Waco, Texas

Location of Waco, Texas

Waco is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 113,726 (however, 2005 estimates place the population at 120,465[1]). It is the 26th largest city by population in Texas, and 195th in the US. The Waco MSA consists of McLennan County and has a population of 222,439.

History

McLennan County Courthouse

1824-1865

Prior to the founding of the town, a Wichita Native American group known as the "Waco" or "Hueco" lived on the land of contemporary downtown Waco west of the Brazos River. In 1824, on an expedition to the Waco village, Thomas M. Duke reported the following to Stephen F. Austin: "[T]his town is situated on the West Bank of the River about half a mile from the River[. T]hey have a spring almost as cold as Ice itself. All we want is some Brandy and Sugar to have Ice Toddy[. T]hey have about four hundred acres planted in corn beans pumpkins and melons and that tended in good order [sic.] I think they cannot raise more than One Hundred Warriors." After Austin aborted the first attempt to destroy their village in 1825, he made a treaty with them. The Wacos were soon forced to abandon their village due to a Cherokee invasion in 1830 and moved upstream to what is now Palo Pinto County (west of Fort Worth).

File:Wacocity.jpg

Downtown Waco

Neil McLennan settled in an area near the South Bosque River in 1838. Jacob De Cordova bought McLennan's property and hired a former Texas Ranger and surveyor named George B. Erath to inspect the area. In 1849, Erath designed the first block of the city. Property owners wanted to name the city "Lamartine", but Erath convinced them to name the area Waco Village, in honor of the Native Americans who had lived there.

In 1845, Baylor University was founded in Independence, Texas, making it the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of Texas. It moved to Waco in 1886 and merged with Waco University, becoming an integral part of the city. The university's Strecker Museum was also the oldest continuously operating museum in the state until it closed in 2003, and the collections were moved to the new Mayborn Museum Complex.

1866-1900

In 1866, the city embarked on an ambitious project to build the first bridge to span the wide Brazos River. They contacted an architectural firm owned by John Augustus Roebling in Trenton, New Jersey to build the 475-foot brick Waco Suspension Bridge, the longest span of any bridge west of the Mississippi River at the time of its completion in 1870. Because it was one of the first suspension bridges built in the United States, it also was a pioneering engineering feat of the era. The bridge was used as a working prototype for Roebling's later famous work, the Brooklyn Bridge. The economic effects of the bridge were immediate and large, attracting cattle runs from the nearby Chisholm Trail and increasing the population of the city, as immigrants now had a safe passage for their horse drawn carriages to cross the river. The bridge is now open only to pedestrian traffic.

In 1873, AddRan College was founded by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark in Fort Worth. The school moved to Waco in 1895, changing its name to Add-Ran Christian University and taking up residence in the empty buildings of Waco Female College. Add-Ran changed its name to Texas Christian University in 1902 and left Waco after the school's main building burned down in 1910. TCU was offered a 50-acre campus and $200,000 by the city of Fort Worth to relocate there.

In the late 1800s a red light district called the "Reservation" grew up in Waco. Prostitution was regulated by the city. The Reservation was abolished in the early 1900s.

The Dr Pepper Museum is one of Waco's tourist attractions.

In 1885, the soft drink Dr Pepper was invented in Waco at Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store.

In the 1890s, William Cowper Brann published the highly successful Iconoclast newspaper in Waco. One of his targets was Baylor University. Brann revealed that Baylor officials had been importing South American children recruited by missionaries and making house-servants out of them. Brann was shot in the back by Tom Davis, a Baylor supporter. Brann wheeled, drew his pistol, and killed Davis. Brann was helped home by his friends, and died there of his wounds.

In 1894, the first Cotton Palace fair and exhibition center was built to reflect the dominant contribution of the agricultural cotton industry in the region. Since the end of the Civil War, cotton had been cultivated in the Brazos and Bosque valleys, and Waco became known nationwide as a top producer. Over the next 23 years, the annual exposition would welcome over eight million attendees. The opulent building which housed the month-long exhibition was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1910. In 1931, the exposition fell prey to the Great Depression, and the building was torn down. However, the annual Cotton Palace Pageant continues to the present day, hosted in late April in conjunction with the Brazos River Festival.

