Milano, Texas
Encyclopedia
Milano is a city in Milam County, Texas
, United States
, located at the intersection of U.S. Route 79
and State Highway 36, twelve miles southeast of Cameron
, the county seat
. Its population was 400 at the time of the 2000 census, and, in July 2005, it was estimated at 421.
On November 5, 1960, Country music
singer Johnny Horton
was killed by a drunk driver on Highway 79 near Milano on his way home from a performance at the Skyline Club in Austin
, Texas.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 2 square miles (5.2 km²), of which, 2 square miles (5.2 km²) of it is land and 0.51% is water.
laid out the original site of Milano in 1874, about a mile and a half west of the city's present site. A United States
post office
opened there the same year. Soon, a Baptist
church was also established in the area. The community around Milano became a voting precinct in 1880.
Local sources offer several possibilities for the origin of the name "Milano." One story suggests that the town was simply named after Milan, Italy, because of similarities in the climate, but truly, the climate of Milan
in Northern Italy
, is cold and continental; another says that the name was supposed to have been "Milam," but the United States Post Office Department
either got it wrong or changed it intentionally because another Milam, Texas, already existed.
Nevertheless, when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad Company
built the section of track between Brenham and Belton
in 1881, it established the town of Milano Junction at the railway's intersection with the International-Great Northern, about two miles east of Milano. As the focus of social and economic life shifted to the new town, Milano became "Old Milano" and Milano Junction became Milano. By the late 1880s, Milano was a commercial hub, with 500 residents, and served as a shipping point for cotton and hides produced in the area. Truck farming became an important industry for Milano in the 1920s, with tomatoes, watermelon
, and cantaloupes as the principal crops.
The small city of Milano reached its population peak in 1939, when approximately 920 residents were reported to be living there. The number of local residents began to decline in the early 1940s, and fell to a low of 380 by the early 1970s, before beginning to grow again in the late 1970s. By the time Milano was finally incorporated in the early 1980s, the city officially had 468 residents.
Milano is the birthplace of renowned High School Journalism Teacher Ray Westbrook.
of 2000, there were 400 people, 151 households, and 112 families residing in the city. The population density
was 205.3 people per square mile (79.2/km²). There were 192 housing units at an average density of 98.5/sq mi (38.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.00% White, 11.75% African American, 2.00% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 3.50% from other races
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.50% of the population.
There were 151 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples
living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 23.2% 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 2.65 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,750, and the median income for a family was $37,292. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $19,107 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,771. About 14.6% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
:
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...
, located at the intersection of U.S. Route 79
U.S. Route 79
U.S. Route 79 is a north–south United States highway. The route is a northeast-southwest diagonal, with both east–west segments and north–south segments equally mixed. The highway's northern terminus is in Russellville, Kentucky, at an intersection with U.S. Highway 68 and KY 80...
and State Highway 36, twelve miles southeast of Cameron
Cameron, Texas
Cameron is a city in Milam County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,634 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Milam County.-Geography:Cameron is located at . It is situated at the junction of U.S...
, 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....
. Its population was 400 at the time of the 2000 census, and, in July 2005, it was estimated at 421.
On November 5, 1960, Country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Johnny Horton
Johnny Horton
John Gale "Johnny" Horton was an American country music and rockabilly singer most famous for his semi-folk, so-called "saga songs" which began the "historical ballad" craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s...
was killed by a drunk driver on Highway 79 near Milano on his way home from a performance at the Skyline Club in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas.
Geography
Milano is located at 30°42′33"N 96°51′48"W (30.709190, -96.863420).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 square miles (5.2 km²), of which, 2 square miles (5.2 km²) of it is land and 0.51% is water.
History
The International-Great Northern Railroad CompanyInternational-Great Northern Railroad
The International – Great Northern Railroad was a railroad that operated in the U.S. state of Texas. It was created on September 30, 1873, when International Railroad and Houston and Great Northern Railroad merged....
laid out the original site of Milano in 1874, about a mile and a half west of the city's present site. A United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
opened there the same year. Soon, a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church was also established in the area. The community around Milano became a voting precinct in 1880.
Local sources offer several possibilities for the origin of the name "Milano." One story suggests that the town was simply named after Milan, Italy, because of similarities in the climate, but truly, the climate of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
in Northern Italy
Northern Italy
Northern Italy is a wide cultural, historical and geographical definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the northern part of the Italian state, also referred as Settentrione or Alta Italia...
, is cold and continental; another says that the name was supposed to have been "Milam," but the United States Post Office Department
United States Post Office Department
The Post Office Department was the name of the United States Postal Service when it was a Cabinet department. It was headed by the Postmaster General....
either got it wrong or changed it intentionally because another Milam, Texas, already existed.
Nevertheless, when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad Company
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway
The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway was a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in eastern Texas and to Purcell, Oklahoma.- Nineteenth Century :...
built the section of track between Brenham and Belton
Belton, Texas
Belton is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,623 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bell County.Belton is part of the Killeen – Temple – Fort Hood metropolitan area.-Geography:...
in 1881, it established the town of Milano Junction at the railway's intersection with the International-Great Northern, about two miles east of Milano. As the focus of social and economic life shifted to the new town, Milano became "Old Milano" and Milano Junction became Milano. By the late 1880s, Milano was a commercial hub, with 500 residents, and served as a shipping point for cotton and hides produced in the area. Truck farming became an important industry for Milano in the 1920s, with tomatoes, 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...
, and cantaloupes as the principal crops.
The small city of Milano reached its population peak in 1939, when approximately 920 residents were reported to be living there. The number of local residents began to decline in the early 1940s, and fell to a low of 380 by the early 1970s, before beginning to grow again in the late 1970s. By the time Milano was finally incorporated in the early 1980s, the city officially had 468 residents.
Milano is the birthplace of renowned High School Journalism Teacher Ray Westbrook.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 400 people, 151 households, and 112 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 205.3 people per square mile (79.2/km²). There were 192 housing units at an average density of 98.5/sq mi (38.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.00% White, 11.75% African American, 2.00% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 3.50% 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...
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.50% of the population.
There were 151 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% 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, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 23.2% 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 2.65 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,750, and the median income for a family was $37,292. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $19,107 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 $13,771. About 14.6% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The City of Milano is served by the Milano Independent School DistrictMilano Independent School District
Milano Independent School District is a public school district based in Milano, Texas, U.S.A., at 500 N. 5th Street.In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.-Schools:...
:
- Milano Elementary School (grades PK-5)
- Milano Junior High School (grades 6-8)
- Milano High School (grades 9-12)