Garwood, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Garwood, Texas
|
|
|---|---|
 Garwood, Texas
Location in Texas
Garwood, Texas
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Colorado |
| Elevation | 154 ft (47 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
77442
|
| Area code(s) | 979 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1336419 |
Garwood is a small community in Colorado County, Texas, United States. It's known as an unincorporated community, which means it doesn't have its own local government like a city does. It's also a census designated place (CDP), which is an area the government uses for counting people. In 2000, about 975 people lived there.
Contents
Garwood's Story: How It Grew
Garwood started because of a big plan to help farmers grow rice. In 1896, three people named Marcus H. Townsend, W. T. Burford, and T. A. Hill built the Red Bluff Irrigation System. This system helped bring water to the farms, making it easier for rice to grow. By 1901, many local farmers were growing rice.
In 1901, the first building was moved to the town site by Ed R. Frnka. Marcus Townsend gave him the land for his building. The community was named Garwood to honor Townsend's friend, Hiram Morgan Garwood, who was a lawyer from Houston. That same year, Garwood got its first church and a post office. In 1902, another building was moved and became a hotel.
Around 1906, Garwood had a problem with a tricky land sales scheme. Some agents showed pictures of farms with things like orange groves, saying they were from Colorado County. But these pictures were actually from other places! People bought the land without seeing it first. Most buyers left when they saw the real Garwood area.
Garwood had its own newspapers from 1909 to 1912. By 1910, the town had a bank and about 500 people. By 1915, the population grew to 750, and the town was served by the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. In 1922, a fire destroyed most of the businesses on one side of the main street. But the town rebuilt and slowly grew again.
In 1990 and 2000, Garwood had about 975 people and 37 businesses. The population stayed at 975 in 2010, but then went down to 510 people in 2020. Even though it's not a city, Garwood still has its own post office with the ZIP code 77442.
Where is Garwood?
Garwood is located in the southern part of Colorado County. You can find it where two roads meet: Texas State Highway 71 and Farm to Market Road 950. It's about 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Eagle Lake. It's also about 20 miles (32 km) south of Columbus and 17 miles (27 km) north of El Campo. There's a bridge on FM 950 that crosses the Colorado River.
How Many People Live in Garwood?
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2020 | 510 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1850–1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 |
|||
Garwood was first counted as a special census place in the 2020 U.S. Census. In 2020, 510 people lived in Garwood. About 52% of the people were White (not Hispanic), and about 35% were Hispanic or Latino.
Garwood's Weather
Garwood has a type of weather called a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot and humid summers. The winters are usually mild to cool. On climate maps, this kind of weather is often shown as "Cfa."
Learning in Garwood
The first school in Garwood opened in 1904. Today, public schools in Garwood are part of the Rice Consolidated Independent School District.
- Garwood School teaches students from kindergarten to 6th grade. It's located right in Garwood.
- Rice Junior High School is for students in 7th and 8th grade.
- Rice High School is where students go for grades 9 through 12.
After high school, students from this area can attend Wharton County Junior College.
Local Media
You can listen to KPUY on 97.3 FM in Garwood.
Famous People from Garwood
- Henry Frnka was born in Garwood. He was a well-known football player, coach, and college athletics manager.
Images for kids
-
The US post office is located on Arthur Street.
-
The Bucksnag Hunting Club is in a grand old house.
-
Silos can be seen on Texas 71 across from the school.
-
Garwood Elementary School (Rice CISD) on Texas 71
