Ballinger, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ballinger, Texas
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Ballinger Texas City Hall
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| Motto(s):
The Greatest Little Town in Texas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Runnels |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.50 sq mi (9.07 km2) |
| • Land | 3.50 sq mi (9.06 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,627 ft (496 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 3,619 |
| • Density | 1,020/sq mi (400/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
76821
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| Area code(s) | 325 |
| FIPS code | 48-05456 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1372383 |
Ballinger (/ˈbælɪndʒər/ BAL-in-jər) is a city in Runnels County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,619 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Runnels County. Downtown Ballinger features historic 1800s buildings with shops and restaurants.
Contents
History
Ballinger was founded in 1886. It was established when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built a railway west from Brownwood. Runnels City, the original county seat, campaigned for selection as the new railroad terminal, but the future site of Ballinger, five miles to the south, offered a better water supply.
The 1.7-square-mile area was laid out in large lots, with a courthouse square and public park set aside for future use. Santa Fe officials offered free property to anyone who would move a home from Runnels City to Ballinger and to any church that would erect a building.
The town was named in honor of William Pitt Ballinger, a Galveston attorney and stockholder of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe.
Ballinger was incorporated in 1892.
In 1911, Ballinger opened the Ballinger Carnegie Library, built with funds donated by Andrew Carnegie. By 1975, the building was in disrepair. The Ballinger Bicentennial Committee organized a renovation effort, and the library was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geography
Ballinger is located at 31°44′N 99°57′W / 31.733°N 99.950°W (31.7409, –99.9538). It is located in the transition zone from the Edwards Plateau to the Texas Southern Plains region of West Texas.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.7 km2), of which 0.0019 square miles (0.005 km2), or 0.06%, is covered by water.
Ballinger is about 70 miles (110 km) south of Abilene.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Ballinger has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.
| Climate data for Ballinger, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1897–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 90 (32) |
98 (37) |
100 (38) |
104 (40) |
110 (43) |
116 (47) |
112 (44) |
114 (46) |
110 (43) |
105 (41) |
98 (37) |
92 (33) |
116 (47) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 59.0 (15.0) |
63.1 (17.3) |
70.5 (21.4) |
79.4 (26.3) |
85.9 (29.9) |
92.2 (33.4) |
95.5 (35.3) |
95.1 (35.1) |
88.2 (31.2) |
79.4 (26.3) |
68.0 (20.0) |
59.9 (15.5) |
78.0 (25.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 45.1 (7.3) |
49.2 (9.6) |
56.9 (13.8) |
65.1 (18.4) |
73.3 (22.9) |
80.3 (26.8) |
83.5 (28.6) |
83.1 (28.4) |
76.2 (24.6) |
66.0 (18.9) |
54.7 (12.6) |
46.4 (8.0) |
65.0 (18.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 31.2 (−0.4) |
35.2 (1.8) |
43.2 (6.2) |
50.9 (10.5) |
60.7 (15.9) |
68.5 (20.3) |
71.5 (21.9) |
71.1 (21.7) |
64.1 (17.8) |
52.6 (11.4) |
41.5 (5.3) |
32.8 (0.4) |
51.9 (11.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −6 (−21) |
−4 (−20) |
8 (−13) |
24 (−4) |
33 (1) |
44 (7) |
46 (8) |
47 (8) |
35 (2) |
16 (−9) |
8 (−13) |
−3 (−19) |
−6 (−21) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.01 (26) |
1.52 (39) |
1.79 (45) |
1.56 (40) |
3.08 (78) |
3.07 (78) |
1.67 (42) |
2.41 (61) |
2.57 (65) |
2.20 (56) |
1.45 (37) |
1.04 (26) |
23.37 (594) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.2 (0.51) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.6 (1.5) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 3.8 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 54.4 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 1,128 | — | |
| 1910 | 3,536 | 213.5% | |
| 1920 | 2,767 | −21.7% | |
| 1930 | 4,187 | 51.3% | |
| 1940 | 4,472 | 6.8% | |
| 1950 | 5,302 | 18.6% | |
| 1960 | 5,043 | −4.9% | |
| 1970 | 4,203 | −16.7% | |
| 1980 | 4,207 | 0.1% | |
| 1990 | 3,975 | −5.5% | |
| 2000 | 4,243 | 6.7% | |
| 2010 | 3,767 | −11.2% | |
| 2020 | 3,619 | −3.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 2,001 | 55.29% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 79 | 2.18% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 12 | 0.33% |
| Asian (NH) | 15 | 0.41% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 5 | 0.14% |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 13 | 0.36% |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 100 | 2.76% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,394 | 38.52% |
| Total | 3,619 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,619 people, 1,449 households, and 860 families residing in the city.
Education
The city is served by the Ballinger Independent School District and is home to the Ballinger High School Bearcats.
Notable people
- David W. Guion, a widely performed classical composer and arranger of American folk music
- Hal Underwood, a professional golfer, won the European Tour
Sports
Ballinger was home of the minor league baseball team the Ballinger Cats from the 1920s to its disbandment in the late 1950s. They were affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds from 1947 to 1950, as well with the bygone St. Louis Browns in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Notable Areas
- The Olde Park Hotel is reported as haunted. According to one of the previous owners, Jeanette Findlay has identified 30 beings present in the hotel. The hotel's reputation has resulted in it appearing in paranormal television programming. As recent as 2019, it was visited by paranormal investigator and actor Chad Lindberg. The hotel is to be featured in the Travel Channel television show Fright Club, hosted by Jack Osbourne.
- The Ballinger Park is a 55 acre Park on the north and east shores of Lake Ballinger. This park houses a multipurpose sport complex, the Mickey Corso Community Clubhouse, a 42 acre natural park area and a boat launch. The sports complex consists of a full length multipurpose sports field used for baseball, softball and soccer. The playground amenities include two play structures and picnic tables.
The natural park area is a former nine-hole golf course converted to a natural area with nature trails, ponds, hall creek and is adjacent to the Interurban Trail to the west and the Lakeview Trail to the east. A Master Plan for this area of the park was adopted in 2015.
See also
In Spanish: Ballinger para niños
