Stafford, Texas
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Stafford is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown Metropolitan Area. Stafford is mostly located in Fort Bend County with a small portion in Harris County. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 15,681.
Due to its abundance of revenue-generating industry and prime business location between Sugar Land and Houston, Stafford has perhaps one of the most unique and financially strong municipal governments in the state of Texas.
The city has the only municipal school district (Stafford Municipal School District) in all of Texas. Stafford is served by the Houston Community College System and has a campus within the city.
Stafford does not have a municipal property tax as of 1995 and the sales tax is 0.5% less than all of the surrounding cities. Even though it is known as a bedroom community of the greater Houston area, it is estimated that four times as many people work in Stafford on a week day, which is evidence of the large amount of commercial activity that helps the city financially. Many corporations both large and small including United Parcel Service, Texas Instruments, and Tyco all maintain significant operations in Stafford.
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Geography
Image:TXMap-doton-Stafford.PNG Stafford is located at 29°37'27" North, 95°33'48" West (29.624186, -95.563359)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.1 km² (7.0 mi²). None of the area is covered with water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 15,681 people, 5,865 households, and 4,035 families residing in the city. The population density was 867.4/km² (2,247.1/mi²). There were 6,390 housing units at an average density of 353.5/km² (915.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 46.95% White, 18.85% African American, 0.43% Native American, 19.80% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 10.53% from other races, and 3.39% from two or more races. 23.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,865 households out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 38.5% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 4.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $50,323, and the median income for a family was $58,736. Males had a median income of $41,270 versus $31,761 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,803. 6.6% of the population and 5.4% of families were below the poverty line. 7.7% of those under the age of 18 and 2.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Education
In 1977, Stafford broke away from the Fort Bend Independent School District, which caused several rounds of federal litigation and by 1981 its was finally declared that the Stafford Municipal School District was constitutional. Almost all of Stafford was in FBISD, with a miniscule portion in the Houston Independent School District. All of Stafford is now zoned to the Stafford Municipal School District, which is the only school district in all of Texas that is controlled by the city. Students living outside the city limits, in Stafford's extraterritorial jurisdiction, are served by the Fort Bend Independent School District.
The city is served by Houston Community College System.
When Stafford was a part of Fort Bend ISD, Staffordshire Elementary, a school for African-Americans, was located in Stafford. Staffordshire closed when Fort Bend ISD desegregated.
Fort Bend County Libraries has the Mamie George Branch located within the city limits of Stafford.
External links
- Stafford official website
- Stafford Municipal School District
- Handbook of Texas article on Stafford, Texas
Template:Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown MSA
