Crane, Texas

Crane, Texas
City
Museum of the Desert Southwest
Location of Crane, Texas
Coordinates: 31°23′35″N102°21′3″W / 31.39306°N 102.35083°W / 31.39306; -102.35083
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Crane
Area [1]
• Total	1.03 sq mi (2.68 km2)
• Land	1.03 sq mi (2.68 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	2,575 ft (785 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,478
• Density	3,400/sq mi (1,300/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	79731
Area code	432
FIPS code	48-17516 [2]
GNIS feature ID	1355307 [3]
Website	cityofcranetexas.com

Crane is a city in and the county seat of Crane County, Texas, United States. ^[4] Its population was 3,478 as of 2020. ^[5] An oil boomtown since the 1920s, Crane is still in the center of a prominent oil-producing region. It is the only significant town in sparsely populated Crane County, and contains the only post office in the county.

History

While the post office dates from 1908, the discovery of oil in 1926 in the Permian Basin brought in enough fortune-seekers to populate a town. Streets are named for the children of O.C. Kinnison, the realtor who drew up the town map. By 1930, Crane was a full-fledged boomtown, with churches and private businesses operating next to the more nefarious elements of frontier life. As in other oil boomtowns, development of services lagged behind temporary dwellings for the workers, although paved roads and other basic infrastructure were added following incorporation in the early 1930s.

Peak population as reported by the U.S. Census was in 1960 at 3,796, and it has declined slightly since, although the town remains the center for serving the oil fields in Crane County. ^[6]

The Museum of the Desert Southwest, the area's museum of local history, is operated by the Crane County Historical Commission. ^[7]

Geography

Aerial photo of Crane, Texas

Crane is located in eastern Crane County at 31°23′35″N102°21′3″W / 31.39306°N 102.35083°W / 31.39306; -102.35083 (31.392949, –102.350751). ^[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.7 km²), all land. ^[9]

The main highway through Crane is U.S. Route 385, which leads north 32 miles (51 km) to Odessa and south 21 miles (34 km) to McCamey.

Climate

As is typical for the region, Crane has a hot semiarid climate (Köppen BSh) with hot to sweltering summers with occasional thunderstorms and pleasant, dry winters with cold to freezing mornings.

Climate data for Crane, Texas, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1929–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	88 (31)	93 (34)	96 (36)	104 (40)	110 (43)	115 (46)	111 (44)	111 (44)	109 (43)	103 (39)	91 (33)	87 (31)	115 (46)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	78.8 (26.0)	83.7 (28.7)	89.7 (32.1)	96.2 (35.7)	101.6 (38.7)	104.4 (40.2)	103.2 (39.6)	102.8 (39.3)	98.8 (37.1)	93.8 (34.3)	84.4 (29.1)	76.8 (24.9)	106.5 (41.4)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	60.0 (15.6)	64.8 (18.2)	72.7 (22.6)	82.0 (27.8)	88.8 (31.6)	94.8 (34.9)	95.4 (35.2)	95.2 (35.1)	88.2 (31.2)	80.2 (26.8)	68.6 (20.3)	60.2 (15.7)	79.2 (26.3)
Daily mean °F (°C)	46.1 (7.8)	50.1 (10.1)	59.0 (15.0)	67.3 (19.6)	75.8 (24.3)	82.8 (28.2)	84.2 (29.0)	83.9 (28.8)	76.2 (24.6)	67.5 (19.7)	55.7 (13.2)	46.6 (8.1)	66.3 (19.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	32.2 (0.1)	35.4 (1.9)	45.2 (7.3)	52.5 (11.4)	62.8 (17.1)	70.7 (21.5)	73.0 (22.8)	72.6 (22.6)	64.2 (17.9)	54.7 (12.6)	42.8 (6.0)	33.1 (0.6)	53.3 (11.8)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	18.8 (−7.3)	21.7 (−5.7)	27.8 (−2.3)	35.2 (1.8)	45.9 (7.7)	59.7 (15.4)	64.6 (18.1)	63.5 (17.5)	51.0 (10.6)	36.1 (2.3)	23.6 (−4.7)	20.7 (−6.3)	14.9 (−9.5)
Record low °F (°C)	−1 (−18)	−6 (−21)	12 (−11)	25 (−4)	26 (−3)	46 (8)	46 (8)	53 (12)	37 (3)	24 (−4)	8 (−13)	3 (−16)	−6 (−21)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.74 (19)	0.53 (13)	0.54 (14)	0.69 (18)	1.32 (34)	1.20 (30)	0.96 (24)	1.39 (35)	1.74 (44)	1.55 (39)	0.84 (21)	0.63 (16)	12.13 (307)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	0.6 (1.5)	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)	0.0 (0.0)	0.1 (0.25)	1.2 (3.0)	2.0 (5.1)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	2.6	2.2	2.5	2.2	3.1	2.9	2.9	3.5	3.9	3.1	2.1	2.5	33.5
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	0.3	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.6
Source 1: NOAA [10]
Source 2: National Weather Service [11]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1940	1,420		—
1950	2,154		51.7%
1960	3,796		76.2%
1970	3,427		−9.7%
1980	3,622		5.7%
1990	3,533		−2.5%
2000	3,191		−9.7%
2010	3,353		5.1%
2020	3,478		3.7%
U.S. Decennial Census [12]

Downtown Crane

First Baptist Church at 101 E. 20th St. in Crane

2020 census

Crane racial composition ^[5]
(NH = Non-Hispanic) ^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	960	27.6%
Black or African American (NH)	68	1.96%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	12	0.35%
Asian (NH)	14	0.4%
Some other race (NH)	1	0.03%
Mixed/multi-racial (NH)	56	1.61%
Hispanic or Latino	2,367	68.06%
Total	3,478

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,478 people, 1,042 households, and 826 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census ^[2] of 2000, 3,191 people, 1,096 households, and 865 families resided in the city. The population density was 3,129.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,208.4/km²). The 1,278 housing units averaged 1,253.5 per square mile (483.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 28.11% White, 3.01% African American, 0.97% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 19.43% from other races, and 2.70% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos were 45.41% of the population.

Of the 1,096 households, 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were not families. About 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.35.

In the city, the population was distributed as 32.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,774, and for a family was $36,386. Males had a median income of $32,250 versus $18,086 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,776. About 13.0% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The city is served by the Crane Independent School District and is home to the Crane High School Golden Cranes.

Notable people

• Kip Averitt, Republican former state senator
• Elmer Kelton, Western novelist
• Kenny Wayne Walker (born 1967), former defensive lineman for the Denver Broncos; first deaf player to have played in the Canadian Football League, and one of only five to have played in the National Football League

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
3. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
6. "Crane, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
7. "Official site". Crane County Historical Commission. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
9. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Crane city, Texas". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
10. "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Crane, TX". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
11. "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Midland". National Weather Service. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
12. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
13. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.

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. ^[13]

External links

• City of Crane official website