EAGLE PASS, TEXAS

'Eagle Pass' is a city in Maverick County, Texas, United States. The population was 22,413 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Maverick County.
Eagle Pass borders the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, to the south across the Rio Grande river.

Contents

History

Geography

Demographics

Education

Attractions

HVDC-back-to-back station

Tornado

External links

History

Eagle Pass was the first city United States settlement on the Rio Grande. A temporary camp for a Texas Militia was set up in the area to stop illegal trade with Mexico during the Mexican-American War. The United States Army established Fort Duncan in 1849 a couple of miles upstream from the camp. Trade flourished under the protection of the fort.
In 1850, Rick Pawless opened a trading post called Eagle Pass. In 1871, Maverick County was established and Eagle Pass was named the county seat. During the remainder of the 1800s schools and churches opened, the mercantile and ranching industries grew, and a railway came through.

Geography

Eagle Pass is located at (28.710622, -100.489331).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.2 km² (7.4 mi²). 19.2 km² (7.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.40%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2006, there were 24,847 people, 6,925 households, and 5,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,169.4/km² (3,030.3/mi²). There were 7,613 housing units at an average density of 397.2/km² (1,029.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 2.73% White, 0.27% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 22.71% from other races, and 3.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 94.90% of the population.
There were 6,925 households out of which 43.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.3% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size was 3.69.
In the city the population was spread out with 32.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,623, and the median income for a family was $27,140. Males had a median income of $26,350 versus $17,346 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,414. About 26.0% of families and 29.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.0% of those under age 18 and 39.1% of those age 65 or over.
Eagle Pass resides in Maverick County, the 9th poorest county in the country, due mainly to lack of employment beyond the public sector, and little to no investment from outside the city.

Education

Eagle Pass is served by the Eagle Pass Independent School District.
The district is comprised of roughly 14 elementary schools, two junior high schools and 2 high schools which compete in UIL academics and sports.
In 2006, the school district created two four year high schools, Eagle Pass High School and CC Winn High School. Previously, Eagle Pass High School was for freshmen and sophomores while CC Winn was for juniors and seniors. The decision was in response to the rapid growth the community has been experiencing over the years.
The community is also served by branches of Sul Ross University, in the form of Rio Grande College, and Southwest Texas Junior College.

Attractions

Eagle Pass is home to the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino, the only legal casino in South Texas. It is currently administered by the Kickapoo Indian reservation. In 2006, the owners of the casino were arrested on charges of fraud, as it was reported that they stole an estimated value of one million dollars from their venue, that should have gone to taxes, and the reservation itself.
The Mall de las Aguilas is the only shopping mall in town. Maverick County Lake is a popular location for family gatherings.

HVDC-back-to-back station

In 2000, as part of the power exchange between Texas and Mexico, a HVDC facility equipped with IGBTs was built. This facility, built by ABB, operates at a bipolar voltage of 15.9 kV and has a maximum transfer rate of 36 Megawatts. [1]

Tornado

:''See also Piedras Negras-Eagle Pass Tornado''
On April 24, 2007 at 7:00 p.m CST, a tornado tore through Eagle Pass, causing at least 10 known fatalities and leaving more than 80 injured. Two elementary schools were demolished and almost three hundred people were evactuated to shelters.

External links

★ City Eagle Pass, Texas Official Site

★ Handbook of Texas Online article

★ Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster explains why Eagle Pass is growing

★ Maverick County Judge Pepe Aranda on the Growth of Eagle Pass

★ A Day with the Kickapoo, and Indian tribe with a reservation near Eagle Pass

★ Our Sister City of Piedras Negras, Mexico