Jump to content

College Station, Texas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by CRKingston (talk | contribs) at 19:27, 1 December 2006 (replaced category with a more specific category). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

City of College Station, Texas
Official Logo of City of College Station, Texas
City nicknames: "Aggieland", "heart of the Research Valley"
Location of College Station
Location in the State of Texas
County Brazos County
Mayor Ron Silvia
Area
 - Land
 - Water 		104.5 km²
104.4 km²
0.1 km²
Population
 - Total (2005)
 - Density 		192,603 (metropolitan area)
81,699
768.4/km²
Time zone
 - Summer (DST) 		CST (UTC−6)
CDT (UTC−5)
Latitude
Longitude 		30°36'5" N
96°18'52" W
Official website: City of College Station

College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, near the boundary area between East Texas and Central Texas. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, approximately equidistant from three of the 10 largest cities in the United States. It is 152 km (95 mi) north of Houston, 267 km (166 mi) northeast of San Antonio and 268 km (169 mi) south of Dallas. The population estimate as of 2006 is 82,429.

Together College Station and Bryan make up the Bryan-College Station Metropolitan area, the sixteenth largest Metropolitan area in Texas with around 190,000 people.

College Station is home to the main campus of Texas A&M University, one of the premier universities of Texas and the flagship institution of The Texas A&M University System. The city owes both its name and existence to the university's location along the railroad. Texas A&M's triple designation as a Land-, Sea-, and Space-Grant institution reflects the broad scope of the research endeavors it brings to the city, with ongoing projects funded by agencies such as NASA, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.

Due largely to the size of Texas A&M University, College Station was named by Money Magazine in 2006 as the most educated city in Texas, and the 11th most educated city in the United States.[1]

Law and Government

The City of College Station was incorporated in 1938 and has been operated under a council-manager form of government. The council-manager form is the system of local government that combines strong political leadership, representative democracy through elected officials, and professional management. The form establishes a representative form of government by concentrating all power in the elected city council. The council hires a professionally trained and educated city manager to oversee the delivery of public services and the daily operations of the City. Council members are part time volunteers who serve as the policy making board for the City's government.

Historical Events

  • 1860: The Houston and Texas Central Railway built through the area.
  • 1871: The site was chosen as the location for the proposed A&M College of Texas.
  • 1876: The first public institution of higher education in Texas was opened, Texas A&M University.
    • 1884: Population reaches 350
    • 1900: Population reaches 391
  • 1910: Electric Interurban service is established between Texas A&M College and Bryan, Texas
  • 1910: Business district known as Northgate began development.
  • 1920: The interurban was replaced by the city bus system.
  • 1930: Community north of College Station (North Oakwood) incorporated with Bryan, Texas
  • 1938: College Station is incorporated ( John H. Binney was the first mayor )
  • 1939: A zoning commission was established for the city.
    • 1940: Population reaches 2,184.
  • 1942: Ernest Langford, called by some the "Father of College Station," was elected mayor, an office he held for the next twenty-six years.
  • 1943: College Station moved to council-manager city government.
    • 1950: Population reaches 7,898.
    • 1960: Population reaches 11,396.
    • 1970: Population reaches 17,676
    • 1980: Population reaches 30,449
    • 1990: Population reaches 52,456.
  • 1997: George Bush Presidential Library opens in College Station
  • 1999: Twelve are killed and 27 injured when a huge bonfire structure under construction at the Texas A&M University campus collapsed. ( See: Aggie Bonfire )
    • 2000: Population reaches 67,890.
    • 2005: Population reaches 81,699. (October 2005)
View from top of Kyle Field looking north in College Station, Texas

Geography and climate

College Station is located at 30°36′5″N 96°18′52″W / 30.60139°N 96.31444°W / 30.60139; -96.31444Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (30.601433, -96.314464)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 104.4 km² (40.3 mi²). 104.3 km² (40.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.10%) is water.

Area Lakes cover 728 km² (180,000 acres) and include Somerville Lake, Lake Conroe, Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Lake Limestone, Lake Bryan and many others.

