Levelland, Texas
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Levelland is a city located in Hockley County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 12,866. It is the county seat of Hockley CountyTemplate:GR. It is located on the Llano Estacado, west of Lubbock. Major industries include cotton farming and petroleum production. It is the home of South Plains College.
Levelland is famous as the site of a well-publicized series of UFO sightings. On the evening of November 2, 1957 at least a dozen motorists driving on various highways around Levelland claimed to see a large, egg-shaped object which emitted a blue glow and caused their automobiles to shut off. In most cases the object was sitting either on the highway or close to it. When the object took off, the vehicles would restart and work normally. Among the witnesses to the UFO were Weir Clem, Levelland's sheriff, and the town's fire chief. The United States Air Force dismissed the sightings and auto failures as having been caused by ball lightning. However, several prominent UFO researchers, among them Dr. James McDonald, a physicist at the University of Arizona and Dr. J. Allen Hynek, an astronomer at Northwestern University, disputed this explanation. Hynek remarked that "there is a complete absence of evidence that ball lightning can stop automobiles."
Geography
Image:TXMap-doton-Levelland.PNG Levelland is located at 33°35'5" North, 102°22'20" West (33.584701, -102.372275)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.7 km² (9.9 mi²). 25.7 km² (9.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.20% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 12,866 people, 4,574 households, and 3,361 families residing in the city. The population density was 500.8/km² (1,296.5/mi²). There were 5,186 housing units at an average density of 201.8/km² (522.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.34% White, 5.36% African American, 0.95% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 20.92% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. 39.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,574 households out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 14.0% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,820, and the median income for a family was $32,408. Males had a median income of $29,800 versus $20,042 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,296. 20.2% of the population and 15.7% of families were below the poverty line. 25.8% of those under the age of 18 and 13.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.