Windthorst, Texas

Windthorst, Texas
Town
St. Marys Catholic Church, August 2012
Location of Windthorst, Texas
Coordinates: 33°35′N98°26′W / 33.583°N 98.433°W / 33.583; -98.433
Country	United States
State	Texas
Counties	Archer, Clay
Area [1]
• Total	2.56 sq mi (6.64 km2)
• Land	2.50 sq mi (6.48 km2)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2)
Elevation [2]	1,034 ft (315 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	342
• Density	130/sq mi (52/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	76389
Area code	940
FIPS code	48-79696 [3]
GNIS feature ID	2413497 [2]

Windthorst is a town in Archer and Clay counties in Texas, United States. It is part of the Wichita Falls, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 342 at the 2020 census. The town is named for Ludwig Windthorst, a Catholic statesman in Germany.

Windthorst is the home of the St. Mary's Grotto, a Roman Catholic outdoor shrine, which was paid for with money sent home by 64 military service members from Windthorst who served in World War II. ^[4] All of the 64 returned home. ^{[5] [6] [7]} A new entrance to the shrine was constructed in 2009. ^[8]

Geography

Windthorst General Store (established c. 1921), November 2025

Windthorst is located in northern Texas, primarily in eastern Archer County but extending eastward into Clay County. U.S. Route 281 passes through the center of the town, leading north 25 miles (40 km) to Wichita Falls and southeast 33 miles (53 km) to Jacksboro. Texas State Highway 25 leads west from the center of Windthorst 11 miles (18 km) to Archer City, the Archer County seat.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Windthorst has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.6 km²), of which 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) is land and 0.077 square miles (0.2 km²), or 2.35%, is water. ^[9]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1970	377		—
1980	409		8.5%
1990	367		−10.3%
2000	440		19.9%
2010	409		−7.0%
2020	342		−16.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [10] 2020 Census [11]

As of the census ^[3] of 2000, there were 509 people, 154 households, and 119 families residing in the town. The population density was 175.9 inhabitants per square mile (67.9/km²). There were 162 housing units at an average density of 64.8 units per square mile (25.0 units/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 83.86% White, 0.23% Native American, 14.09% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. 23.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 154 households, out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.4% were married couples living together, 1.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.34.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.8% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,708, and the median income for a family was $45,000. Males had a median income of $30,833 versus $17,917 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,146. About 6.5% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Windthorst is served by the Windthorst Independent School District. Windthorst High School is a University Interscholastic League Class A school in education and sports. The school has won state championships in volleyball, football, baseball, softball, and track; its most recent championship is the 2020 Class 2A-D2 Football State Championship.^{[ citation needed ]}

Notable person

• Hank Gremminger, American football player who played on three title-winning teams for the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s

See also

• Texas portal

• List of municipalities in Texas

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Windthorst, Texas
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "St Mary's Catholic Church - Windthorst, Texas - Outdoor Altars on Waymarking.com". waymarking.com.
5. "The grotto at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Windthorst, Texas. The grotto was dedicated in 1950 to "Our Lady of Perpetual Help" in honor of 64 veterans that served in World War II. They all returned f". highbeam.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
6. YankeeTexan. "The International House of Kaos". houseofkaos.blogspot.com.
7. Dallas Morning News
8. "BBC NEWS - Programmes - From Our Own Correspondent - The hero who casts a long shadow". bbc.co.uk.
9. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Windthorst town, Texas". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
11. "Census Bureau profile: Windthorst, Texas". United States Census Bureau. May 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2024.

External links

• Windthorst Independent School District
• Handbook of Texas Online: Windthorst, Texas