The local climate is subtropical and temperate and winters are mild with periods of low temperatures usually lasting less than two months. Snow and ice are extremely rare. Summers are warm and hot with occasional showers being the only real variation in weather.

  • Average annual rainfall: 1000 mm (39 inches)
  • Average elevation: 112 m (367 feet) above sea level
  • Average Temperature: 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit)
  • Agricultural Resources: Cattle, corn, cotton, eggs, hay, sorghum
  • Mineral Resources: Sand, gravel, lignite, gas, oil

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 67,890 people, 24,691 households, and 10,370 families residing in the city. The population density was 651.1/km² (1,686.5/mi²). There were 26,054 housing units at an average density of 249.9/km² (647.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.53% White, 5.45% African American, 0.30% Native American, 7.29% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 4.47% from other races, and 1.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any ethnicity/nationality were 9.96% of the population.

There were 24,691 households out of which 21.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.2% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 58.0% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 14.4% under the age of 18, 51.2% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 9.4% from 45 to 64, and 3.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $21,180, and the median income for a family was $53,147. Males had a median income of $38,216 versus $26,592 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,170. About 15.4% of families and 37.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Districts

Northgate

  • A mixed use district just north of Texas A&M University and what some may call the original downtown of College Station. Northgate is a vibrant part of the city and is known for its live music scene and eclectic mix of restaurants and bars.

Wolf Pen Creek District

Business parks

  • Business Center at College Station
    • A 800,000 m² (200 acre), Class "A" Business Center just eight kilometers (5 miles) from the University. Current residents include firms involved in telecommunications, software development and technology manufacturing.
  • Spring Creek Corporate Campus
    • A 400,000 m² (100 acre), Class "A" Business Center just minutes from the University. A green-belt surrounds most of the Campus will provide a buffer between the new development and adjacent land uses which include the Pebble Creek Country Club and Woodland Hills Subdivision.
  • Texas A&M University Research Park
    • This 1.3 km² (324 acre) Research Park was established to provide businesses direct partnering opportunities with Texas A&M University. Several companies and non-profit research interests have located in the park including Hewlett Packard, Schlumberger, Lynntech, the Institute of Food Science and Engineering, the Electron Beam Food Research Facility and the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program to name just a few.
  • Crescent Pointe
    • Crescent Pointe is a master planned, mixed-use development made up of approximately 777,000 m² (192 acres). The development has frontage on University Drive (Highway 60) and Harvey Road (Highway 30).

Transportation

Mass Transit

  • The District (formerly Brazos Valley Transit Authority) provides public bus transportation in the Bryan/College Station area.
  • Texas A&M Transportation Services provides bus transportation throughout College Station and Bryan for students, faculty, and staff of Texas A&M University. On Texas A&M football game days, the department provides additional park-and-ride service to and from Kyle Field.

Airports

Regional

International

Major roads

Railroads

Economy

  • Local unemployment hovers under two percent, among the lowest in the nation.
  • Cost of living is as affordable as anywhere in the state.

List of Major Employers

Sports facilities

Media and journalism

Television stations

College Station is part of the Waco, Texas television market, which is ranked #95 according to the Nielsen ratings.

Radio stations

College Station is part of the Bryan-College Station Arbitron market #238.

Area newspapers

Area magazines

Education

Area colleges and universities

Area Independent Schools

Area school districts

Tallest buildings

Surrounding cities

Nearest cities

Nearest major cities

  • Cities with population over 500,000 within 300 km (200 miles)
    • Houston, Texas 152 km (95.1 miles) (Population: 1,953,631, Metro Population: 4,986,399)
    • Austin, Texas 173 km (107.7 miles) (Population: 656,562)
    • San Antonio, Texas 267 km (169 miles) (Population: 1,144,646)
    • Fort Worth, Texas 278 km (173 miles) (Population: 534,694, Metro Population: 5,222,000)
    • Dallas, Texas 268 km (187 miles) (Population: 1,188,580, Metro Population: 5,222,000)

Notable people who have lived in College Station

See also: List of Texas A&M University people

Points of interest

Sister cities

See also

Template:Geolinks-US-cityscale

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=College_Station,_Texas&oldid=91434204"