1901-Present

During World War I, Waco was the site of two major Army bases, Camp McArthur and Rich Field.

In 1923, the Texas Legislature created the Tenth Civil Court of Appeals and placed it in Waco. Today it is known as the 10th Court of Appeals.

In 1937, Grover C. Thomsen and R.H. Roark created a soft-drink called "Sun Tang Red Cream Soda". This would later become known as the soft drink Big Red.

On May 11, 1953, a tornado hit downtown Waco, killing 114. As of 2004, it remains the tenth deadliest tornado in U.S. history and tied for the deadliest in Texas state history.[2]

In 1964 the Texas Department of Public Safety designated Waco as the site for the state-designated official museum of the legendary Texas Rangers law enforcement agency founded in 1823. In 1976 it was further designated the official Hall of Fame for the Rangers and renamed the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.

In 1978, bones were discovered emerging from the mud at the confluence of the Brazos River and the Bosque River. Subsequent excavations revealed that the bones were 28,000 years old and belonged to a species of mammoth. Eventually, the remains of at least 28 mammoths were found at the site, making it one of the largest findings of its kind in the world. Scholars have puzzled over why such a large herd had been killed all at once.

On April 19, 1993 a standoff between FBI agents and Branch Davidians ended in a fire that destroyed their compound located in Elk, Texas, near Waco. Seventy-six people, including leader David Koresh, died in the blaze.

In 1999, a charter school called the Emma L. Harrison Charter School was closed by the Texas Education Agency; the school was the first charter school which had its charter revoked in Texas [3].

Since the 2000 presidential election, Waco has been home to the various news bureaus covering the Western White House in Crawford, home of US President George W. Bush, which is located approximately 25 miles west of Waco.

Geography

Waco is located at 31°33'5" North, 97°9'21" West (31.551516, -97.155930)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 247.4 km² (95.5 mi²). 218.1 km² (84.2 mi²) of it is land and 29.3 km² (11.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 11.85% water. Crawford actually is a suburb of Waco, and within the Waco MSMA.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 113,726 people in the city, organized into 42,279 households and 24,775 families. The population density is 521.5/km² (1,350.6/mi²). There are 45,819 housing units at an average density of 210.1/km² (544.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 60.78% White, 22.65% African American, 1.38% Asian, 0.51% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 12.38% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races. 23.64% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 42,279 households out of which 29.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% are married couples living together, 16.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% are non-families. 31.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.49 and the average family size is 3.19.

In the city the population is spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 20.3% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 16.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 28 years. For every 100 females there are 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $26,264, and the median income for a family is $33,919. Males have a median income of $26,902 versus $21,159 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,584. 26.3% of the population and 19.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 30.9% of those under the age of 18 and 13.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Attractions

Major Waco attractions include:

• Armstrong Browning Library [4]
• Art Center Waco [5]
• Baylor University [6]
• Cameron Park Zoo[7]
• Dr Pepper Museum [8]
• Historic Homes [9]
• Homestead Heritage [10]
• Lake Waco [11]
• Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas [12]
• Mayborn Museum Complex[13]
• Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum[14]
• Texas Sports Hall of Fame [15]
• Waco Suspension Bridge [16] [17]

See also: Neighborhoods of Waco

Professional sports

The American Basketball Association has announced an expansion franchise for the 2006-2007 season, the Waco Wranglers. The team is scheduled to begin play in November 2006 at Reicher Catholic High School. The team practices at Texas State Technical College.

Previous professional sports franchises in Waco have proven unsuccessful. The Waco Marshals of the National Indoor Football League lasted less than two months amidst a midseason ownership change in 2004. (The team became the beleaguered Cincinnati Marshals the following year.)

The Waco Wizards of the now-defunct Western Professional Hockey League fared better, lasting into a fourth season before folding in 2000.

Both teams played at the Heart O' Texas Coliseum, one of Waco's largest entertainment and sports venues.

