Pecos, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pecos, Texas
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Storefronts in downtown Pecos
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| Nickname(s):
Tarilas
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Location of Pecos, Texas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Reeves |
| Area | |
| • Total | 22.22 sq mi (57.56 km2) |
| • Land | 22.22 sq mi (57.56 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,582 ft (787 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 12,916 |
| • Density | 581/sq mi (224.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
79772
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| Area code(s) | 432 |
| FIPS code | 48-56516 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1364996 |
| Website | http://www.pecostx.gov/ |
Pecos (/ˈpeɪkəs/ PAY-kəs) is the largest city in and the county seat of Reeves County, Texas, United States. It is in the valley on the west bank of the Pecos River at the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas and just south of New Mexico's border. Its population was 12,916 at the 2020 census. On January 24, 2012, Pecos City appeared on the Forbes 400 as the second-fastest growing small town in the United States. The city is a regional commercial center for ranching, oil and gas production, and agriculture. The city is most recognized for its association with the local cultivation of cantaloupes. Pecos claims to be the site of the world's first rodeo on July 4, 1883.
History
Pecos is one of the numerous towns in West Texas organized around a train depot during the construction of the Texas and Pacific Railway. These towns were subsequently linked by the construction of U.S. Highway 80 and Interstate 20. Prior to the arrival of the railroad, a permanent camp existed nearby where cattle drives crossed the Pecos River. With the introduction of irrigation from underground aquifers, the city became a center of commerce for extensive local agricultural production of cotton, onions, and cantaloupes. The introduction of large-scale sulfur mining in adjacent Culberson County during the 1960s led to significant economic and population growth. The growth was reversed after mining operations ceased in the 1990s.
In 1962, Pecos resident and tycoon Billie Sol Estes was indicted for fraud by a federal grand jury. Estes' extensive machinations caused a national-level scandal, resulting in a shakeup at the Department of Agriculture. Oscar Griffin, Jr., of the Pecos Independent and Enterprise newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking the story.
Pecos is the site of the largest private prison in the world, the Reeves County Detention Complex, operated by the GEO Group.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.3 square miles (19 km2), all land.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 393 | — | |
| 1900 | 639 | 62.6% | |
| 1910 | 1,856 | 190.5% | |
| 1920 | 1,445 | −22.1% | |
| 1930 | 3,304 | 128.7% | |
| 1940 | 4,855 | 46.9% | |
| 1950 | 8,054 | 65.9% | |
| 1960 | 12,728 | 58.0% | |
| 1970 | 12,682 | −0.4% | |
| 1980 | 12,855 | 1.4% | |
| 1990 | 12,069 | −6.1% | |
| 2000 | 9,501 | −21.3% | |
| 2010 | 8,780 | −7.6% | |
| 2020 | 12,916 | 47.1% | |
| 1890-2000, 2010 | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White | 7,167 | 55.49% |
| Black or African American | 278 | 2.15% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 87 | 0.67% |
| Asian | 163 | 1.26% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.02% |
| Some Other Race | 2,097 | 16.24% |
| Mixed/multiracial | 3,122 | 24.17% |
| Total | 12,916 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 11,129 | 86.16% |
| Non-Hispanic | 1,787 | 13.84% |
| Total | 12,916 |
As of the 2020 United States census, 12,916 people, 2,729 households, and 1,857 families resided in the city.
Education
The City of Pecos is served by the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District, which currently has four schools: Austin Elementary,(grades Pre K-1), Zavala Elementary, (grades 2-5), Crockett Middle School, (grades 6–8), and Pecos High School (grades 9–12).
Climate
Pecos experiences a semiarid (BSk) to desert climate (BWh) with hot summers and mild winters. The city's aridity results in a substantial diurnal temperature variation, resulting in cool nights even after hot summer days.
| Climate data for Pecos, Texas | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 89 (32) |
94 (34) |
103 (39) |
106 (41) |
112 (44) |
118 (48) |
116 (47) |
113 (45) |
110 (43) |
106 (41) |
94 (34) |
89 (32) |
118 (48) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 61 (16) |
66 (19) |
74 (23) |
84 (29) |
91 (33) |
99 (37) |
99 (37) |
98 (37) |
92 (33) |
82 (28) |
69 (21) |
63 (17) |
82 (28) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 28 (−2) |
31 (−1) |
38 (3) |
48 (9) |
57 (14) |
67 (19) |
69 (21) |
68 (20) |
61 (16) |
50 (10) |
35 (2) |
29 (−2) |
48 (9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −9 (−23) |
−8 (−22) |
12 (−11) |
24 (−4) |
30 (−1) |
48 (9) |
55 (13) |
45 (7) |
37 (3) |
25 (−4) |
8 (−13) |
1 (−17) |
−9 (−23) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.42 (11) |
0.38 (9.7) |
0.33 (8.4) |
0.57 (14) |
1.14 (29) |
1.11 (28) |
1.33 (34) |
1.24 (31) |
1.85 (47) |
1.16 (29) |
0.47 (12) |
0.49 (12) |
10.48 (266) |
| Source: Weatherbase | |||||||||||||
Notable people
- Billie Sol Estes, financier convicted of fraud
- Paul Gonzales, boxer, gold medalist at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games
- Oscar Griffin, Jr., recipient of 1963 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting
- Roger Mobley, later child actor, resided in Pecos in the 1950s
- Abel Talamantez, singer of Menudo and the Kumbia Kings
See also
In Spanish: Pecos (Texas) para niños
