Utopia, Texas
Encyclopedia
Utopia is a census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...

 (CDP) in Uvalde County, Texas
Uvalde County, Texas
Uvalde County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 25,926. Its county seat is Uvalde. The county is named for Juan de Ugalde, the Spanish governor of Coahuila. Uvalde County was founded by Reading Wood Black who also founded the city of Uvalde,...

, United States. The population was 241 at the 2000 census.

History

The citizens of the earlier settlement of Waresville renamed their city Utopia after finding 'Montana, Texas,' had already been taken. To this day the cemetery is named for Waresville. A planned utopian community nearby was cancelled after the failure of La Reunion
La Reunion (Dallas)
La Réunion was a socialist utopian community formed in 1855 by French, Belgian, and Swiss colonists near the forks of the Trinity River in Texas, USA. The Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas is about three miles east of the colony site. The founders of the community were inspired by the utopian...

 near Dallas discouraged colonizers. The nearby city of Castroville
Castroville, Texas
Castroville is a city in Medina County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,664 at the 2000 census. Prior to 1893, Castroville was the first county seat of Medina County....

 was founded by French (Alsatian
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...

) settlers.

Geography

Utopia is located at 29°36′59"N 99°31′36"W (29.616402, -99.526623).

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 CDP has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.6 km²), all of it land.

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 241 people, 111 households, and 69 families residing in the CDP. 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 81.6 people per square mile (31.5/km²). There were 127 housing units at an average density of 43.0/sq mi (16.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.36% White, 0.41% Native American, 4.56% 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 1.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.30% of the population.

There were 111 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 27.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $28,281, and the median income for a family was $35,893. Males had a median income of $25,714 versus $16,667 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 CDP was $18,608. About 15.5% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under the age of eighteen and 21.5% of those sixty five or over.

Utopia in popular culture

  • Film:
    • Seven Days in Utopia
      Seven Days in Utopia
      Seven Days in Utopia is the inspirational drama sport film directed by Matt Russell, starring Robert Duvall, Lucas Black, and Melissa Leo.The film is based on the 2009 book Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia by Dr. David Lamar Cook, a psychologist who received a Ph.D...

      (2011) filmed primarily in Utopia
      Utopia, Texas
      Utopia is a census-designated place in Uvalde County, Texas, United States. The population was 241 at the 2000 census.-History:The citizens of the earlier settlement of Waresville renamed their city Utopia after finding 'Montana, Texas,' had already been taken. To this day the cemetery is named...

       as well as at the Boot Ranch golf club just north of Fredericksburg, and featuring Academy Award Winner Robert Duvall
      Robert Duvall
      Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....

       and Lucas Black
      Lucas Black
      Lucas York Black is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles in the CBS television series American Gothic as well as roles in films such as Sling Blade, Jarhead, Friday Night Lights, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Legion, Get Low, and All the Pretty Horses.-Personal...

      . Based on the book Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia, Grand Rapids : Zonderevan, 2009. ISBN 9780310318859

Further Reading

External links

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