Baird, Texas
Encyclopedia
Baird is a city in Callahan County
Callahan County, Texas
*Baird*Belle Plain*Callahan City*Clyde*Cottonwood*Cross Plains*Eula*Putnam-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Callahan County, Texas-External links:* at the University of Texas*...

, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 1,623 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Callahan County
Callahan County, Texas
*Baird*Belle Plain*Callahan City*Clyde*Cottonwood*Cross Plains*Eula*Putnam-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Callahan County, Texas-External links:* at the University of Texas*...

. The city is named after Matthew Baird
Matthew Baird
Matthew Baird was one of the early partners in the Baldwin Locomotive Works.Baird was born in Derry, Ireland, in 1817. His parents brought him to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1821....

, the owner and director of the Texas & Pacific Railway. The railway depot is now the visitor center and a transportation museum. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/hjb1.html

Baird is part of the Abilene, Texas
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...

 Metropolitan Statistical Area
Abilene metropolitan area
The Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in west central Texas that covers three counties—Taylor, Jones, and Callahan. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 160,245 .-Counties:*Callahan*Jones*Taylor-Places with 2,500 to 5,000 people:*Anson*Clyde*Dyess...

.

Geography

Baird is located at 32°23′46"N 99°23′50"W (32.396035, -99.397140).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7 km²), of which, 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (2.60%) is water.

Callahan County Library

The Callahan County Library was started in 1937 by the Baird Wednesday Club, the Pioneer Museum was added in 1940. Both are located on the basement floor of the Callahan County Courthouse. The museum features farm and ranch implements, household items, clothing, barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...

, and documents.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 1,623 people, 677 households, and 429 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 619.0 people per square mile (239.2/km²). There were 806 housing units at an average density of 307.4 per square mile (118.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.51% White, 0.18% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 7.09% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.43% of the population.

There were 677 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.8% 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 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,446, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $21,974 versus $16,298 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $13,951. About 12.3% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Baird is served by the Baird Independent School District
Baird Independent School District
Baird Independent School District is a public school district based in Baird, Texas .In addition to Baird, the district also serves the town of Putnam....

, located at 600 West 7th Street. Baird ISD is classified as a 1A high school.

Interesting facts

  • On June 22, 1993 the town was christened the title "Antique Capital of West Texas".
  • It has one Dairy Queen
    Dairy Queen
    Dairy Queen, often abbreviated DQ, is a chain of soft serve and fast food restaurants owned by International Dairy Queen, Inc, who also owns Orange Julius and Karmelkorn. The name "Dairy Queen" is taken from the name of their soft serve product, which the company refers to as "Dairy Queen" or...

    , five churches, four gas stations, and no grocery store
  • The former Callahan County Jail at 100 W. 5th Street was originally in the nearby ghost town
    Ghost town
    A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...

     of Belle Plain
    Belle Plain, Texas
    Belle Plain is a ghost town in Callahan County, Texas, United States.-History:In 1875, a man named Nelson M. Smith purchased land on which he planned to build a college...

    . When the county seat moved to Baird, the jail was disassembled brick by brick, and reassembled at its current location.
  • Texas author
    Author
    An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

     Lou Halsell Rodenberger
    Lou Halsell Rodenberger
    Molcie Lou Halsell Rodenberger was a Texas author, educator, professor, and journalist.-Early years:Rodenberger was born in the rural Eastland County, Texas, community of Okra to educators, Austin Carl Halsell and the former Mabel Falls...

    (1926–2009) lived much of her later years southeast of Baird, in the small community of Admiral.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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