Sterling City, Texas

Sterling City, Texas
City
U.S. Highway 87 as it passes through Sterling City, Texas
Nickname:  The Windmill City
Location of Sterling City, Texas
Coordinates: 31°50′21″N100°59′9″W / 31.83917°N 100.98583°W / 31.83917; -100.98583
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Sterling
Area [1]
• Total	0.98 sq mi (2.54 km2)
• Land	0.98 sq mi (2.54 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	2,287 ft (697 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,121
• Density	1,143.88/sq mi (441.34/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	76951
Area code	325
FIPS code	48-70232 [2]
GNIS feature ID	1347899 [3]
Website	sterlingcitytexas.com

Sterling City is the county seat of Sterling County, Texas, United States. ^[4] Its population was 1,121 at the 2020 census. ^[5]

History

Sterling City was named for W.S. Sterling, a buffalo hunter and Indian fighter. Land for the new town was donated in January 1891 by R.C. Stewart, and was platted by H.B. Tarver in February. That same year, it was designated the seat of Sterling County. The town soon grew to 300 residents and had its own newspaper, a hotel, a post office, several other businesses, a school, and three churches. ^[6]

Sterling City was a stop on the Santa Fe Railroad by 1910, but the service was eventually abandoned. The depot still exists as a tourist site. ^[6]

During World War II, Sterling City's population decreased by 10%. When it was incorporated in August 1955, Sterling City had a population of some 800 and had added three more churches, a hospital, a bank, and a library.

On May 25, 1955, 15 United States Air Force personnel, flying in a B-36 bomber under the callsign Abbot 27, perished in a crash near Sterling City. ^[7]

Geography

Sterling City is located on the Edwards Plateau in west-central Texas along the North Concho River at 31°50′21″N100°59′9″W / 31.83917°N 100.98583°W / 31.83917; -100.98583 (31.839066, –100.985871). ^[8] It is accessed by U.S. Highway 87 and State Highways 158 and 163, and covers area of 0.98 sq mi (2.5 km²), all land.

Windmills have been a feature of Sterling City since the early 20th century, when the town claimed to have more windmills per acre than any other place in the world, totaling some 300. ^[9] Today, most of Sterling City's windmills are giant turbines in modern wind farms on a ridge approximately 20 miles northwest of the town and visible from U.S. Highway 87. ^[10]

Climate

Climate data for Sterling City, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1963–2019)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	87 (31)	94 (34)	98 (37)	102 (39)	109 (43)	112 (44)	109 (43)	108 (42)	106 (41)	104 (40)	93 (34)	86 (30)	112 (44)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	57.5 (14.2)	61.8 (16.6)	69.1 (20.6)	77.8 (25.4)	84.8 (29.3)	91.1 (32.8)	93.5 (34.2)	92.9 (33.8)	85.8 (29.9)	77.3 (25.2)	65.9 (18.8)	58.3 (14.6)	76.3 (24.6)
Daily mean °F (°C)	43.7 (6.5)	47.6 (8.7)	55.3 (12.9)	63.8 (17.7)	72.9 (22.7)	79.6 (26.4)	82.3 (27.9)	81.6 (27.6)	74.2 (23.4)	64.4 (18.0)	52.5 (11.4)	44.7 (7.1)	63.6 (17.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	29.9 (−1.2)	33.5 (0.8)	41.5 (5.3)	49.8 (9.9)	60.9 (16.1)	68.2 (20.1)	71.0 (21.7)	70.3 (21.3)	62.5 (16.9)	51.5 (10.8)	39.2 (4.0)	31.2 (−0.4)	50.8 (10.4)
Record low °F (°C)	1 (−17)	−13 (−25)	4 (−16)	20 (−7)	30 (−1)	45 (7)	47 (8)	50 (10)	32 (0)	23 (−5)	10 (−12)	−7 (−22)	−13 (−25)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.95 (24)	0.97 (25)	1.27 (32)	1.32 (34)	2.75 (70)	2.06 (52)	1.68 (43)	2.42 (61)	2.45 (62)	2.46 (62)	1.20 (30)	0.87 (22)	20.40 (518)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	0.1 (0.25)	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)	0.5 (1.3)	0.5 (1.3)	1.5 (3.8)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	3.2	3.1	3.9	3.6	5.7	4.7	4.0	4.6	3.9	4.2	2.8	2.5	46.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	0.2	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.3	1.0
Source: NOAA [11] [12]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1960	854		—
1970	780		−8.7%
1980	915		17.3%
1990	1,096		19.8%
2000	1,081		−1.4%
2010	888		−17.9%
2020	1,121		26.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [13]

2020 census

Sterling City racial composition ^[14]
(NH = Non-Hispanic) ^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	652	58.16%
Black or African American (NH)	3	0.27%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	4	0.36%
Asian (NH)	1	0.09%
Pacific Islander (NH)	2	0.18%
Some Other Race (NH)	2	0.18%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	35	3.12%
Hispanic or Latino	422	37.64%
Total	1,121

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,121 people, 344 households, and 291 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census ^[2] of 2000, 1,081 people, 393 households, and 297 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,105.9 people/sq mi (425.9/km²). The 467 housing units averaged 477.7/sq mi (184.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.05% White, 0.09% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 14.80% from other races, and 2.59% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 33.30% of the population.

Of the 393 households, 36.9% had children under 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were not families. About 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.69, and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city, the age distribution was 29.6% under 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,359, and for a family was $38,958. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $18,654 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,955. About 14.3% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 19.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The city of Sterling City is served by the Sterling City Independent School District and is home to the Sterling City High School Eagles.

Gallery

• 
  City Hall is located across from the courthouse in Sterling City.
• 
  A windmill on the courthouse grounds in Sterling City
• 
  Wind turbines off U.S. Highway 87 south of Sterling City
• 
  First Baptist Church at 401 Water Street in Sterling City, pastor, Jason McGuire (2013)

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. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. "Population and Housing Unit Counts, 2020 Census of Population and Housing".
6. "Sterling City, Texas: Concho, San Saba & Llano Valley Railroad Station, Texas Historic Landmark". www.texasescapes.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
7. "RICK SMITH: Monument remembers crew of bomber crash". gosanangelo.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
9. Abernethy, Francis Edward. Built in Texas, Issue 42, University of North Texas Press, p. 215.
10. Flippin, Perry. "Wind Power's New Pioneers." Standard-Times, 27 Aug. 2007. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
11. "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
12. "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
13. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
14. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
15. https://www.census.gov/ ^{[ not specific enough to verify ]}
16. "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. ^{[15] [16]}