Del Rio, Texas
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Del Rio is the county seat of Val Verde CountyTemplate:GR,United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 33,867.
Del Rio is known as the American address of legendary Mexican radio stations XERA in the 1930's and XERF in the 1940's, 50's and early 60's. The gigantic one-of-a-kind transmitter powered each of these stations just over the U.S.-Mexico border in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila and could be heard as far away as Canada.
Del Rio is also home to Laughlin Air Force Base, the busiest pilot training base in the United States Air Force.
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History
The Spanish established a small settlement south of the Rio Grande in present day Mexico and, some Spaniards settled on what became the United States side of the Rio Grande as early as the 18th century, but true development of the U.S. side of the Rio Grande did not begin until after the American Civil War.
The San Felipe Springs, about 7 miles east of the Rio Grande on the U.S. side of the border, produces 90 millions of gallons of water a day. Developers acquired several thousand acres of land adjacent to the springs, and the San Felipe Creek formed by the springs, from the State of Texas in exchange for building a canal system to irrigate the area. The developers sold tracts of land surrounding the canals to recover their investment and show a profit. These investors formed the San Felipe Agricultural, Manufacturing, and Irrigation Company in 1868. The organization completed construction of a network of irrigation canals in 1871. Residents referred to the slowly developing town as San Felipe del Rio because local lore said the name came from early Spanish explorers who offered a Mass at the site on St. Philip's Day, 1635.
In 1883 local residents requested a post office be established. The United States Postal Department shortened "San Felipe del Rio" to "Del Rio" to avoid confusion with San Felipe de Austin. In 1885 Val Verde County was organized and Del Rio became the county seat. The City of Del Rio was incorporated November 15, 1911.
Geography
Image:TXMap-doton-DelRio.PNG Del Rio is located at 29°22'15" North, 100°53'45" West (29.370716, -100.895839)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.0 km² (15.4 mi²). 40.0 km² (15.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.06% is water.
Del Rio lies at the southwestern corner of the Edwards Plateau, the western fringe of the Texas Hill Country. The Plateau is dotted with numerous small springs; one of these is the San Felipe Springs, which provide a constant flow of water to San Felipe Creek. The creek supplied fresh water for drinking and irrigation to early settlers of Del Rio and is still the town's water supply.
One of the more noteworthy events that takes place in Del Rio is the annual bulldog-stuffing contest, where contestants compete with each other to stuff the most bulldogs into a sack in three minutes. The world record is 8 held by a mysterious man called "tigerball", who shoved 9 ornery bulldogs in a burlap sack in 1999.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 33,867 people, 10,778 households, and 8,514 families residing in the city. The population density was 846.9/km² (2,194.0/mi²). There were 11,895 housing units at an average density of 297.5/km² (770.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.08% White, 1.21% African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 17.79% from other races, and 2.68% from two or more races. 81.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 10,778 households out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.56.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,387, and the median income for a family was $30,788. Males had a median income of $27,255 versus $17,460 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,199. 27.0% of the population and 22.9% of families were below the poverty line. 35.8% of those under the age of 18 and 26.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Education
The city is served by the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District.
All of Del Rio is served by Del Rio High School.