Stephenville, Texas

For the unincorporated community formerly known as Stephensville, see Lannius, Texas.

Stephenville
City
Downtown Stephenville,Texas
Location of Stephenville, Texas
Coordinates: 32°12′35″N98°14′15″W / 32.20972°N 98.23750°W / 32.20972; -98.23750
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Erath
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
•  City Council	Mayor
Area [1]
• Total	11.91 sq mi (30.85 km2)
• Land	11.89 sq mi (30.79 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation [2]	1,342 ft (409 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	20,897
• Density	1,440.4/sq mi (556.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	76401-76402
Area code	254
FIPS code	48-70208 [3]
GNIS feature ID	2411977 [2]
Website	Stephenville, Texas

Stephenville is a city and county seat of Erath County, Texas, United States. ^[4] It is on the North Bosque River, which forms nearby. Founded in 1854, it is home to Tarleton State University. ^[5] Stephenville is a small town located in Central Texas, as of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,847, and it is the principal city in the Stephenville Micropolitan Statistical Area. Stephenville is among several communities that call themselves the "Cowboy Capital of the World". ^[6]

History

Presbyterian Church at the Stephenville Historical Museum

Stephenville is founded by and named after John M. Stephen, who settled there in 1854, and donated the land for the townsite laid out by George B. Erath when the county was organized in 1856. In the first two years of its settlement, the population increased to 776. The population then declined until 1871, because the townsite was in Comanche territory and raids were common, and because the hardships of the American Civil War led citizens to leave. The population grew after Stephenville became an agriculture and livestock center. Coal mining also became important to the area in 1886, and was a major segment of the economy for the 30 years. ^[7]

Stephenville was incorporated in 1889, with the arrival of the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway. In the 1890s, many of the buildings around the town square were built, Tarleton State University opened, and the community's two newspapers merged to become the Empire-Tribune, which is still in operation. In February 1907, the Stephenville North and South Texas Railway was chartered by Stephenville and Hamilton business interests, which sold the line in 1910 to the St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas system. In the 20th century, industry became an important part of Stephenville, and the population has steadily increased since the 1920s. ^[7]

Stephenville lights

In January 2008, dozens of people in Stephenville reported seeing patterns of lights in the night sky, which were eventually discovered to have been caused by a military training maneuver. Some described it as a single large unidentified flying object. ^{[8] [9]} The Air Force Reserve issued a statement from the NAS Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base that jets from the 457th Fighter Squadron were in military airspace designated for training during the time people reported seeing the lights. ^[10] The F-16s had been engaged in training maneuvers and dropping counter-measure flares used to confuse heat-seeking missiles. ^[11] Following news reports of the UFO sighting, "media calls came from all over the world", and local police Constable Lee Roy Gaitan gave more than 100 interviews. The town reacted in a "UFO frenzy"; T-shirts proclaiming the town "Alien Capital of the World" and "Erath County -- the New Roswell", were rushed into production, and the local high school suddenly received $7,000 for college scholarships. ^[12]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 11.89 square miles (30.8 km²), of which 11.89 square miles (30.8 km²) are land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) is covered by water.^{[ citation needed ]}

Stephenville is served by three major US highways – US Highway 377, US Highway 281, and US Highway 67 (the last of which joins US Hwy 377).^{[ citation needed ]}

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Stephenville has a humid subtropical climate, with the abbreviation Cfa. ^[13]

Climate data for Stephenville, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1921–1932, 1941–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	87 (31)	96 (36)	95 (35)	103 (39)	103 (39)	109 (43)	111 (44)	110 (43)	110 (43)	103 (39)	92 (33)	89 (32)	111 (44)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	78.2 (25.7)	82.3 (27.9)	86.3 (30.2)	90.8 (32.7)	94.3 (34.6)	97.9 (36.6)	101.5 (38.6)	101.8 (38.8)	97.8 (36.6)	92.2 (33.4)	83.3 (28.5)	78.7 (25.9)	103.5 (39.7)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	59.1 (15.1)	63.1 (17.3)	70.4 (21.3)	78.6 (25.9)	85.6 (29.8)	93.1 (33.9)	97.3 (36.3)	97.6 (36.4)	90.2 (32.3)	80.5 (26.9)	68.8 (20.4)	60.5 (15.8)	78.7 (25.9)
Daily mean °F (°C)	45.0 (7.2)	49.0 (9.4)	56.4 (13.6)	64.4 (18.0)	72.7 (22.6)	80.4 (26.9)	84.0 (28.9)	83.6 (28.7)	76.3 (24.6)	66.0 (18.9)	54.9 (12.7)	46.8 (8.2)	65.0 (18.3)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	30.9 (−0.6)	34.9 (1.6)	42.4 (5.8)	50.2 (10.1)	59.9 (15.5)	67.6 (19.8)	70.6 (21.4)	69.6 (20.9)	62.5 (16.9)	51.5 (10.8)	41.1 (5.1)	33.1 (0.6)	51.2 (10.7)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	19.0 (−7.2)	21.4 (−5.9)	25.8 (−3.4)	35.3 (1.8)	45.4 (7.4)	59.0 (15.0)	65.3 (18.5)	63.4 (17.4)	50.1 (10.1)	36.1 (2.3)	25.9 (−3.4)	20.0 (−6.7)	15.0 (−9.4)
Record low °F (°C)	−2 (−19)	0 (−18)	9 (−13)	25 (−4)	36 (2)	51 (11)	50 (10)	50 (10)	33 (1)	21 (−6)	11 (−12)	−8 (−22)	−8 (−22)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	1.84 (47)	2.16 (55)	2.82 (72)	2.91 (74)	4.97 (126)	3.33 (85)	1.99 (51)	2.96 (75)	3.32 (84)	3.32 (84)	2.33 (59)	2.18 (55)	34.13 (867)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	0.4 (1.0)	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)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.3 (0.76)	0.7 (1.8)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	6.1	6.4	7.7	5.8	7.9	6.0	4.9	5.2	5.9	7.1	5.7	5.6	74.3
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	0.3	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.7
Source: NOAA [14] [15]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	120		—
1880	725		—
1890	909		25.4%
1900	1,902		109.2%
1910	2,561		34.6%
1920	3,891		51.9%
1930	3,944		1.4%
1940	4,768		20.9%
1950	7,155		50.1%
1960	7,359		2.9%
1970	9,277		26.1%
1980	11,881		28.1%
1990	13,502		13.6%
2000	14,921		10.5%
2010	17,123		14.8%
2020	20,897		22.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [16]

