Kirbyville, Texas
Encyclopedia
Kirbyville is a city in Jasper County, 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 2,085 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Kirbyville is located at 30°39′33"N 93°53′49"W (30.659203, -93.896852).

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 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), of which, 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²) of it is land and 0.41% is water.

Historical development

The town was first established in 1895 when the Gulf, Beaumont and Kansas City railroad reached the site. It was first named Kirby for John Henry Kirby
John Henry Kirby
John Henry Kirby was a businessman whose ventures made him arguably the largest lumber manufacturer in Texas and the Southern United States. In addition to serving two terms in the Texas Legislature, he would also establish the Kirby Petroleum Company...

, a lumber businessman who intended to use the site for building a facility to market his lumber. The post office was established the same year, but the name was changed to Kirbyville when it was discovered that a town called Kirby
Kirby, Texas
Kirby is a city in Bexar County, Texas, United States. It is an enclave of San Antonio and is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area. Founded as an agricultural settlement along the Southern Pacific railroad, the city was transformed into a suburban community upon its incorporation...

 already existed.

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 2,085 people, 828 households, and 550 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 856.1 people per square mile (329.9/km²). There were 931 housing units at an average density of 382.2 per square mile (147.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.31% White, 21.20% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 1.20% 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 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.69% of the population.

There were 828 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% 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, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 79.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,438, and the median income for a family was $32,381. Males had a median income of $30,144 versus $20,060 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 $12,839. About 22.6% of families and 26.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Kirbyville is served by the Kirbyville Consolidated Independent School District
Kirbyville Consolidated Independent School District
Kirbyville Consolidated Independent School District is a public school district based in Kirbyville, Texas .Located in Jasper County, a small portion of the district extends into Newton County....

.

Notable residents

  • Ivory Joe Hunter
    Ivory Joe Hunter
    Ivory Joe Hunter was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, and pianist. After a series of hits on the US R&B chart starting in the mid 1940s, he became more widely known for his hit recording, "Since I Met You Baby" . He was billed as The Baron of the Boogie, and also known as The...

    , R&B singer born in Kirbyville in 1914
  • Ernest "Bubba" Bean
    Bubba Bean
    Earnest Ray "Bubba" Bean is a former American football running back with the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League . He was drafted ninth overall in the first round of the 1976 NFL Draft. Bubba played three seasons for the Falcons, 1976 through 1979...

    , graduated from Kirbyville High School in 1971 and was a standout running back at Texas A&M University
    Texas A&M University
    Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...

     as well as with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons
    Atlanta Falcons
    The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

    .
  • Tommy Stanley
    Tommy Stanley
    Tommy Stanley is an American singer-songwriter originally from Cushing, Oklahoma, served in the United States Navy as an engineer's mate on the USS Kitty Hawk....

    , Singer/Songwriter graduated from Kirbyville High School in 2004 and was on NBC
    NBC
    The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

    's Nashville Star
    Nashville Star
    Nashville Star is an American reality television program. It was transmitted during mid-2008 on NBC, following five seasons on USA Network. It premiered on March 8, 2003, and its five seasons on USA made it the longest-running competition series on cable television. In Canada, the show aired on CMT...

    in 2008 placing 8th out of 65,000 people
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