Adrian, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adrian, Texas
City
Entering Adrian
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Oldham
Area
• Total	0.47 sq mi (1.22 km2)
• Land	0.47 sq mi (1.22 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	4,042 ft (1,232 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	128
• Density	272.34/sq mi (105.15/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	79001
Area code(s)	806
FIPS code	48-01324
GNIS feature ID	2409665

Adrian is a small city in Oldham County, Texas, United States. In 2020, about 128 people lived there. This city is easy to find because it's right on Interstate 40 and Texas State Highway 214.

Discovering Adrian's Location

Adrian is in the middle of Oldham County, Texas. It's about 47 miles (75 km) west of a bigger city called Amarillo. The city covers an area of about 0.9 square miles (2.3 square kilometers).

Adrian and Historic Route 66

Adrian is famous for being the exact middle point of the historic Route 66. This means it's 1,139 miles (1,833 km) from both Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California! Signs proudly tell travelers this fact.

The idea of calling Adrian the "midpoint" started in 1995. This was suggested by a travel writer named Tom Snyder.

Midpoint Cafe: A Route 66 Icon

One of the most famous spots in Adrian is the Midpoint Café. This restaurant, built in 1928, was once open 24 hours a day. It was a popular stop for travelers on Route 66. The owner from 1990 to 2012, Fran Houser, even inspired the character Flo from the movie Cars!

Other Fun Places to Visit

Adrian has other cool attractions related to Route 66:

• The Lions Antique Museum shows off old farm and ranch tools from the 1920s to the 1950s.
• A Windmill that gets water from a well drilled by the Rock Island Railroad.
• The Antique Ranch where you can find old treasures and enjoy barbecue.
• The Bent Door Café is a unique building from 1947. It uses parts of an old air traffic control tower! The door is "bent" to match the tower's slanted windows.

Adrian's Early Days

Remnants of more prosperous times along Route 66 in Adrian

Adrian started around 1900. It was planned as a train station and shipping spot by the Rock Island Railroad. One of the first people to settle here was Calvin G. Aten, a former Texas Ranger. The town was named after another early settler, Adrian Cullen.

In 1909, the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway train line was finished through Adrian. A company from Iowa helped bring farmers and business people to the area. J.P. Collier set up a printing press and dug a water well, creating the town's first water system.

By 1910, Adrian had a post office, several stores, and its own newspaper, the Adrian Eagle. About 50 people lived there in 1915. Growth was slow because of long dry periods and trouble getting enough water. Adrian became an important stop for travelers on Route 66 and a place to ship wheat. A large building for storing grain was built in 1929. The town also started a volunteer fire department in the 1940s.

Adrian officially became a city in 1953. It has a mayor and a city council to run things. For many years, the population stayed around 220 people. By 2000, it had gone down to 159. Adrian is one of only two cities in Oldham County.

Population Changes Over Time

The famous Midpoint Café in Adrian

In 2020, the city had 128 people living in 48 households. Most residents were White (86.72%), with a smaller number of people identifying as Hispanic or Latino (11.72%) or Mixed/Multi-Racial (1.56%).

Learning in Adrian

Children in Adrian go to schools that are part of the Adrian Independent School District.

Adrian's Weather

Adrian has a semi-arid climate. This means it's usually dry, but not a desert. It gets some rain, but not a lot.

See also

In Spanish: Adrian (Texas) para niños