Editing Victoria, Texas (section)

==History==
[[File:Old Victoria Courthouse.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Old Victoria Courthouse]]
{{See also|De León's Colony (Texas)}}The city of Guadalupe Victoria was founded in 1824 by Martín De León, a Mexican [[empresario]], in honor of [[Guadalupe Victoria]], the first President of the [[Mexico|Republic of Mexico]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde08|title=DE LEON, MARTIN|last=Roell|first=Craig H.|date=2010-06-12|website=tshaonline.org|language=en|access-date=2017-03-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317123520/https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde08|archive-date=2017-03-17|url-status=live}}</ref> Victoria was initially part of [[De León's Colony]], which had been founded that same year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ued01|title=DE LEON'S COLONY|last=Roell|first=Craig H.|date=2010-06-12|website=tshaonline.org|language=en|access-date=2017-03-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801033604/https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ued01|archive-date=2017-08-01|url-status=live}}</ref> By 1834, the town had a population of approximately 300.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hdv01|title=VICTORIA, TX|last=Shook|first=Robert W.|date=2010-06-15|website=tshaonline.org|language=en|access-date=2017-03-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320051856/https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hdv01|archive-date=2017-03-20|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the [[Texas Revolution]], Guadalupe Victoria contributed soldiers and supplies to pro-revolutionary forces. However, after [[James Fannin]] was defeated by the Mexican army at the [[Battle of Coleto]], the town was occupied by Mexican forces.<ref name=":0" /> After [[Antonio López de Santa Anna|Santa Anna]] was defeated at the [[Battle of San Jacinto]], the town's Mexican residents were driven out by Anglo settlers, who renamed it Victoria.

In 1840, a [[Comanche]] raid on nearby [[Linnville, Calhoun County, Texas|Linnville]] killed many residents of the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/btl01|title=LINNVILLE RAID OF 1840|last=Roell|first=Craig H.|date=2010-06-15|website=tshaonline.org|language=en|access-date=2017-03-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319200011/https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/btl01|archive-date=2017-03-19|url-status=live}}</ref> A [[cholera]] outbreak occurred in 1846.<ref name=":0" />

During the mid-19th century, the city developed a large population of European immigrants, particularly Germans.<ref name=":0" />  By the turn of the 20th century, Victoria was experiencing rapid population growth thanks to its position as a regional trade center. The city's advantageous proximity to Gulf Coast ports, the larger cities of [[Austin, Texas|Austin]], [[Corpus Christi, Texas|Corpus Christi]], [[Houston]], and [[San Antonio]], and prosperous industries in agriculture and [[petrochemical]]s solidified its prominence.<ref name=":0" />

The [[University of Houston–Victoria]] was founded in 1971 and remains there today.

In 2017, the Victoria Islamic Center mosque was destroyed by an arson attack.<ref name=IChist>{{cite web |url=http://www.victoriaislamiccenter.com/our-history/ |title=Our History |publisher= Victoria Islamic Center}}</ref><ref name="victoriaadvocatedestroyed">{{cite news|last1=Wilcox|first1=Jon|title=Fire destroys mosque; cause undetermined (w/video) |url=https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2017/jan/28/breaking-fire-consumes-victoria-islamic-center/ |access-date=January 31, 2017 |work=Victoria Advocate |date=January 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130194533/https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2017/jan/28/breaking-fire-consumes-victoria-islamic-center/ |archive-date=January 30, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> A 25-year-old Victoria man was convicted of the crime and sentenced to prison.<ref name=NYTStack>{{cite news|last1=Stack |first1=Liam |title=Hate Crime Charge for Man Accused in Texas Mosque Fire |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/22/us/hate-crime-charge-for-man-accused-in-texas-mosque-fire.html?module=WatchingPortal&region=c-column-middle-span-region&pgType=Homepage&action=click&mediaId=thumb_square&state=standard&contentPlacement=21&version=internal&contentCollection=www.nytimes.com&contentId=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F06%2F22%2Fus%2Fhate-crime-charge-for-man-accused-in-texas-mosque-fire.html&eventName=Watching-article-click |access-date=June 24, 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 22, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Update: Arsonist Marq Vincent Perez gets 24-year federal prison sentence |publisher= Victoria Advocate |date=Oct 17, 2018 |url=https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/crime/update-arsonist-marq-vincent-perez-gets-24-year-federal-prison-sentence/article_39cfeb16-d21f-11e8-89c1-3f12fe348ad9.html }}</ref> A documentary film, ''A Town Called Victoria'', was produced about the incident.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.documentary.org/screening/docuclub-la-town-called-victoria |title=DocuClub LA: A Town Called Victoria |date=February 24, 2020 |publisher=Documentary.org}}</ref><ref name=TOWN>{{cite web |url=https://www.atowncalledvictoria.com/ |title=A TOWN CALLED VICTORIA |publisher= ATCV LLC, Reel South, ITVS, in association with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and PBS}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2023-11-13/a-town-called-victoria-pbs-mosque-arson |work=Los Angeles Times |title='A Town Called Victoria' shows how 2017 mosque arson rocked tight-knit Texas community |first=Maira |last=Garcia |date=Nov 13, 2023 }}</ref>