Editing Valentine, Texas

{{About|the town|the Mitski song|Laurel Hell}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Valentine, Texas
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =
<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = 2014-07-26 Valentine City Limit.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = 
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =
<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = TXMap-doton-Valentine.PNG
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Valentine, Texas
|image_map1               = JeffDavis County Valentine.svg
|mapsize1                 = 250px
|map_caption1             =
<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Texas]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Texas|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Jeff Davis County, Texas|Jeff Davis]]
<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_name              = Jeff Calderon{{cn}}
|leader_title1            = Mayor
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =
<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_48.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 1.26
|area_land_km2            = 1.26
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 0.49
|area_land_sq_mi          = 0.49
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 73
|population_density_km2   = 57.93
|population_density_sq_mi = 148.97
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 4436
|coordinates              = {{coord|30|35|17|N|104|29|54|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 79854
|area_code                = [[Area code 432|432]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 48-74648<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2413416<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2413416}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
}}

'''Valentine''' is a town in [[Jeff Davis County, Texas|Jeff Davis County]], [[Texas]], United States. Its population was 134 at the 2010 census,<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web| url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4874648| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Valentine town, Texas| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American Factfinder| access-date=December 7, 2018| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213094516/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4874648| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref> down from 187 at the 2000 census.

==Description==

The town is the only incorporated municipality in Jeff Davis County. Its name refers to the date of its founding in 1882 by a [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] construction crew: February 14. It is one of several cities named Valentine in the United States where the [[U.S. Postal Service]] cancels envelopes for [[Valentine's Day]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://texashighways.com/blog/item/7008-50from-valentine-with-love |title=From Valentine, With Love |last=Rodriguez |first=Lois M. |date=February 3, 2014 |work=Texas Highways |access-date=December 19, 2017 |language=en-gb |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222052718/http://texashighways.com/blog/item/7008-50from-valentine-with-love |archive-date=December 22, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The noted art installation ''[[Prada Marfa]]'' (2005) is located {{convert|1.5|mi}} northwest of Valentine on [[U.S. Route 90 in Texas|U.S. Route&nbsp;90]]. The Valentine resident and artist [[Boyd Elder]] (1944–2018) served as its caretaker.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-fake-prada-store-texas-desert-art-mecca |title=The Fake Prada Store in the Texas Desert That Became an Art Mecca |first=Alina |last=Cohen|date=May 25, 2018 |work=Artsy }}</ref>

==Geography==

Valentine is located in western Jeff Davis County along U.S. Route 90. The highway leads northwest {{convert|38|mi}} to [[Interstate 10]] at [[Van Horn, Texas|Van Horn]], and southeast {{convert|35|mi}} to [[Marfa, Texas|Marfa]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|1.26|km2|order=flip}}, all land.<ref name="Census 2010"/> The town sits in a flat basin between the [[Davis Mountains]] {{convert|15|mi}} to the east and the [[Sierra Vieja]] {{convert|11|mi}} to the west.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population|align=left
|1890= 100
|1900= 140
|1910= 300
|1920= 250
|1930= 629
|1940= 499
|1950= 510
|1960= 420
|1970= 213
|1980= 328
|1990= 217
|2000= 187
|2010= 134
|2020= 73
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===

{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Valentine racial composition'''<br> (''NH = Non-Hispanic'')<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US1266725&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |access-date=March 5, 2022 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>{{efn|Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.<ref>https://www.census.gov/ {{nonspecific|date=August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About the Hispanic Population and its Origin |url=https://www.census.gov/topics/population/hispanic-origin/about.html |website=www.census.gov |access-date=May 18, 2022}}</ref>}}
!Race
!Number
!Percentage
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] (NH)
|16
|21.92%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] (NH)
|1
|1.37%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed/Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|6
|8.22%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]
|50
|68.49%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''73'''
|
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 73 people, 56 households, and 41 families residing in the town.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 187 people, 72 households, and 55 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|388.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 138 housing units at an average density of {{convert|286.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 89.84% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.53% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 8.02% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.60% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 58.82% of the population.

There were 72 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 2.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $34,375, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $22,031 versus $33,333 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $16,136. About 12.8% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 13.2% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.{{clear left}}

