Valentine, Texas

Valentine, Texas
Town

Location of Valentine, Texas
Coordinates: 30°35′15″N 104°29′44″W / 30.58750°N 104.49556°W / 30.58750; -104.49556Coordinates: 30°35′15″N 104°29′44″W / 30.58750°N 104.49556°W / 30.58750; -104.49556
Country United States
State Texas
County Jeff Davis
Government
  Type Mayor: Jeff Calderon
Area
  Total 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km2)
  Land 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km2)
  Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 4,432 ft (1,351 m)
Population (2010)
  Total 217
  Density 388.8/sq mi (150.1/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
  Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 79854
Area code(s) 432
FIPS code 48-74648[1]
GNIS feature ID 1370547[2]

Valentine is a town in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The population was 187 at the 2000 census. It is the only incorporated municipality in Jeff Davis County. Its name refers to the date of its founding in 1882 by a Southern Pacific Railroad construction crew: February 14. It is one of several cities named Valentine in the United States where the United States Postal Service cancels envelopes for Valentine's Day.

Valentine is also located 1.4 miles from the noted art installation, Prada Marfa (2005), located outside Valentine on U.S. 90.

Cahill, U.S. Marshall was set in Valentine, Texas.

Geography

Valentine is located at 30°35′15″N 104°29′44″W / 30.58750°N 104.49556°W / 30.58750; -104.49556 (30.587504, -104.495498).[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1940499
19505102.2%
1960420−17.6%
1970213−49.3%
198032854.0%
1990217−33.8%
2000187−13.8%
2010134−28.3%
Est. 2015123[4]−8.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 187 people, 72 households, and 55 families residing in the town. The population density was 388.8 people per square mile (150.4/km²). There were 138 housing units at an average density of 286.9 per square mile (111.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.84% White, 0.53% African American, 8.02% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 58.82% of the population.

There were 72 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were married couples living together, 2.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $34,375, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $22,031 versus $33,333 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,136. About 12.8% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.

Climate

Valentine experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with cool, dry winters and hot, dry summers.

Climate data for Valentine, Texas (Jun 1, 1978–Mar 31, 2013)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 83
(28)
84
(29)
90
(32)
98
(37)
101
(38)
108
(42)
106
(41)
103
(39)
100
(38)
96
(36)
86
(30)
80
(27)
108
(42)
Average high °F (°C) 60.3
(15.7)
65.0
(18.3)
72.0
(22.2)
80.0
(26.7)
87.7
(30.9)
93.8
(34.3)
92.1
(33.4)
90.3
(32.4)
86.0
(30)
78.9
(26.1)
68.3
(20.2)
60.6
(15.9)
77.9
(25.5)
Daily mean °F (°C) 43.6
(6.4)
47.8
(8.8)
54.0
(12.2)
61.6
(16.4)
70.0
(21.1)
77.4
(25.2)
77.5
(25.3)
76.0
(24.4)
71.1
(21.7)
62.8
(17.1)
51.7
(10.9)
44.1
(6.7)
61.5
(16.4)
Average low °F (°C) 27.0
(−2.8)
30.5
(−0.8)
36.0
(2.2)
43.3
(6.3)
52.2
(11.2)
60.9
(16.1)
62.9
(17.2)
61.6
(16.4)
56.3
(13.5)
46.6
(8.1)
35.1
(1.7)
27.7
(−2.4)
45.0
(7.2)
Record low °F (°C) 3
(−16)
−7
(−22)
12
(−11)
21
(−6)
31
(−1)
43
(6)
51
(11)
50
(10)
39
(4)
17
(−8)
8
(−13)
0
(−18)
−7
(−22)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.42
(10.7)
0.46
(11.7)
0.24
(6.1)
0.42
(10.7)
0.77
(19.6)
1.99
(50.5)
2.46
(62.5)
2.22
(56.4)
2.11
(53.6)
1.33
(33.8)
0.50
(12.7)
0.53
(13.5)
13.44
(341.4)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.6
(1.5)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.1
(0.3)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.1
(0.3)
0.7
(1.8)
1.6
(4.1)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.001 in) 2.59 2.19 2.06 1.63 3.77 6.19 8.21 8.06 6.19 4.00 1.94 2.56 48.84
Source: Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute[7]

Government and infrastructure

The United States Postal Service operates the Valentine Post Office.[8] On Valentine's Day many people send postcards to Valentine, Texas. In July 2011 the USPS announced that the post office may close.[9]

Entertainment

Valentine is home to, as one politician puts it, "the greatest ever West Texas Valentine's Day celebration." Hosted by the Big Bend Brewing Company of Alpine, TX, as many as 1,000 people invade Valentine on Valentine's Day from points as close as Valentine itself, Marfa, and Alpine, to the far away places of Chicago and Cleveland. In 2014, the west Texas brewery served free cups of beer while Gary P. Nunn played live on stage, under the moonlit night and stars.[10] At 10:43pm, one conscientious observer, who was known to be Yankee by birth (but Texan by hope), remarked that the festivity's relative coordinate, on its corresponding value map, was squarely in the top right quadrant.

Education

Valentine is served by the Valentine Independent School District which operates Valentine School.

Earthquake

On August 16, 1931, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck near Valentine, causing extensive damage. The earthquake was the most powerful ever recorded in Texas.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  4. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  6. "US COOP Station Map". Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  7. "VALENTINE, TEXAS (419270), Period of Record Monthly Climate Summary". Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  8. "Post Office™ Location - VALENTINE." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on July 26, 2011. "311 W CALIFORNIA AVE VALENTINE, TX"
  9. Weisman, Laura. "Nine Houston post offices marked for closure (with poll)." Houston Chronicle. July 26, 2011. Retrieved on July 26, 2011.
  10. "Ramón Rentería: Valentine had its day on Valentine's Day". Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  11. "Historic Earthquakes: Near Valentine, Texas". United States Geological Survey. 2009-01-30. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
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