Cotulla, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cotulla, Texas
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Downtown Cotulla
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 Cotulla, Texas
Location in Texas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | La Salle |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.01 sq mi (5.21 km2) |
| • Land | 2.01 sq mi (5.21 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 440 ft (130 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 3,718 |
| • Density | 1,850/sq mi (713.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes |
78001, 78014
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| Area code(s) | 830 |
| FIPS code | 48-17216 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2410247 |
Cotulla is a city in Texas, United States. It is the main town, or county seat, of La Salle County. In 2020, about 3,718 people lived there.
Contents
History of Cotulla
How Cotulla Started
The city of Cotulla was founded by an immigrant named Joseph Cotulla. He was born in a place called Silesia, which was part of Prussia back then. Joseph moved to the United States in the 1850s. He later joined the Union Army in Brownsville, Texas.
In 1868, Joseph Cotulla came to La Salle County. He started a very large ranching business there. He learned that a railroad company, the International-Great Northern Railroad, planned to build tracks through the county. This gave him an idea to create a new town.
Building the Town
In 1881, Joseph Cotulla gave 120 acres of his land to the railroad company. A year later, in 1882, a train station was built in the new town. In 1883, Cotulla got its own post office. That same year, the people voted in a special election, and Cotulla officially became the county seat of La Salle County.
Changes Over Time
Joseph Cotulla's great-grandson, William Lawrence Cotulla, was born around 1936. He used to own a store in Cotulla. Today, he is a rancher in La Salle and nearby counties. In 2013, William Cotulla said that his hometown had changed a lot in less than 80 years.
Cotulla has gone through different stages. First, it was mostly about farming. Then, ranching became very important. Later, people started using land for hunting. More recently, the area saw a boom in petroleum and natural gas because of the Eagle Ford Shale.
Important Events
Cotulla has seen some big events. In 1973, two trains crashed in the city, and three people died. In 2008, a very large grass fire burned a lot of land around Cotulla.
Geography and Climate
Where is Cotulla?
Cotulla is located in southern Texas. It is about 81 miles (147 kilometers) southwest of San Antonio. The city covers an area of about 2.0 square miles (5.2 square kilometers), and all of it is land. The Nueces River flows through the southern part of Cotulla. It then goes southeast towards the Gulf of Mexico, near Corpus Christi.
Cotulla's Weather
Cotulla has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot, humid summers and mild winters. The weather can get very warm, especially in the summer months.
| Climate data for Cotulla, Texas (Cotulla–La Salle County Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1901–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 94 (34) |
100 (38) |
106 (41) |
106 (41) |
109 (43) |
116 (47) |
111 (44) |
111 (44) |
112 (44) |
104 (40) |
98 (37) |
95 (35) |
116 (47) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 85.9 (29.9) |
90.3 (32.4) |
93.6 (34.2) |
99.3 (37.4) |
103.2 (39.6) |
105.0 (40.6) |
104.5 (40.3) |
106.3 (41.3) |
102.4 (39.1) |
97.1 (36.2) |
89.7 (32.1) |
84.7 (29.3) |
108.1 (42.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 67.4 (19.7) |
73.6 (23.1) |
79.7 (26.5) |
86.0 (30.0) |
92.8 (33.8) |
97.9 (36.6) |
99.2 (37.3) |
100.3 (37.9) |
93.9 (34.4) |
86.6 (30.3) |
75.7 (24.3) |
68.7 (20.4) |
85.2 (29.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 55.7 (13.2) |
60.9 (16.1) |
67.2 (19.6) |
73.4 (23.0) |
80.7 (27.1) |
85.7 (29.8) |
87.0 (30.6) |
87.7 (30.9) |
82.4 (28.0) |
74.7 (23.7) |
64.0 (17.8) |
56.8 (13.8) |
73.0 (22.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 43.9 (6.6) |
48.3 (9.1) |
54.8 (12.7) |
60.7 (15.9) |
68.6 (20.3) |
73.6 (23.1) |
74.7 (23.7) |
75.0 (23.9) |
70.8 (21.6) |
62.8 (17.1) |
52.4 (11.3) |
44.9 (7.2) |
60.9 (16.0) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 27.9 (−2.3) |
30.7 (−0.7) |
35.9 (2.2) |
44.0 (6.7) |
54.8 (12.7) |
68.0 (20.0) |
70.1 (21.2) |
70.5 (21.4) |
60.1 (15.6) |
42.9 (6.1) |
33.1 (0.6) |
28.6 (−1.9) |
25.3 (−3.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 16 (−9) |
16 (−9) |
23 (−5) |
36 (2) |
44 (7) |
56 (13) |
62 (17) |
63 (17) |
50 (10) |
35 (2) |
26 (−3) |
20 (−7) |
16 (−9) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.85 (22) |
1.26 (32) |
1.57 (40) |
1.33 (34) |
3.01 (76) |
2.20 (56) |
2.26 (57) |
1.67 (42) |
2.98 (76) |
2.39 (61) |
1.15 (29) |
1.01 (26) |
21.68 (551) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 6.1 | 5.7 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 6.3 | 4.8 | 5.9 | 3.5 | 7.1 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 6.0 | 64.7 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
People of Cotulla
Population Changes Over Time
The population of Cotulla has changed quite a bit over the years.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 672 | — | |
| 1910 | 1,880 | — | |
| 1920 | 1,058 | −43.7% | |
| 1930 | 3,175 | 200.1% | |
| 1940 | 3,633 | 14.4% | |
| 1950 | 4,418 | 21.6% | |
| 1960 | 3,960 | −10.4% | |
| 1970 | 3,415 | −13.8% | |
| 1980 | 3,912 | 14.6% | |
| 1990 | 3,694 | −5.6% | |
| 2000 | 3,614 | −2.2% | |
| 2010 | 3,603 | −0.3% | |
| 2020 | 3,718 | 3.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Who Lives in Cotulla?
In 2020, there were 3,718 people living in Cotulla. There were 1,485 households and 1,110 families. Most people in Cotulla are of Hispanic or Latino background.
| 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 |
Education in Cotulla
Cotulla is part of the Cotulla Independent School District. The main high school, Cotulla High School, serves students in grades 9-12. It is located east of the town. The school building is made up of several separate parts.
Famous People from Cotulla
Many interesting people have connections to Cotulla:
- Josh Beckett: A retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He owns a large deer-hunting ranch near Cotulla.
- Jeff Bezos: The founder and CEO of Amazon.com. His family ancestors were early settlers in Texas and owned a big ranch in Cotulla.
- John Lewis Gaddis: A famous historian known for studying the Cold War. He was born in Cotulla in 1941.
- O. Henry: A well-known short story writer. He lived on a sheep ranch near Cotulla in the early 1880s to improve his health.
- Lyndon B. Johnson: The former U.S. President. He taught at a public school in Cotulla from 1928 to 1929.
- Hailey Kinsel: A three-time world champion barrel racer. She was born and grew up on her parents' cattle ranch near Cotulla.
- Phil Lyne: A former rodeo cowboy and a member of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. He lives in Cotulla.
- J.B. Mauney: A professional rodeo cowboy who is famous for bull riding. He has won the PBR World Champion title twice. He also lives in Cotulla.
- Kevin Patrick Yeary: A judge for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. He was born in Cotulla and grew up in Laredo.
See also
In Spanish: Cotulla (Texas) para niños
