Editing La Ward, Texas (section)

==History==
The community emerged on the coastal prairie in 1904 with the arrival of the [[St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway]].<ref name="Texas Escapes">{{cite web | url = http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasGulfCoastTowns/La-Ward-Texas.htm | title = La Ward, Texas | work = | publisher = Texas Escapes Online Magazine | date =  | accessdate = 2009-10-29}}</ref> It was named for Lafayette Ward, a local person who became a leader in introducing [[Hereford cattle|Hereford]], [[Brahman cattle|Brahman]], and [[Jersey cattle|Jersey]] cattle to Texas.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwa49 | title = Ward, Lafayette | work = | publisher = [[The Handbook of Texas]] online | date =  | accessdate = 2009-10-29}}</ref> By 1914, La Ward had developed into a cattle and shipping center. The community had its own independent school district and an estimated population of 200 in 1940. That number would rise to around 300 by the early 1960s. La Ward's population declined to 247 in 1970, to 218 in 1980, and to 162 in 1990. It increased to 200 in 2000, a 23 percent increase over the 1990 figure.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hll05 | title = La Ward, Texas | work = | publisher = [[The Handbook of Texas]] online | date =  | accessdate = 2009-10-29}}</ref>