Alice, Texas
City of Alice | |
|---|---|
| File:Alice towers.jpg | |
| Nickname: The Hub City | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Jim Wells County |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Grace Saenz-Lopez |
| Population | |
• Total | 19,010 |
| Time zone | CST |
| Website | [1] |
Alice is a city in Jim Wells County, Texas, United States. The population was 19,010 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Jim Wells CountyTemplate:GR. Alice was established in 1888. First it was called Bandana, then Kleberg and finally Alice after Alice Gertrudis King the daughter of Richard King, who established the King Ranch.
Culture
Alice has long been recognized as "The Birthplace of Tejano" dating back to the mid 1940's when Armando Marroquin, Sr. of Alice and partner Paco Bentacourt of San Benito, Texas launched what was to be the first home based recording company to record Tejano artists exclusively. Ideal Records, which was based in Alice, the heart of South Texas and under the direction of Marroquin became the perfect vehicle for Tejano groups and artists to get their music to the public. Marroquin, who also owned and operated a jukebox company, insured that Ideal recordings would be distributed throughout South Texas. The songs recorded, which were contributed by Tejano and Mexican composers became very popular through jukeboxes placed in restaurants, cantinas or any other establishment that would have them, and the then very scarce Spanish language radio programs.
Geography
Alice is located at 27°45′2″N 98°4′14″W / 27.75056°N 98.07056°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (27.750652, -98.070460)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.9 km² (12.3 mi²). 30.8 km² (11.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it (3.25%) is water. The largest body of water in the city limits is Lake Findley, a reservoir north of the city center.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 19,010 people, 6,400 households, and 4,915 families residing in the city. The population density was 616.8/km² (1,597.4/mi²). There were 6,998 housing units at an average density of 227.1/km² (588.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.44% White, 0.86% African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 17.92% from other races, and 2.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 78.05% of the population.
There were 6,400 households out of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,365, and the median income for a family was $34,276. Males had a median income of $32,409 versus $17,101 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,118. About 17.9% of families and 21.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.4% of those under age 18 and 20.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The City of Alice is served by the Alice Independent School District.
Alice Notable People
Nobel Prize Winner Robert F. Curl Jr. was born on August 23, 1933 in Alice, Texas.
Canadian Football League(CFL) Player Chris Brazzell played on the Alice Coyotes Football team. He was drafted to the NFL in 1998 to the New York Jets and was the 174th overall pick in the 6th round. He was released from the Jets and was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys. He played for the Cowboys 1999-2000 but was released August 2001. He has since played for CFL teams such as the Edmonton Eskimos, B.C. Lions, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and currently plays for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
