- Mineral Wells Guide
- Famous Mineral Water Co.- Home of Crazy Water