Editing Jasper, Texas (section)

===21st century===
In 2000, Jasper had 8,247 residents and around 250 businesses.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=16000US4837420&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=jasper&_cityTown=jasper&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= |title=Jasper city, Texas – Population Finder – American FactFinder<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2007-08-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317040034/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=16000US4837420&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=jasper&_cityTown=jasper&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= |archive-date=2008-03-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Jasper was one of the primary locations for the recovery of the [[Space Shuttle Columbia|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'']] wreckage in February 2003.

Jasper was greatly affected by [[Hurricane Rita]] on September 25, 2005, as it moved inland. The city suffered considerable damage and was left without power or potable water for about three and a half weeks.

The Jasper Arboretum Project began in 2000, and the Outdoor Learning Center was added in 2012 to create {{convert|14|acre}} of public gardens, walking trails, a master gardener greenhouse, and a nature classroom.<ref>{{ cite web
|title=Arboretum and Outdoor Learning Center
|url=http://jasper.agrilife.org/jasper-arboretum-project/
|author=Jasper AgriLife Extension Service}}</ref>

In 2012, Jasper returned to national attention during a bitterly fought political feud over the hiring and firing of Jasper's first black police chief, Rodney Pearson.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Stahl|first=Lori|date=2012-06-15|title=Racial tension still an issue in Jasper, Texas|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/post/racial-tension-still-an-issue-in-jasper-texas/2012/06/15/gJQAYOtbfV_blog.html|access-date=2021-11-26|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en-US}}</ref> To fire Pearson, two black city council members were recalled in the narrowly divided city.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/us/in-jasper-texas-racial-tensions-flare-again.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|title = Racial Tensions Flare Anew in a Texas Town|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 22 June 2012|last1 = Fernandez|first1 = Manny}}</ref> Free of [[Voting Rights Act of 1965#Preclearance requirement|Voting Rights Act preclearance requirements]], Jasper is moving to annex largely white suburbs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/06/why-the-voting-rights-act-still-matters/373541/|title = Jasper, Texas, Shows Why the Voting Rights Act Still Matters|website = [[The Atlantic]]|date = 26 June 2014}}</ref> The feud highlighted Jasper's persistent struggle with [[racism in the United States|racism]] throughout its history.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/us/in-jasper-texas-racial-tensions-flare-again.html |title=In Jasper, Texas, Racial Tensions Flare Again |last=Fernandez |first=Manny |date=2012-06-21 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2017-04-13 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

On [[Hurricane Beryl tornado outbreak|July 8, 2024]], the western part of Jasper was struck by a low-end EF2 tornado that was spawned by the outer bands of [[Hurricane Beryl]]. Many trees, power poles, and structures were damaged, and one person was injured.<ref name="DAT">{{Cite web |last1=Branches of the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |last2=National Weather Service |last3=National Severe Storms Laboratory |date=2024 |title=Damage Assessment Toolkit |url=https://apps.dat.noaa.gov/stormdamage/damageviewer/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=DAT |publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce]] |author2-link=National Weather Service |author3-link=National Severe Storms Laboratory }}</ref><ref>{{cite report|author=National Weather Service in Lake Charles, Louisiana|title=NWS Damage Survey for 07/08/2024 Tornado Event|url=https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/wx/afos/p.php?pil=PNSLCH&e=202407092026|publisher=National Weather Service|date=July 9, 2024|access-date=July 9, 2024}}</ref>