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==Notable People==
==Notable People==

*[[Ron Paul]] - [[U.S. representative]] from [[Texas's 14th congressional district]] and presidential candidate.


==Geography==
==Geography==

Revision as of 01:26, 3 July 2012

City of Lake Jackson
City
Location in Brazoria County in the state of Texas
Location in Brazoria County in the state of Texas
CountryUnited StatesUnited States
StateTexasTexas
CountyBrazoria
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
 • City CouncilMayor Bob Sipple
Charlie Golden
Bob Geter
Gerald Roznovsky
Scott Schwertner
Vinay Singhania
 • City ManagerWilliam P. Yenne
Area
 • Total
19.8 sq mi (51.3 km2)
 • Land19.0 sq mi (49.3 km2)
 • Water0.8 sq mi (2.0 km2)
Elevation
13 ft (4 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total
26,386
 • Density1,386.0/sq mi (535.1/km2)
Time zoneUTC–6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC–5 (CDT)
ZIP code
77566
Area code979
FIPS code48-40588Template:GR
GNIS feature ID1360850Template:GR
WebsiteLakeJackson-TX.gov

Lake Jackson is a city in Brazoria County, Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of a 2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city population was 27,614.

Lake Jackson is named after an oxbow lake of the same name on the outskirts of town. The lake in turn was named after the family whose antebellum plantation house sat alongside the lake; only very minor ruins of the Lake Jackson Plantation can now be seen in a park at the site.

The city is the birthplace of famous Tejano superstar, Selena. The city has also long been the hometown of Ron Paul, the presidential candidate and U.S. representative from Texas's 14th Congressional District [1]. It was the home too of State Senator J. E. "Buster" Brown, who represented District 17 from 1981 to 2002.

Notable People

Geography

Lake Jackson is located at 29°2′13″N 95°26′18″W / 29.03694°N 95.43833°W / 29.03694; -95.43833 (29.036837, -95.438339)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.8 square miles (51.3 km²), of which, 19.0 square miles (49.3 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.0 km²) of it (3.84%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2010, there were 26,849 people, 10,319 households, and 7,134 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,386.0 people per square mile (535.1/km²). There were 11,149 housing units at an average density of 550.2 per square mile (212.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.36% White, 5.10% African American, 0.52% Native American, 3.14% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.44% from other races, and 2.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.53% of the population.

There were 9,588 households out of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.7% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. Twenty percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city, the population was spread out with 26.41% under the age of 18, 5.61% from 20 to 24, 12.51% from 25 to 34, 20.60% from 35 to 49, 20.10% from 50 to 64, and 12% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.06 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $60,901, and the median income for a family was $69,053. Males had a median income of $60,143 versus $30,398 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,877. About 5.4% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

History

The city was built in the early 1940s as a planned community in support of a new plant of the Dow Chemical Company. The City of Lake Jackson was incorporated March 14, 1944 and voted for home rule ten years later in 1954.

Government and politics

Representation for Lake Jackson, within the Texas's 14th congressional district, is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Ron Paul since 1997.

Economy

Gas station and convenience store chain Buc-ee's has its headquarters in Lake Jackson.[1]

The Dow Chemical Company and the Brazosport Independent School District are major employers of residents.

The sales tax income represents a population of over 70,000 indicating the draw of the retail shopping from the area.

Education

Colleges

Brazosport College is a public community college which was recently upgraded to offer a baccalaureate degree in certain technical fields. It is also distinguished for its professional music hall, The Clarion. Brazosport College's Music Department has been able to bring many successful music artists to Lake Jackson, including Rita Coolidge, Lyle Lovett, Don McLean, Phil Woods, and John Pizarelli.

Public schools

The public schools in the city are operated by Brazosport Independent School District. K-5 elementary schools within Lake Jackson include:

Residents are zoned to:

Private schools

The private schools within Lake Jackson include:

Public libraries

The Lake Jackson Library is a part of the Brazoria County Library System.

Transportation

Airports

Brazoria County Airport serves Lake Jackson.

Mass transit

Southern Brazoria County Transit provides bus service options for Lake Jackson, Clute, Freeport and Angleton.

Highways

 State Highway 288. Northbound SH 288 to Houston. Southbound, SH 288 routes to Freeport.

Streets

  • The city's layout and the six designs for homes were completed by architect Alden B. Dow.
  • All streets radiating from downtown end in the word "Way." Among the streets are Center Way, Winding Way, Circle Way, and Parking Way. There is an intersection of two streets named "This Way" and "That Way." In the same spirit, a local church near Bess Brannen Elementary placed a small sign in their driveway named "His Way." You will also find an "Any Way."
  • Most other streets not ending in "Way" were named after some form of flora. As the city grew and common names such as Pine, Mulberry, and Oak were taken, developers had to become more creative; thus, among the plants used are Jalapeño, Tangerine, Mango, and Habanero. The highways running through Lake Jackson, (Texas Highways 288 & 332) and Oyster Creek Drive, are exceptions to the naming conventions. The naming convention of "Drive," meaning a route into or out of town, is less honored today than in the beginning.
  • Dow intentionally laid out the streets so that they seldom follow straight paths. Part of the basis for the winding streets was Dow's insistence that as few trees as possible should be removed in construction of the original street layout (which is still in practice today with the building of new subdivisions). Lake Jackson is a part of the National Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City USA list. Also, many of the streets follow Oyster Creek, which twists and winds through town. As a result the streets, even main thoroughfares twist and wind throughout the city. In many areas of town one can travel in any of the four compass directions and have the same commute time and distance to a destination across town.

References

  1. ^ "Contact Us." Buc-ee's. Retrieved on February 18, 2011. "327 Hwy 2004 Rd Lake Jackson, Texas 77566."
  2. ^ "2007 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools: All Public Elementary Schools" (PDF). US Department of Education. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
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