Cotulla, Texas: Difference between revisions
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Cotulla (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>) is a city in and the county seat of La Salle County, Texas, United States.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Its population was 3,718 as of the 2020 census.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
[edit]Immigrant Joseph Cotulla, who was reared in Silesia, then a part of Prussia, migrated to the United States in the 1850s. He joined the Union Army in Brownsville, Texas. He lived in Atascosa County, but arrived in La Salle County in 1868<ref name=lmt/> to establish what became a large ranching operation. After learning that the International-Great Northern Railroad intended to lay tracks in La Salle County, he worked to establish the town that bears his name.
In 1881, Cotulla donated 120 acres of his land to the railroad, and in 1882, a depot was constructed there. In 1883, the town was granted a post office. The same year, Cotulla became the county seat by special election.<ref name=leffler>Template:Cite web</ref>
Joseph Cotulla's great-grandson, William Lawrence Cotulla (born around 1936), a former storekeeper in Cotulla, is a rancher in La Salle, Dimmit, and Webb Counties. In a 2013 interview with the Laredo Morning Times, William Cotulla noted the community of his birth has changed completely in less than 80 years, having gone through several phases, beginning with emphasis on farming, then ranching, thereafter hunting leases, and now petroleum and natural gas through the Eagle Ford Shale boom.<ref name=lmt>Ricardo R. Villarreal, "City experiences tremendous growth, activity due to oil and gas production", Laredo Morning Times, June 29, 2013, pp. 1, 12A</ref> With declining gasoline prices, though, the Eagle Ford boom took a sharp downturn by the fall of 2015.<ref>Jennifer Hiller, "Hard Times Hit Eagle Ford", San Antonio Express-News, January 3, 2016, pp. 1, A20</ref>
In 1973, two railroad locomotives collided in Cotulla, and three people were killed as a result.<ref name=glenewinkel>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2008, the area around Cotulla burned in a huge grass fire.
Geography
[edit]Cotulla is located at Template:Coord (28.434144, –99.236343). This is 81 mi (147 km) southwest of San Antonio.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Template:Convert, all land. The Nueces River flows through southern Cotulla in a southeastward direction to the Gulf of Mexico, near Corpus Christi.
Climate
[edit]According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Cotulla has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
[edit]2020 census
[edit]| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 424 | 11.4% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 9 | 0.24% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 1 | 0.03% |
| Asian (NH) | 4 | 0.11% |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 5 | 0.13% |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 31 | 0.83% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3,244 | 87.25% |
| Total | 3,718 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,718 people, 1,485 households, and 1,110 families residing in the city.
2000 census
[edit]As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, 3,614 people, 1,208 households, and 901 families were residing in the city. The population density was 1,831.8 people per mi2 (708.3/km2). The 1,504 housing units averaged 762.3 per mi2 (294.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 83.45% White, 0.64% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 12.67% from other races, and 2.35% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 83.56% of the population.
Of the 1,208 households, 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were not families. About 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95, and the average family size was 3.50.
In the city, the age distribution was 33.6% under 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,250, and for a family was $25,951. Males had a median income of $21,199 versus $17,415 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,856. About 27.9% of families and 30.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.0% of those under age 18 and 28.1% of those age 65 or over.
Law and government
[edit]The La Salle County Courthouse in downtown Cotulla has undergone extensive renovation.
Education
[edit]- Cotulla is within the Cotulla Independent School District. Cotulla High School, with grades 9–12, is located east of town. The modern structure is divided into several noncontiguous units.Template:Citation needed
Notable people
[edit]- Josh Beckett, retired Major League Baseball pitcher, owns Herradura Ranch, a Template:Convert deer-hunting enclave located about Template:Convert from Cotulla
- Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, was the wealthiest person in the world, as of December 2017. His maternal ancestors were settlers who lived in Texas. Over the generations, the family acquired a Template:Convert ranch in Cotulla<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- John Lewis Gaddis, known as the "Dean of Cold War Historians", was born in Cotulla in 1941
- O. Henry, the short story writer, lived on a sheep ranch near Cotulla in the early 1880s with the successful goal of improving his health in the dry climate
- Lyndon B. Johnson, U.S. President; taught public school in Cotulla from 1928 to 1929<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- Hailey Kinsel, three-time world champion barrel racer, was born and raised on her parents' cattle ranch near Cotulla<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Phil Lyne, a former rodeo cowboy and 1979 ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee, resides in Cotulla<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- J.B. Mauney, an American professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bull riding, and competes in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) and Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuits, he is a two time PBR World Champion in 2013 and 2015. He resides in Cotulla.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Kevin Patrick Yeary, judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, was born in Cotulla and raised in Laredo<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
References
[edit]<references/> Template:Notelist
External links
[edit]- Handbook of Texas Online article
- Cotulla Airport (Page Aviation)
Template:La Salle County, Texas Template:Texas Template:Texas county seats