| Revision as of 18:22, 9 March 2006 editZsinj (talk | contribs)Administrators16,120 editsm Reverted edits by 129.72.64.182 (Talk) to last version by Ohnoitsjamie← Previous edit | Revision as of 19:56, 9 March 2006 edit undo129.72.73.90 (talk) Misplaced Pages is run by liberal fascists and must be stopped! - WilburNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| ==Misplaced Pages is controlled by liberal fascists and must be stopped. Misplaced Pages will be vandalized into oblivion!== | |||
| ]Located in ] at the crossroads of ] and ], '''Big Spring'''’s population of 25,233 (] Census) makes it the largest city between ] to the west, ] to the east, ] to the north, and ] to the south. Big Spring was established as the ] of ] in 1882 and is also the largest city in that county. It was named for the spring in nearby Sulphur Draw. The spring was the center of a territorial dispute between ] and ] peoples and a popular watering hole for wildlife in the mostly arid area. | |||
| == Geography == | |||
| ] | |||
| Big Spring is located at 32°14'36" North, 101°28'31" West (32.243198, -101.475231){{GR|1}}. | |||
| According to the ], the city has a total area of 49.7 ] (19.2 ]). 49.5 km² (19.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.42% water. | |||
| == Demographics == | |||
| As of the ]{{GR|2}} of ], there are 25,233 people, 8,155 households, and 5,463 families residing in the city. The ] is 509.8/km² (1,320.4/mi²). There are 9,865 housing units at an average density of 199.3/km² (516.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 76.69% ], 5.31% ], 0.59% ], 0.63% ], 0.02% ], 14.41% from ], and 2.35% from two or more races. 44.64% of the population are ] or ] of any race. | |||
| There are 8,155 households out of which 32.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% are ] living together, 14.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% are non-families. 29.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.51 and the average family size is 3.10. | |||
| In the city the population is spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 125.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 132.3 males. | |||
| The median income for a household in the city is $28,257, and the median income for a family is $35,448. Males have a median income of $27,636 versus $21,863 for females. The ] for the city is $14,119. 22.2% of the population and 17.1% of families are below the ]. Out of the total population, 30.0% of those under the age of 18 and 18.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. | |||
| ==Points of interest== | |||
| '''Landmarks''' | |||
| * Settles Hotel (abandoned) | |||
| * ] Courthouse | |||
| * Big Spring Municipal Auditorium | |||
| * | |||
| * Comanche Trail Park | |||
| * McMahon-Wrinkle Industrial Airpark | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * Signal Mountain | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| '''Organizations''' | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * Downtown Revitalization Association | |||
| '''Media''' | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * KBYG-AM Radio | |||
| '''Education''' | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| '''Prisons''' | |||
| * Big Spring FCI | |||
| * Big Spring Federal Prison Camp | |||
| * Big Spring Correctional Center (]) | |||
| == Culture and Economics == | |||
| Big Spring’s ] is primarily based on ] (with ] as the primary crop) and ] production and ]. Public-sector institutions such as Howard College, a ], and a ] are also major employers in the area. | |||
| Big Spring’s ] and ] have seen steady declines since the closure of ], a training site for ] ] and ], in ]. | |||
| In recent years Big Spring has been the site of several major ] championship tournaments, including the U.S. ] Nationals. Big Spring will host the ] World Championship in ]. | |||
| The opening scenes of the film ], the ] ] winner for Best Picture, were filmed in Big Spring. The city was also the site for the filming of parts of ]. | |||
| ] ] ], although born in ], was raised and played ] ] in Big Spring.<ref> on , the official website of the Green Bay Packers</ref> | |||
| == History == | |||
| Although the area had long been a popular watering hole for ] including members of the ] and ] nations, the first ] to view the site now known as Big Spring was probably a member of a ] expedition, possibly that of ]. ] ] ]'s expedition was the first ] expedition to ] and ] the area in ]. ] marked the spring as a ] on the ] to ]. The site began to collect inhabitants and by the late ], a settlement had sprung up to support ] hunters that frequented the area. The original settlement consisted largely of hide huts and ]s. ] quickly became a major ] in the area; early ] included F.G. Oxsheer, C.C. Slaughter, and B.F. Wolcott..<ref> on , </ref> | |||
| One notable early rancher was ] Joseph Heneage Finch, the Seventh Earl of Aylesford. Finch purchased 37,000 ]s of ] ] in the area in ], and is credited with building Big Spring's first permanent structure, a ] shop.<ref> on , </ref> | |||
| The completion of the Texas and Pacific Railroad led to the founding in the early 1880s of ], ], and Big Spring, three railroading and ranching towns where saloons, gambling dens, and prostitutes flourished. These establishments attracted cowboys and later oilfield workers from throughout the region. ] continuted to flourish in Big Spring well into the 1950s. The Settles Hotel was well known as a center for prostitution in Big Spring, with the large sign on the roof being used to signal the presence of prostitutes in the hotel. | |||
| In 1957 anti-prostitution groups gained an influential advocate in Texas attorney general Will Wilson, whose office led the way in disrupting Texas prostitution, including the Galveston racketeers. Church, legal and news media pressure forced many brothels to close and set the prostitution business on a downward course that continued into the 1960s. Wilson's was influential in pressing local law-enforcement officials into curbing prostitution in Big Spring. | |||
| == References == | |||
| <references/> | |||
| == External links == | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| {{Mapit-US-cityscale|32.243198|-101.475231}} | |||
| {{Texas}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||