Cleburne, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cleburne, Texas
City
Johnson County courthouse
Motto(s):  "This is Texas"
Location in Johnson County and the state of Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Johnson
Established	March 23, 1867
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
Area
• Total	38.60 sq mi (99.97 km2)
• Land	35.70 sq mi (92.46 km2)
• Water	2.90 sq mi (7.52 km2)
Elevation	817 ft (249 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	31,352
• Density	812.23/sq mi (313.614/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	76031, 76033
Area code(s)	817, 682
FIPS code	48-15364
GNIS feature ID	2409480

Cleburne (pronounced KLEE-burn) is a city in Johnson County, Texas, United States. It's the main city and the place where the county government is located. In 2020, about 31,352 people lived there. The city is named after Patrick Cleburne, a famous general from the Civil War. A nearby lake, Lake Pat Cleburne, which provides water to the city, is also named after him.

History of Cleburne

Main Street in Cleburne in the 1910s

Cleburne is the third "county seat" for Johnson County. A county seat is the city where the county government offices are. The first county seat, Wardville, is now under Lake Pat Cleburne. Cleburne was first known as Camp Henderson, a temporary camp during the American Civil War. Soldiers from Johnson County would leave from here to go to war. The city officially became a city in 1871.

Cleburne was located near an early road and had water from West Buffalo Creek. This made it a good stopping point for cowboys moving cattle along the Chisholm Trail.

In 1886, a group called the Texas Farmers' Alliance met in Cleburne. They created a list of 17 political ideas, known as the Cleburne Demands. This was an important document for farmers who wanted more fairness in the late 1800s. In 1900, the Texas State Federation of Labor, a group for workers, was also started in Cleburne.

Cleburne was mostly a farming area until the Santa Fe Railroad built a large facility there in 1898. This brought many jobs, and the city's population grew quickly. By 1920, over 12,000 people lived in Cleburne. Other railroads also connected Cleburne to nearby cities like Dallas and Egan, helping the city grow even more.

During World War 2, Cleburne had a camp for German prisoners of war. These prisoners helped by working on local farms.

In 1985, the city was involved in a case with the Supreme Court of the United States. This happened after the city was sued over a special building permit.

Cleburne is now part of the larger Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex area. Many people have moved to Cleburne as the nearby big cities have grown.

On May 15, 2013, a strong tornado hit Cleburne. It was rated EF-3, meaning its winds were between 136 and 165 miles per hour. The tornado damaged about 600 homes and two schools. Luckily, no one was killed or seriously hurt.

Geography of Cleburne

Cleburne is located in the western part of Johnson County, about 30 miles south of Fort Worth. The city of Joshua is to its north, and Keene is to its east. U.S. Route 67 goes around the north side of the city. This highway leads east to Alvarado and west to Stephenville.

State Highways 171 and 174 run through the middle of Cleburne on Main Street. Highway 171 goes northwest to Cresson and southeast to Hillsboro. Highway 174 goes north to Burleson and southwest to Meridian.

Cleburne has a total area of about 38.6 square miles. Most of this is land, but about 2.9 square miles are covered by water. East and West Buffalo Creek flow through the center of Cleburne. These creeks eventually flow into the Nolan River, which is part of the larger Brazos River system.

Climate in Cleburne

People in Cleburne

In 2020, there were 31,352 people living in Cleburne. These people made up 10,982 households and 7,441 families.

Fun Things to Do in Cleburne

The City of Cleburne Parks and Recreation Department has many fun places for kids and families.

• Splash Station is a water park with slides and pools for all ages.
• The Cleburne Sports Complex is a huge area with seven baseball/softball fields, two football fields, and 20 soccer fields.
• The Depot at Cleburne Station is a baseball stadium with 1,750 seats. It's home to the Cleburne Railroaders, a professional baseball team.
• Plaza Theatre Company is a theater in Cleburne's historic downtown. It's a "theatre-in-the-round," meaning the audience sits all around the stage. They put on family-friendly musicals and comedies all year.
• Historic Downtown Cleburne has many interesting shops. You can find seven antique malls, many boutiques, and restaurants. There's also The Published Page, a large independent bookstore, and Songbird Live, a place to enjoy live music. All these are within a few blocks of the Courthouse.
• The Johnson County Chisholm Trail Museum is an outdoor museum. It's located where Wardville, the first county seat, used to be. You can see the oldest log courthouse in Texas, a one-room schoolhouse, a jail, a blacksmith shop, and a restored stagecoach. There's also the Big Bear Native American Museum.
• Other museums include the Cleburne Railroad Museum and the Layland Museum.
• Cleburne State Park is about 12 miles west of the city. It's a great place for fishing in Cedar Lake, camping, swimming, and hiking on trails.

What Cleburne Does for Work

Cleburne has several major employers that provide many jobs for its residents.

• Walmart has a Supercenter store and a large distribution center, employing many people.
• The Cleburne Independent School District is also a big employer, with hundreds of teachers and staff.
• The city and county governments also provide many jobs.
• Other important companies include Johns Manville, Texas Resources Harris Methodist Hospital, Greenbrier rail service, Supreme Corporation of Texas, and Broan-Nutone.
• Recently, there's been a growth in natural gas companies, bringing more jobs to the area.
• Fun Town RV, a large RV dealer, also has its main office and sales center in Cleburne, employing many people.

Schools in Cleburne

The city of Cleburne is served by the Cleburne Independent School District.

• The main high school is Cleburne High School.
• The district also has the Team School and Phoenix, which are alternative schools.
• For grades 6 through 8, there are two middle schools: A.D. Wheat Middle School and Lowell Smith Middle School.
• Elementary schools for kindergarten through grade 5 include Adams, Coleman, Cooke, Gerard, Irving, Marti, and Santa Fe.
• There is also a private school called Cleburne Christian Academy for students aged 4 through grade 12.
• For students who want to continue their education after high school, Hill College has a campus in Cleburne.

Cleburne High School Sports

Cleburne High School is part of UIL district 8-5A for sports. Their most famous sports stadium is called Yellow Jacket Stadium, but everyone calls it "the Rock." It's special because it's mostly made of stone and was built a long time ago in 1934. Football and soccer games are played there.

Famous People from Cleburne

Many notable people have come from Cleburne, including:

• William H. Bledsoe, a politician in Texas.
• Johnny Carroll, a rockabilly singer.
• Pat Culpepper, an All-American football player.
• Donnie Dacus, a former guitarist for the band Chicago.
• Leonard Eugene Dickson, a mathematics professor.
• Dillon Gee, a professional baseball pitcher.
• Joe Keeble, a football player.
• David "Benedict" McWilliams, a former football player and coach.
• Spike Owen, a former Major League Baseball shortstop.
• Derrell Palmer, a former Cleveland Browns football player.
• Randy Rogers, a singer and front man of the Randy Rogers Band.
• Del Sharbutt, a radio and television announcer and songwriter.
• Barbara Staff, a political co-chair for Ronald Reagan.
• Montey Stevenson, a former professional football player.
• Anne Stratton, a composer.
• Claude Porter White, a composer.

Images for kids

• 

  Patrick Cleburne, the general Cleburne is named after.

See also

In Spanish: Cleburne (Texas) para niños