Bronte, Texas

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Bronte, Texas
Town
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Country United States
State Texas
County Coke
Area
 • Total 1.4 sq mi (3.7 km2)
 • Land 1.4 sq mi (3.7 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 1,795 ft (547 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 999
 • Density 710/sq mi (270/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 76933
Area code(s) 325
FIPS code 48-10528[1]
GNIS feature ID 1372729[2]

Bronte (/ˈbrɒnt/ BRONT) is a town in Coke County, Texas, United States. The population was 999 at the 2010 census.[3]

Texas State Senator Grady Hazlewood, who served from the Amarillo-based District 31 from 1941-1971, was born in 1902 in Coke County near Bronte.

Geography

Bronte is located at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (31.887046, -100.294947).[4]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2), all of it land.

Although named for English novelist Charlotte Brontë[5] the town name is pronounced as one syllable: "brahnt".[6]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1910 635
1920 529 −16.7%
1930 671 26.8%
1940 754 12.4%
1950 1,020 35.3%
1960 999 −2.1%
1970 925 −7.4%
1980 983 6.3%
1990 962 −2.1%
2000 1,076 11.9%
2010 999 −7.2%
Est. 2014 974 [7] −2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

As of the census[1] of 2000, 1,076 people, 426 households, and 293 families resided in the town. The population density was 748.0 people per square mile (288.5/km²). There were 502 housing units at an average density of 349.0 per square mile (134.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.06% White, 0.19% Native American, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 8.55% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.07% of the population.

Of 426 households, 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were not families. About 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.2% 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 3.00.

In the town, the population was distributed as 26.9% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $28,150, and for a family was $37,625. Males had a median income of $30,769 versus $14,135 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,869. About 10.4% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

As of 2007, the largest employer in Bronte was the Coke County Juvenile Justice Center, followed by the Bronte Independent School District. During that year, Gerald Sandusky, the mayor of Bronte, estimated the juvenile facility employed 180 people, and 30-35% of the juvenile center's employees lived in Coke County.[9]

Government and infrastructure

The Coke County Juvenile Justice Center, located in unincorporated Coke County, south of Bronte,[10] was a 200-bed secure facility operated by the GEO Group (formerly Wackenhut Corrections Corp.) and contracted by the Texas Youth Commission (TYC). Originally designed for girls, it was changed into an all boy facility in 1998.[11] In 2007, after the TYC inspected the facility, the TYC moved the approximately 200 youth it contracted to the center out of the Coke County facility and caused it to close.[12] During the life of the Coke County facility, Wackenhut received criticism from the media for how it operated the center.[13] Coke County officials criticized the closing, saying that the closing was politically motivated.[9]

Education

The town is served by the Bronte Independent School District. The district provided educational services for the inmates at Coke County Juvenile Justice Center, and 21 district employees were based at the center. During that year, Alan Richey, the superintendent of Bronte ISD, estimated 40% of the enrollment in the school district consisted of children who were incarcerated in the center. The superintendent said the district lost $2 million in funding as a result of the closure of the juvenile facility.[9]

References

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  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Salazar, Maribel. "TYC center shutdown stuns Bronte officials." Abilene Reporter-News. October 2, 2007. Retrieved on July 5, 2010.
  10. "Facility Address List." Texas Youth Commission. February 2, 2002. Retrieved on May 6, 2010.
  11. "Coke County Juvenile Justice Center Audit." (PDF version) Texas Youth Commission. Retrieved on July 5, 2010.
  12. Hughes, Polly Ross and Clay Robison. "Houston legislator launches probe of prison contractor." Houston Chronicle. October 5, 2007. Retrieved on July 5, 2010.
  13. "Locked Inside A Nightmare." 60 Minutes. May 2000. Retrieved on July 5, 2010.