Professional Baseball first came to Waco in 1889 in the Texas League (a Minor League Division) later they were called the Waco Tigers, later in 1905 they were renamed the Waco Navigators, they were also in the Texas League as the Waco Steers., in 1920 the team was sold to Wichita Falls Texas. in 1923 A new franchise called the Indians was formed in Waco and was a member of the Class D Texas Association., in 1925 a new franchise was formed called the Waco Cubs so Waco was back in the Texas League once again., On June 20th 1930 the first night game in Texas League history was played at Katy Park in Waco.

On the night of August 6th 1930, Baseball history was made at Katy Park, In the eighth inning of a night game against Beaumont, Waco left fielder Gene Rye became the only player in the history of professional baseball to hit three home runs in one inning.

1930 was the last year that Waco had a team in the Texas League, but Waco fielded some strong semi-pro teams in the 1930s and early 1940s. During the World War II years of 1943-45, the powerful Waco Army Air Field team was probably the best in the state, Many major leaguers played for the team and it was managed by big league catcher Birdie Tebbetts.

In 1947 the Class B Big State League was organized with Waco as a member called The Waco Dons

In 1948, A.H. Kirksey, owner of Katy Park, persuaded the Pittsburgh Pirates Professional club to take over the Waco operation and the nickname was changed to Pirates. The Pirates vaulted into third place in 1948. They dropped a notch to fourth in 1949, but prevailed in the playoffs to win the league championship. The Pirates then tumbled into the second division, bottoming out with a dreadful 29-118, .197 club in 1952. This mark ranks as one of the 10 worst marks of any 20th century full-season team.

On May 22, 1953, a tornado struck Waco, (the Waco Tornado) killing 114 persons and destroying a large part of Waco, including Katy Park. The team relocated to Longview to finish the season and finished a respectable third with a 77-68 record.

People with Waco ties

See also: Baylor University: Notable Alumni

Sports

• Lance Berkman, born in Waco, is a Major League Baseball player for the Houston Astros.
• Kwame Cavil, born in Waco, is a Canadian Football League wide receiver for the Edmonton Eskimos.
• Zach Duke, graduated from Midway High School in Waco, is a Major League Baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Andy Hawkins, born in Waco, is a former major-league pitcher. A right-handed starter, Hawkins spent most of his career with the San Diego Padres, and also played for the New York Yankees and briefly for the Oakland Athletics.
• Sherrill Headrick, born in Waco, came to the American Football League's Dallas Texans as an undrafted linebacker. He went on to star for the Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs.
• Derrick Johnson, NFL football player for the Kansas City Chiefs is from Waco. He received the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player and the Dick Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker playing for The University of Texas in 2004. His family lives in Hallsburg, Texas, approximately 15 miles (24 km) from Waco.
• Michael Johnson, U.S. sprinter; graduated from Baylor University in 1990.
• Dominic Rhodes, born in Waco, is an American football running back who currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts.
• Bill Rogers, born in Waco, is best known as the winner of the 1981 British Open.
• LaDainian Tomlinson, NFL football player for the San Diego Chargers; born in Rosebud, grew up in Waco, and went to University High School.
• Ricky Olmsted, a basketball player for Vanguard High School, was raised and currently resides in Waco. He will be out with a foot injury for an undisclosed time.
• Pro Baseball Players from Waco
  • Kevin Belcher 8/8/1967 CF-RF MLB 1990-1990
  • Lance Berkman 2/10/1976 LF-RF MLB 1999-2006
  • Buzz Dozier 8/31/1927 P MLB 1947-1949
  • Louis Drucke 12/3/1888 P MLB 1909-1912
  • Boob Fowler 11/11/1900 SS MLB 1923-1926
  • Charlie Gorin 2/6/1928 P MLB 1954-1955
  • Donald Harris 11/12/1967 CF-RF MLB 1991-1993
  • Andy Hawkins 1/21/1960 P MLB 1982-1991
  • Al Jackson 12/25/1935 P MLB 1959-1969
  • Scott Jordan 5/27/1963 CF MLB 1988-1988
  • Rudy Law 10/7/1956 OF MLB 1978-1986
  • Dutch Meyer 10/6/1915 2B MLB 1940-1946
  • Arthur Rhodes 10/24/1969 P MLB 1991-2006
  • Schoolboy Rowe 1/11/1910 P MLB 1933-1949
  • Ted Wilborn 12/16/1958 OF MLB 1979-1980

