Lelia Lake, Texas
Encyclopedia
Lelia Lake is an unincorporated community
in central Donley County
, Texas
, United States
. It lies along U.S. Route 287
southeast of the city of Clarendon
, the county seat
of Donley County. Its elevation is 2,592 feet (790 m). Although Lelia Lake is unincorporated, it has a post office
, with the ZIP code
of 79240; the ZCTA
for ZIP code 79240 had a population of 101 at the 2000 census
.
Founded along the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway
in the late 1880s, the community was named for the founder's sister. When a post office was opened in the community in late 1906, the potential of confusion with the community of Lela in Wheeler County to the northeast led the Post Office to attach "Lake" to the community's name. A school was established in the community in 1894. Historically, Lelia Lake has been a center of grain traffic and of watermelon
growing.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in central Donley County
Donley County, Texas
Donley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 3,828. It is named for Stockton P. Donley, a frontier lawyer. Its county seat is Clarendon....
, 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...
. It lies along U.S. Route 287
U.S. Route 287
U.S. Route 287 is a north–south United States highway. It is long. It serves as the major truck route between the Texas cities of Fort Worth and Amarillo...
southeast of the city of Clarendon
Clarendon, Texas
Clarendon is a city in Donley County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,974 at the 2000 census. The county seat of Donley County, Clarendon is located on United States Highway 287 in the Texas Panhandle some sixty miles east of Amarillo. It was established in 1878 by Methodist clergyman L.H...
, 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 Donley County. Its elevation is 2,592 feet (790 m). Although Lelia Lake is unincorporated, it has a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, with the ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
of 79240; the ZCTA
ZIP Code Tabulation Area
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are statistical entities developed by the United States Census Bureau for tabulating summary statistics from Census 2000. This new entity was developed to overcome the difficulties in precisely defining the land area covered by each ZIP code...
for ZIP code 79240 had a population of 101 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
Founded along the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway
Fort Worth and Denver Railway
The Fort Worth and Denver Railway , nicknamed "the Denver Road," was a class I American railroad company that operated in the northern part of Texas from 1881 to 1982, and had a profound influence on the early settlement and economic development of the region....
in the late 1880s, the community was named for the founder's sister. When a post office was opened in the community in late 1906, the potential of confusion with the community of Lela in Wheeler County to the northeast led the Post Office to attach "Lake" to the community's name. A school was established in the community in 1894. Historically, Lelia Lake has been a center of grain traffic and of watermelon
Watermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
growing.
External links
- Community profile from the Handbook of Texas OnlineHandbook of TexasThe Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...