==Climate==

Valentine experiences a [[semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''BSk'') with cool, dry winters and hot, dry summers.
{{Weather box
|single line=  yes
|collapsed = Yes
|location= Valentine, Texas (1991–2020)
|Jan record high F = 83
|Feb record high F = 87
|Mar record high F = 91
|Apr record high F = 98
|May record high F = 102
|Jun record high F = 108
|Jul record high F = 106
|Aug record high F = 103
|Sep record high F = 100
|Oct record high F = 96
|Nov record high F = 86
|Dec record high F = 80
|year record high F= 108
|Jan high F= 60.8
|Feb high F= 66.3
|Mar high F= 73.3
|Apr high F= 81.1
|May high F= 88.6
|Jun high F= 94.5
|Jul high F= 92.3
|Aug high F= 91.4
|Sep high F= 86.6
|Oct high F= 79.9
|Nov high F= 69.3
|Dec high F= 61.1
|year high F=
|Jan mean F=44.1
|Feb mean F=48.5
|Mar mean F=54.8
|Apr mean F=62.3
|May mean F=70.5
|Jun mean F=77.9
|Jul mean F=77.9
|Aug mean F=76.8
|Sep mean F=71.7
|Oct mean F=63.2
|Nov mean F=51.9
|Dec mean F=44.7
|year mean F=
|Jan low F= 27.4
|Feb low F= 30.7
|Mar low F= 36.3
|Apr low F= 43.5
|May low F= 52.4
|Jun low F= 61.3
|Jul low F= 63.5
|Aug low F= 62.3
|Sep low F= 56.8
|Oct low F= 46.5
|Nov low F= 34.6
|Dec low F= 28.3
|year low F=
|Jan record low F = 3
|Feb record low F = -7
|Mar record low F = 12
|Apr record low F = 21
|May record low F = 31
|Jun record low F = 43
|Jul record low F = 51
|Aug record low F = 50
|Sep record low F = 39
|Oct record low F = 17
|Nov record low F = 8
|Dec record low F = 0
|year record low F= -7
|precipitation colour=green
|Jan precipitation inch= 0.63
|Feb precipitation inch= 0.43
|Mar precipitation inch= 0.37
|Apr precipitation inch= 0.36
|May precipitation inch= 0.71
|Jun precipitation inch= 1.76
|Jul precipitation inch= 2.40
|Aug precipitation inch= 1.36
|Sep precipitation inch= 1.75
|Oct precipitation inch= 1.20
|Nov precipitation inch= 0.57
|Dec precipitation inch= 0.58
|year precipitation inch=
|Jan snow inch = 1.1
|Feb snow inch = 0.0
|Mar snow inch = 0.0
|Apr snow inch = 0.0
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.1
|Dec snow inch = 0.3
|year snow inch=1.5
|unit precipitation days = 0.001 in
|Jan precipitation days = 2.59
|Feb precipitation days = 2.19
|Mar precipitation days = 2.06
|Apr precipitation days = 1.63
|May precipitation days = 3.77
|Jun precipitation days = 6.19
|Jul precipitation days = 7.21
|Aug precipitation days = 5.06
|Sep precipitation days = 4.19
|Oct precipitation days = 4.00
|Nov precipitation days = 1.94
|Dec precipitation days = 2.56
|year precipitation days=
|source 1= Weather Atlas<ref name="NOAA">{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/us-climate-normals/ |title=Valentine, Texas, USA - Monthly weather forecast and Climate data |publisher=NOAA |access-date=October 26, 2021 }}</ref>
|source 2= [[Western Regional Climate Center]], [[Desert Research Institute]]<ref name="ValWeather">{{Cite web|publisher=Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute|title=VALENTINE, TEXAS (419270), Period of Record Monthly Climate Summary|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?tx9270|access-date=May 3, 2015}}</ref>
|date=May 2015}}

==Government and infrastructure==
The [[United States Postal Service]] operates the Valentine Post Office.<ref>"[http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/valentine-311-w-california-ave-valentine-tx-1385634 Post Office™ Location - VALENTINE]." [[United States Postal Service]]. Retrieved on July 26, 2011. "311 W CALIFORNIA AVE VALENTINE, TX"</ref> On [[Valentine's Day]] many people send postcards to Valentine, Texas. In July 2011 the USPS announced that the post office may close.<ref>Weisman, Laura. "[http://blog.chron.com/newswatch/2011/07/nine-houston-post-offices-marked-for-closure/#424-10 Nine Houston post offices marked for closure (with poll)]." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. July 26, 2011. Retrieved on July 26, 2011.</ref>

==Transportation==
Valentine is located on [[U.S. Route 90 in Texas|US 90]], 35 miles (58 km) north of [[Marfa, Texas|Marfa]], and 40 miles (64 km) south of [[Van Horn, Texas|Van Horn]]. 

[[Amtrak]]’s [[Sunset Limited]] passes through the town on [[Union Pacific]] tracks, but makes no stop. A stop is located 60 miles (96 km) to the southeast in [[Alpine station|Alpine]].

==Education==
[[Valentine Independent School District]] is the local district.

All of Jeff Davis County is zoned to [[Odessa College]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm|title=Sec. 130.193. ODESSA COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.}}</ref>

==Entertainment==
[[File:2013-05-17 everywhere is a ghosttown here (Hi Waf Cafe, Valentine TX).jpg|thumb|Hi Way Cafe in Valentine, May 2013]]
Valentine is home to, as one politician puts it, "the greatest ever West Texas Valentine's Day celebration."  Hosted by the Big Bend Brewing Company of [[Alpine, Texas|Alpine]], Texas, as many as 1,000 people come to Valentine on [[Valentine's Day]] from points as close as Valentine itself, Marfa, and Alpine, to places such as [[Chicago]] and [[Cleveland]]. In 2014, the west Texas brewery served free cups of beer while [[Gary P. Nunn]] played live on stage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_25154740/valentine-had-its-day-valentines-day|title=Ramón Rentería: Valentine had its day on Valentine's Day|access-date=February 17, 2014}}</ref>

==Earthquake==
On August 16, 1931, [[1931 Valentine earthquake|a magnitude 5.8 earthquake]] struck near Valentine, causing extensive damage. The earthquake was the most powerful ever recorded in Texas.<ref name=Historic>{{cite web|url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/events/1931_08_16.php|title=Historic Earthquakes: Near Valentine, Texas|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=January 30, 2009|access-date=January 15, 2010}}</ref>

==See also==
{{stack|{{portal|Texas}}}}
* [[List of municipalities in Texas]]

==References==
{{reflist|22em}}
{{notelist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Valentine, Texas}}
* [https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hlv01 Handbook of Texas Online article]
* [http://www.westtexasweekly.com/ ''West Texas Weekly''], a local weekly newspaper

{{Jeff Davis County, Texas}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Texas]]
[[Category:Towns in Jeff Davis County, Texas]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1882]]
[[Category:1882 establishments in Texas]]