Movies

• Shannon Elizabeth, who was born in Houston, grew up in Waco, and would later gain fame with the movie American Pie.
• Peri Gilpin was born in Waco, and raised in Dallas, and is best known for her television character Roz on the hit series Frasier.
• Thomas Harris, a student at Baylor University, worked as reporter for the local newspaper, the Waco Tribune-Herald, covering the police beat. He would later write The Silence of the Lambs
• Jennifer Love Hewitt, an actress and singer, was born in Waco, and raised in Killeen.
• Steve Martin, the comedian, was born in Waco; his family moved to California when he was around six years old.
• Terrence Malick was born in Waco, and is a movie director (The Thin Red Line)
• Kevin Reynolds was born and raised in Waco and is a movie director (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Count of Monte Cristo)
• The Movie Where the Heart Is starring Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd and Stockard Channing was filmed in Waco.
• Texas Guinan Hollywood Actress from 1917 to 1933 She was active in vaudeville and theater, and was in many movies (often as the gun-toting hero in silent westerns, more than a match for any man) she also had successful career as the hostess in night clubs and speakeasies in New York City
• Jules Bledsoe When the Broadway premiere of "Show Boat" was delayed in 1927 by Ziegfeld, Paul Robeson became unavailable, so Jules Bledsoe stepped in. He played and sang the role of Joe, introducing "Ol' Man River" his full name was Julius C. Bledsoe.

Music

• The David Crowder Band emerged from students at Baylor University. Their September 2005 release of A Collision landed them the #2 spot on the iTunes Music Store and the #39 spot on Billboard 200 only one day after its release.
• Pat Green, Country music singer/songwriter, was raised in Waco and his parents still reside there.
• Roy Hargrove, a Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpeter, was born and raised in Waco.
• Hi-Five, a successful R&B group who had hits in the 1990s including "I Like The Way (The Kissing Game)", is from Waco.
• Willie Nelson, country music singer/songwriter was born in nearby Abbott, Texas and attended Baylor University for one year.
• Ted Nugent, rock musician owns a ranch near Waco which served as the set of a Reality TV show on MTV in 2004.
• Bill Payne from the band Little Feat was born in Waco.
• Jessica and Ashlee Simpson were raised in Waco and their grandparents still reside in nearby McGregor.
• Hank Thompson, was born in Waco and is a country music singer who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
• Fisher Tull, classical composer.

Politics

• Leon Jaworski, who prosecuted Nazi war criminals during the Nuremberg trials and then was the special prosecutor who brought down the Nixon administration during the Watergate scandal, was born and raised in Waco.
• Ann Richards, former governor of Texas and keynote speaker at the 1988 Democratic National Convention, was born in the Waco suburb of Lacy-Lakeview.

Other

• T. Berry Brazelton, born in Waco, is a noted pediatrician and author. Major hospitals throughout the world use the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS).
• Heloise, of the "Hints from Heloise" column, was born in Waco. Her column addresses lifestyle hints, including consumer issues, pets, travel, food, home improvement, health and much more.
• Glenn McGee, born in Waco, is an internationally noted bioethicist, syndicated columnist for Hearst Newspapers and for The Scientist and scholar.
• Doris (Dorie) Miller, born in Waco, was an African American cook in the United States Navy and a hero during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was the first African American to be awarded the Navy's second highest honor, the Navy Cross. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. portrayed Miller in the 2001 movie Pearl Harbor.
• C. Wright Mills, born in Waco, was a noted sociologist. Among other topics he was concerned with the responsibilities of intellectuals in post-World War II society, and advocated relevance and engagement over disinterested academic observation.
• Dr. Allen Bussey, a Waco resident, set a yo-yo world record with 20,302 consecutive loops on April 23, 1977. [18]
• Robert Wilson, born in Waco, is an internationally acclaimed stage director.
• David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidians, killed along with 75 others by the federal government during the BATF's infamous Waco Siege.

External links

• Waco, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
• The Official Website of Waco, Texas
• The Great Waco Train Wreck