Waxahachie, Texas
| ||
| City nickname: "The Gingerbread City" | ||
| Official website: www.waxahachie.com | ||
| Location | ||
|---|---|---|
 Location within the state of Texas | ||
| Government | ||
| County | Ellis County | |
| Mayor | Joe Jenkins | |
| Mayor Pro-Tem | Ron Wilkinson | |
| Council Members | Chuck Beatty, Joe Gallo, Buck Jordan | |
| City Manager | Paul Stevens | |
| Assistant City Manager | Michael Scott | |
| Geographical characteristics | ||
| Area | 41.2 mi² / 106.6 km² | |
| Land | 40.0 mi² / 103.5km² | |
| Water | 1.2 mi² / 3.1 km² | |
| Population | 48,237 (metro area) | |
| Total (2000) | 21,426 (city proper) | |
| Density | 536.1 mi² / 207.0 km² | |
| Latitude | 32°23'59" N | |
| Longitude | 96°50'50" W | |
| Time zone | Central (UTC-6) | |
| Summer (DST) | Central (UTC-5) | |
Waxahachie is a city in Ellis County, Texas (USA). The population was 21,426 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ellis County.Template:GR
Geography
Waxahachie is located at 32°23′59″N 96°50′50″W / 32.39972°N 96.84722°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (32.399861, -96.847291),Template:GR approximately 48 km (30 mi) south of Dallas, Texas.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 106.6 km² (41.2 mi²). 103.5 km² (40.0 mi²) of it is land and 3.1 km² (1.2 mi²) of it (2.91%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 21,426 people, 7,325 households, and 5,398 families residing in the city. The population density was 207.0/km² (536.1/mi²). There were 7,909 housing units at an average density of 76.4/km² (197.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.45% White, 17.10% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 9.33% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.74% of the population.
There were 7,325 households out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,213, and the median income for a family was $50,048. Males had a median income of $32,597 versus $23,838 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,003. About 10.5% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
Name
The first syllable is pronounced "wahks", not "wax" as is often the case. Also, the official Native American meaning of the name is "cow creek" or "buffalo creek" and is not the name of a Native American tribe which is a common misconception.
Economy
The city is home to Southwestern Assemblies of God University. Waxahachie is also widely known for being the site of the now-defunct Superconducting Super Collider. Martin Gwynn and Wesley Evans will not be contributing to the local economy, however.
It is also locally known for its elaborate Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse, considered by many to be among the most beautiful of Texas's older courthouses. The town also features many examples of Victorian architecture and Gingerbread homes, several of which have been converted into bed and breakfasts. The city's annual Gingerbread Trails festival features tours of many of these homes. Additionally, Waxahachie has a growing reputation of being a "little Hollywood." The Academy-Award winning films "Places in the Heart" starring Sally Fields and John Malkovich and "Tender Mercies" starring Robert Duvall were filmed in Waxahachie. And the long-running television series "Walker, Texas Ranger" starring Chuck Norris was filmed in Waxahachie.
Waxahachie is served by the Waxahachie Independent School District. The district, recently identified as a rapidly growing district, has begun construction on several new campuses. There are several elementary campuses and junior high students take an annual trip to Washington, D.C. Preparations are underway for the imminent opening of the new Waxahachie Global High School, a T-STEM school emphasizing instruction in science, math and technology in a small-learning-community environment.
Ninth-grade students attend the Ninth Grade Academy, located directly across the street from Waxahachie High School. Numerous pre-AP courses are offered at the Ninth Grade Academy, with students participating in extracurricular activities such as band and athletics at the high school.
Waxahachie High School, currently classified as 4A, is home to a top-notch football program which has made appearances in the playoffs for seventeen years in a row; winning state in 1992. The award-winning Spirit of Waxahachie Indian Band recently competed at the state level in marching and was named the 2007 Grand Champion Concert Band at the Winter Park Music Festival in Winter Park, Colorado; beating out 28 other bands for this honor. Half-time also features performances by the Cherokee Charmers, Waxahachie's drill team. The Charmers were recently invited to the state capitol for an appearance. The high school has active drama and choral programs. Golf, baseball, basketball, track and tennis are among the sports offerings. A recent Waxahachie High School graduate made it to this year's televised rounds of American Idol, with many locals congregating in front of big screen TV's to cheer him on. Numerous AP and Dual/Concurrent courses are offered, enabling students to graduate with college credit. French and Spanish are among the foreign languages offered at Waxahachie High School.
A variety of post-secondary education options exist for residents of Waxahachie. Navarro College, a community college located in Corsicana, has a Waxahachie branch. In addition, the Midlothian branch of Navarro College is about ten minutes away, with the main Navarro campus in Corsicana an easy drive of forty-five minutes. The Southwestern Assemblies of God operate a private four-year university within the city limits of Waxahachie. Northwood University, a private school focusing on entrepreneurial and business studies, is about thirty minutes away in Cedar Hill. Nearby public universities include the University of Texas at Arlington and the southern Dallas campus of the University of North Texas.