Historical House Museum in Stephenville is an 1869 Victorian home with period furnishings and relics of area history, and a carriage house and a reconstructed log cabin.

2020 census

Stephenville racial composition ^[17]
(NH = Non-Hispanic) ^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	14,257	68.23%
Black or African American (NH)	1,122	5.37%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	98	0.47%
Asian (NH)	279	1.34%
Pacific Islander (NH)	6	0.03%
Some Other Race (NH)	44	0.21%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	749	3.58%
Hispanic or Latino	4,342	20.78%
Total	20,897

As of the 2020 United States census, the town had a population of 20.9k people with a median age of 25.7 and a median household income of $48,602. 95.5% of residents are U.S. citizens. Over one year, it's median household income grew from $47,161 to $48,602, a 3.06% increase. Ethnic groups in Stephenville include White (Non-Hispanic) (75.6%), White (Hispanic) (12.7%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (3.29%), Other (Hispanic) (2.68%), and Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.11%). No households reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider potential multi-lingual situations, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household. Universities include Tarleton State University (3,536 degrees awarded in 2021). In 2020, the median property value was $153,400, and the homeownership rate was 45.9%. The average reported commute time was 16.1 minutes, and average car ownership was 2 cars per household. ^[20]

Education

Stephenville is served by the Stephenville Independent School District, and two colleges: Tarleton State University and Ranger College.^{[ citation needed ]}

Notable people

• Jessie G. Beach (1887 – 1954), paleontologist and museum aid, born in Stephenville. ^[21]
• Art Briles, ^[22] former football coach at Baylor University
• Milton Brown Recording artist, cofounder of Western Swing born in Stephenville
• Giovannie and the Hired Guns, American country rock band
• Leon Hale (newspaper writer), born in Stephenville
• Dustin Hodge, ^[23] television producer and writer
• Brock Holt, professional baseball player, graduated from Stephenville High School ^[24]
• Jewel, singer-songwriter, lived on a Stephenville ranch. ^[25]
• Kevin Kolb, NFL quarterback
• Jess Lockwood, world champion bull rider ^[26]
• J.B. Mauney, world champion bull rider
• Ty Murray, world champion rodeo cowboy ^[27]
• Carey Wentworth Styles, newspaperman, founder of The Atlanta Constitution ^[28]
• Hugh Wolfe, professional football player

Notes

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]}

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Stephenville, Texas
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. "Stephenville – The Cowboy Capital of the World". visitstephenville.com. Stephenville Tourism & Visitors Bureau. September 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
6. "Stephenville – The Cowboy Capital of the World". visitstephenville.com.
7. Young, Dan M. "Stephenville, TX". tshaonline.org. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
8. Dozens Claim They Spotted UFO in Texas National Public Radio, "All Things Considered" – January 16, 2008.
9. NPR archive link, archived August 7, 2023. Archival of "Dozens Claim They Spotted UFO in Texas] National Public Radio, "All Things Considered" – January 16, 2008."
10. Mount, Mike. "UFOs? Nope. They were fighter jets, Air Force says". CNN . Retrieved August 11, 2023.
11. McGaha, James; Nickell, Joe (March 2015). "Alien Lights? At Phoenix, Stephenville, and Elsewhere: A Postmortem". skepticalinquirer.org. Skeptical Inquirer From: Volume 39, No. March 2 / April 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
12. Gellene, Denise (June 14, 2008). "How UFOs took over a town". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 11, 2023.
13. Climate Summary for Stephenville, Texas
14. "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
15. "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
16. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
17. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
18. https://www.census.gov/ ^{[ not specific enough to verify ]}
19. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
20. "Stephenville, TX". datausa.io. Data USA . Retrieved August 11, 2023.
21. Hernandez, Lezlie (September 2, 2021). "Spotlight on Jessie G. Beach, Smithsonian Department of Paleobiology Staff Member". Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.
22. "Houston's Briles set to interview at Baylor". Houston Chronicle.
23. Wilson, Mark. "Storyteller: Erath native exploring 'expanse of possibilities' in film world". Stephenville Empire-Tribune. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
24. Wilson, Mark. "Holt honored with retirement of SHS baseball jersey No. 1". Stephenville Empire-Tribune. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
25. "Ty Murray's Saddle House". Texas Monthly. January 20, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
26. "Jess Lockwood wins second Professional Bull Riders title in 3 years at World Finals". Star-Telegram. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
27. "Professional Bull Riders – PBR Officers". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
28. Nixon, Raymond B. (June 17, 1945). "Constitution's Founder Fought for Georgia with Pen and Sword". The Atlanta Constitution. Retrieved April 7, 2019.

External links

• Stephenville Official City Site