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Big Spring, Texas

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Revision as of 03:57, 27 September 2006 by 65.122.236.133 (talk) (revise c&e section)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Place in Howard County
Big Spring, Texas, USA
Big Spring's Municipal Auditorium and Statue of Liberty, with the old Settles Hotel in the background.Big Spring's Municipal Auditorium and Statue of Liberty, with the old Settles Hotel in the background.
Official seal of Big Spring, Texas, USASeal
Nickname: The Spring City
Location within the state of TexasLocation within the state of Texas
CountyHoward County
Government
 • MayorRuss McEwan
Population
 • Total25,233
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (CDT)
Websitehttp://www.ci.big-spring.tx.us/

Located in the U.S. state of Texas, at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 87 and Interstate 20, Big Spring’s population of 25,233 (2000 Census) makes it the largest city between Midland to the west, Abilene to the east, Lubbock to the north, and San Angelo to the south. Big Spring was established as the county seat of Howard County 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 Comanche and Shawnee peoples and a popular watering hole for wildlife in the mostly arid area.

Geography

Big Spring is located at 32°14′36″N 101°28′31″W / 32.24333°N 101.47528°W / 32.24333; -101.47528Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (32.243198, -101.475231)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.7 km² (19.2 mi²). 49.5 km² (19.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.42%) is water.

History

Although the area had long been a popular watering hole for Native Americans including members of the Pawnee and Comanche nations, the first European to view the site now known as Big Spring was probably a member of a Spanish expedition, possibly that of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. United States Army Captain Randolph B. Marcy's expedition was the first United States expedition to explore and map the area in 1849. Marcy marked the spring as a campsite on the Overland Trail to California. The site began to collect inhabitants and by the late 1870s, a settlement had sprung up to support buffalo hunters that frequented the area. The original settlement consisted largely of hide huts and saloons. Ranching quickly became a major industry in the area; early ranchers included F.G. Oxsheer, C.C. Slaughter, and B.F. Wolcott..

One notable early rancher was Briton Joseph Heneage Finch, the Seventh Earl of Aylesford. Finch purchased 37,000 acres of ranch land in the area in 1883, and is credited with building Big Spring's first permanent structure, a butcher shop.

The completion of the Texas and Pacific Railroad led to the founding in the early 1880s of Abilene, Colorado City, 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. Prostitution 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.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 25,233 people, 8,155 households, and 5,463 families residing in the city. The population density was 509.8/km² (1,320.4/mi²). There were 9,865 housing units at an average density of 199.3/km² (516.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.69% White, 5.31% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 14.41% from other races, and 2.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 44.64% of the population.

There were 8,155 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 125.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 132.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,257, and the median income for a family was $35,448. Males had a median income of $27,636 versus $21,863 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,119. About 17.1% of families and 22.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.0% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.

Culture and Economics

Many people believe that Big Spring is representative of the social rot that Republicanism has wrought upon Texas. The school system is appalling, from kindergarten through Howard College, the local community college. In the local high school, football takes precedence over any pretense of education.

The economic base of Big Spring consists largely of low-wage, unskilled and semi-skilled work. One of the major career opportunities in Big Spring is prison guard, working in one of the numerous local prisons. A high percentage of the local population lives in poverty, and would be eligible for public assistance if the Republicans had not gutted social safety net programs. Upon visiting Big Spring, the poverty and lack of medical care will be readily evident as soon as a local smiles, showing off a mouth full of the rotting stumps of what were once teeth. Obesity and diabetes are also at epidemic levels in Big Spring. The teen pregnancy rate is astounding, and in fact it is not uncommon to meet young women in Big Spring, as young as 20, who have 3 children, each with a different father. This is especially ironic considering the dedication to fundamentalist, evangelical Christianity displayed by most residents of Big Spring. There is something of a racial divide in Big Spring between the majority white population and the large hispanic population. The municipal water in Big Spring emits a quite unpleasant odor and is not recommended for actual drinking. The downtown improvement plan for Big Spring has consisted of periodically knocking down abandoned buildings, turning what was once a prosperous downtown into vacant lots overgrown with weeds and filled with trash. The city of Big Spring does not have a single general interest bookstore (non-Christian), which says quite a bit about the local literacy rates. The class structure in Big Spring is third-world like, with a small number of well connected and well off business people ruling over the 90% of the population who are poor.

There are also many positives about Big Spring. The people are the friendliest you'll meet! And if you like barbecue and Tex-Mex food Big Spring has some outstanding restaurants. Brenda’s Barbecue is highly recommended, although residents of Big Spring are quite opinionated when it comes to a discussion of barbecue or Tex-Mex food. There is one truly amazing display of Christmas lights at the Partee residence. The "Live Drive Through Nativity" is one of a kind. Housing costs are unbelievably inexpensive and many people have adapted to the arid climate by xeriscaping their lawns.

Big Spring's economy is primarily based on agriculture (with cotton as the primary crop) and petroleum production and refining. Public-sector institutions such as Howard College, a federal prison, and a VA hospital are also major employers in the area.

Big Spring's population and economy have seen steady declines since the closure of Webb Air Force Base, a training site for Air Force bombardiers and pilots, in 1977.

In recent years Big Spring has been the site of several major hang gliding championship tournaments, including the U.S. Hang Gliding Nationals. Big Spring will host the Hang Gliding World Championship in 2007.

The opening scenes of the film Midnight Cowboy, the 1969 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, were filmed in Big Spring. The city was also the site for the filming of parts of Hangar 18.

Notable residents, past and present

Points of interest

Landmarks

Organizations

Media

Education

Prisons

  • Big Spring FCI
  • Big Spring Federal Prison Camp
  • Big Spring Correctional Center (Cornell Companies)

References

  1. Big Spring History Page on The Handbook of Texas Online,
  2. Howard County page on The Handbook of Texas Online,
  3. Daniel "Bubba" Franks bio (2000 NFL draft preview) on packers.com, the official website of the Green Bay Packers

External links

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