Hallettsville, Texas
City
Lavaca County Courthouse
Lavaca County Courthouse
Motto: 
"The Best Time in Texas"[1]
Location of Hallettsville, Texas
Location of Hallettsville, Texas
Coordinates: 29°26′43″N 96°56′27″W / 29.44528°N 96.94083°W / 29.44528; -96.94083
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountyLavaca
Established1831[2]
Government
 • MayorAlice Jo Summers
Area
[3]
 • Total2.73 sq mi (7.08 km2)
 • Land2.73 sq mi (7.08 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
233 ft (71 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total2,731
 • Density964.17/sq mi (372.28/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
77964
Area code361
FIPS code48-31868[4]
GNIS feature ID1337258[5]
Websitewww.cityofhallettsville.org

Hallettsville is a city in Lavaca County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,731 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lavaca County.[6] Hallettsville also has a sizable German-Texan population, as the town founders were mainly German and Czech immigrants.

History

Hallettsville is named after an early founding family that colonized this area.[7] John Hallett had received a land grant from Stephen F. Austin in 1831, and after his death in 1836, his wife, Margaret Hallett, donated the land for the town's location.[8]

A few of the early settlers of the Hallettsville area include Collatinus Ballard, M. B. Bennett, A. W. Hicks, David Ives, Ira McDaniel, and William Smeathers.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2), all land. It is also located midway between the major cities of Houston and San Antonio.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Hallettsville has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.[9]

Climate data for Hallettsville, Texas
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 64.0
(17.8)		 68.0
(20.0)		 74.0
(23.3)		 80.0
(26.7)		 86.0
(30.0)		 92.0
(33.3)		 95.0
(35.0)		 96.0
(35.6)		 91.0
(32.8)		 83.0
(28.3)		 73.0
(22.8)		 66.0
(18.9)		 80.7
(27.0)
Daily mean °F (°C) 53.0
(11.7)		 57.0
(13.9)		 63.0
(17.2)		 69.5
(20.8)		 76.0
(24.4)		 81.5
(27.5)		 84.0
(28.9)		 84.5
(29.2)		 80.0
(26.7)		 71.5
(21.9)		 62.0
(16.7)		 55.0
(12.8)		 69.8
(21.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 42.0
(5.6)		 46.0
(7.8)		 52.0
(11.1)		 59.0
(15.0)		 66.0
(18.9)		 71.0
(21.7)		 73.0
(22.8)		 73.0
(22.8)		 69.0
(20.6)		 60.0
(15.6)		 51.0
(10.6)		 44.0
(6.7)		 58.8
(14.9)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.0
(76)		 2.3
(58)		 2.7
(69)		 3.2
(81)		 4.9
(120)		 4.2
(110)		 2.5
(64)		 3.2
(81)		 4.2
(110)		 4.0
(100)		 3.3
(84)		 2.6
(66)		 40.1
(1,019)
Average precipitation days 6 5 5 4 5 6 5 5 6 5 5 5 62
Source: NOAA[10]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
187043—
18805881,267.4%
18901,01171.9%
19001,45744.1%
19101,379−5.4%
19301,406—
19401,58112.4%
19502,00026.5%
19602,80840.4%
19702,712−3.4%
19802,8655.6%
19902,718−5.1%
20002,345−13.7%
20102,5508.7%
2019 (est.)2,637[11]3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
Hallettsville racial composition as of 2020[13]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)[lower-alpha 1]
Race Number Percentage
White (NH) 1,663 60.89%
Black or African American (NH) 440 16.11%
Asian (NH) 30 1.1%
Some other race (NH) 3 0.11%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) 78 2.86%
Hispanic or Latino 517 18.93%
Total 2,731

As of the 2020 United States census, 2,731 people, 984 households, and 551 families were residing in the city.

As of the census[4] of 2000, 2,345 people, 1,019 households, and 627 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,051.0 inhabitants per square mile (405.8/km2). The 1,223 housing units had an average density of 548.1 per square mile (211.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 77.10% White, 16.46% Black, 0.17% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 4.48% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 11.17% of the population.

Of the 1,019 households, 29.9% had children under 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were not families. About 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,089, and for a family was $38,080. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,365 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,811. About 16.4% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under 18 and 14.5% of those 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Friench Simpson Memorial Library

Hallettsville is a center of the traditional domino game Texas 42. It is home to the Texas Championship Domino Hall of Fame and also hosts a state-championship tournament every year in January, and a state-championship Texas 42 domino tournament in March.

Hallettsville also has the Central Texas Semipro Baseball Hall of Fame and the Texas State Championship High School Rodeo Hall of Fame. It also hosts its annual Kolache Fest the last weekend in September and State Championship Fiddler's Frolic on the last Saturday in April[16]

The Friench Simpson Memorial Library has served the residents of Hallettsville and Lavaca County for over 70 years. The modern library houses over 20,000 volumes and is a major source of local history and genealogy research for the area. Public-access computers with Internet connections are available for use at the library.

Education

Hallettsville High School

Public education in the city of Hallettsville is provided by the Hallettsville Independent School District. Sacred Heart Catholic School, a private prekindergarten–grade 12 campus, is also located in the city.

Media

  • Hallettsville Tribune-Herald

Notable people

Although the actual town involved in the real story of the "Chicken Ranch" is located a few miles north of Hallettsville on Highway 77, film makers chose the town's historic Lavaca County Courthouse square to serve as backdrop for the city scenes in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the 1982 musical starring Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton.

Hallettsville is also the featured location in the 2009 horror film titled Hallettsville, which stars Gary Busey and Derek Lee Nixon.

The town is mentioned in the Robert Earl Keen song "Armadillo Jackel" as the place where they pay $2.50 for dead armadillos.[17]

Ripley's Believe It or Not! once called Hallettsville the "13 City" because in 1913 it had 13 letters in the name, a population of 1300, 13 churches, 13 newspapers, and even 13 saloons.[18][19]

The town is also visited by Antoine de Maximy for the French TV show J'irais dormir chez vous (in English I'll Come Sleep in Your House), during his journey in the United States.

Notes

  1. ↑ The US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.[14][15]

References

  1. ↑ "Halletsville Chamber of Commerce". Halletsville Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  2. ↑ Mary Ramsey, "HALLETTSVILLE, TX," Handbook of Texas Online . Retrieved October 19, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
  3. ↑ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Profile for Hallettsville, Texas, TX". ePodunk. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  8. ↑ Mary Ramsey, "HALLETTSVILLE, TX," Handbook of Texas Online . Retrieved June 8, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
  9. ↑ Climate Summary for Hallettsville, Texas
  10. ↑ "Hallettsville, Texas". March 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  14. ↑ https://www.census.gov/
  15. ↑ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Texas Championship Domino Hall of Fame". Texas Tourism Department. Retrieved January 8, 2007.
  17. ↑ "The Armadillo Jackal Lyrics". Metro Lyrics. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ↑ "Hallettsville". lone-star.net. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Hallettsville". Bastropia. Archived from the original on January 23, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
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