Hearne, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Hearne, Texas
City
Downtown Hearne, Texas (2017)
Location of Hearne within Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Robertson
Area
• Total	4.12 sq mi (10.68 km²)
• Land	4.12 sq mi (10.67 km²)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km²)
Elevation	295 ft (90 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	4,544
• Density	1,056.80/sq mi (408.01/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	77859
Area code	979
FIPS code	48-32972
GNIS feature ID	2410728

Hearne (pronounced "hurn") is a city in Robertson County, Texas, United States. In 2020, about 4,544 people lived there. The city is named after the Hearne family, who moved to the area in the 1800s. They helped bring important railroad lines through the city.

History
- How Hearne Started
- Wal-Mart Store Closes
Geography
- Climate
Demographics
Education
Notable people
Images for kids
See also

History

How Hearne Started

Hearne is built on land that once belonged to José Francisco Ruiz, a well-known politician and soldier. By the 1840s, there was a tavern here that also worked as a general store and post office.

The Hearne family arrived in the 1850s. They bought a large amount of land, about 10,000 acres, and grew cotton on big farms called plantations. Christopher C. Hearne wanted a railroad to be built through the area. However, the American Civil War started before this could happen. Later, his wife gave 700 acres of land to the Houston and Texas Central Railway company.

When a train station was built in Hearne in 1868, new businesses started to open. These included a hotel, churches, and a cotton gin (a machine that separates cotton fibers). By the 1870s, two different train lines met in Hearne, making it an important travel spot.

Hearne's population grew from 2,129 people in 1900 to 3,511 in 1940. From 1943 to 1946, a prison camp was located near the city. It held thousands of German prisoners during World War II. By the 1960s, many farms and factories came to Hearne. In 1990, over 5,000 people lived in Hearne. The population was 4,690 in 2000.

Wal-Mart Store Closes

On New Year's Eve in 1990, the Wal-Mart store in Hearne closed down. After it closed, the building was changed into the current Hearne High School. Before Wal-Mart closed, many small shops in downtown Hearne had already shut down because they couldn't compete with the big store. The New York Times newspaper reported that the Hearne Wal-Mart was one of only six Wal-Mart stores in the entire country that had ever closed.

Geography

Hearne covers about 4.1 square miles (10.6 square kilometers) of land. There is a small airport called Hearne Municipal Airport that offers flights for general aviation (smaller planes, not big passenger jets).

Climate

The weather in Hearne has hot and humid summers. Winters are usually mild to cool. Hearne has a humid subtropical climate, which means it gets a lot of rain and has warm temperatures for most of the year. On May 13, 2004, Hearne experienced very heavy flooding when 17 inches (430 mm) of rain fell in just one hour.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	1,421	—
1900	2,129	—
1910	2,352	10.5%
1920	2,741	16.5%
1930	2,956	7.8%
1940	3,511	18.8%
1950	4,872	38.8%
1960	5,072	4.1%
1970	4,982	−1.8%
1980	5,418	8.8%
1990	5,132	−5.3%
2000	4,690	−8.6%
2010	4,459	−4.9%
2020	4,544	1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

Hearne is part of the larger Bryan-College Station metropolitan area.

**Hearne's Population by Race in 2020**
(NH = Not Hispanic)
Race	Number of People	Percentage
White (NH)	919	20.22%
Black or African American (NH)	1,708	37.59%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	8	0.18%
Asian (NH)	10	0.22%
Pacific Islander (NH)	6	0.13%
Some Other Race (NH)	10	0.22%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	97	2.13%
Hispanic or Latino	1,786	39.3%
Total	4,544

In 2020, there were 4,544 people living in Hearne. There were 1,682 households (groups of people living together) and 1,110 families.

In 2000, there were 4,690 people in Hearne. About 36.7% of households had children under 18. About 39.2% were married couples. The average household had 2.70 people, and the average family had 3.31 people.

The population was spread out by age. About 32.9% were under 18 years old. The median age (the middle age of all people) was 32 years.

The median income for a household in 2000 was $19,556. This means half of the households earned more than this, and half earned less. About 31.2% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 45.2% of those under 18 and 25.8% of those 65 or older.

Education

Hearne has its own school district called the Hearne Independent School District.

Hearne High School was recognized by the Texas Education Agency in 2008 for its good performance.
Hearne Junior High School was also recognized by the TEA in 2010.
Hearne Elementary School received an "academically acceptable" rating from the TEA in 2013.

Notable people

Many interesting people have connections to Hearne:

Chalie Boy – an American hip hop music artist.
Patrick Edwards – a former professional football player (wide receiver).
Lance Hoyt – a professional wrestler.
R. Bowen Loftin – a former President of Texas A&M University.
Rodrick Monroe – a professional football player (tight end).
Steve O'Neal – a former professional football player (punter and wide receiver).
John Randle – a Hall of Fame professional football player (defensive tackle).
Jose Francisco Ruiz – the person who originally owned the land where Hearne is now located.
David Schnaufer – (1952–2006) a very skilled dulcimer player and the first professor of dulcimer.