Richmond, Texas facts for kids

Richmond, Texas
Richmond, Texas
	City
	Motto: "A Charming Past. A Soaring Future"
	; Location of Richmond, Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Fort Bend
incorporated	1837
Area
• Total	4.3 sq mi (11.1 km2)
• Land	3.9 sq mi (10.2 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2)
Elevation	92 ft (28 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	11,679
• Density	2,973/sq mi (1,147.9/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	77406, 77407, 77469
Area code(s)	281 832
FIPS code	48-61892
GNIS feature ID	1345187

Richmond is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Fort Bend County, within the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the city population was 11,679.

Even though it is the county seat, thus containing most of the local government offices, and the historic center of the area, it is actually one of the smaller cities in the area. Nearby Sugar Land is the largest city in the county.

History

In 1822, a group of Austin's colonists went up the Brazos River, stopping near present-day Richmond where they built a fort called "Fort Bend". Named after Richmond, England, the town was among the 19 cities first incorporated by the short-lived Republic of Texas, in 1837. Early residents of the city include many prominent figures in Texas lore such as Jane Long, Deaf Smith, and Mirabeau Lamar, who are all buried in Richmond. On August 16, 1889, the town was the site of the "Battle of Richmond", an armed fight culminating the Jaybird–Woodpecker War, a violent feud over post-Reconstruction political control of Fort Bend County. The mayor from 1949 until his death in 2012 was Hilmar Moore.

Historically Richmond had government agencies and nonprofit organizations, while most of the area private businesses were located in Rosenberg.

The Long-Smith Cottage was built around 1837 on Jane Long's property and later moved to its current site.
The John M. Moore Home was built in 1883 and remodeled in 1905. It is now a museum.
The historic McNabb House was built by Phillip Vogel in the 1850s and bought by A. D. McNabb in the 1880s.
The historic McFarlane House belongs to the Fort Bend Museum.

Geography

Map of Richmond

Richmond is located near the center of Fort Bend County at 29°34′51″N 95°45′47″W / 29.580921°N 95.763000°W / 29.580921; -95.763000 (29.580921, -95.763000). Most of the city is situated on the southwest side of the Brazos River, with a small portion (Richmond Landing) on the northeast side, connected by US Highway 90A. Richmond is bordered to the southwest by the city of Rosenberg. US 90A leads east 8 miles (13 km) to Sugar Land and west through Rosenberg 19 miles (31 km) to East Bernard. Downtown Houston is 30 miles (48 km) to the northeast.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Richmond has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.1 km²), of which 3.9 square miles (10.2 km²) is land and 0.35 square miles (0.9 km²), or 8.22%, is water.

In 2003 Jeannie Kever of the Houston Chronicle said, "Some of the old buildings have been reincarnated as shops or law offices. But in other ways, life in Richmond isn't so different from that in the big city, with its Wal-Mart and fast-food joints, check-cashing businesses and strip-center sprawl." As of 2006^[update] several strip malls are along U.S. Route 59 south of town. During the same year the community included tack stores, two-lane blacktop roads, and horse ranches. John P. Lopez of the Houston Chronicle said, "Richmond is a city of contradiction and transition. It's as if the place is not sure if it wants to be a part of Houston's bustle or remain a slow-paced farm and ranch town. It tries to be both," and, "It is part Acres Homes, part Fort Bend County Fair."

Communities

John P. Lopez of the Houston Chronicle said in 2006, "There are a lot of simple scenes. And there are places where reality has polluted neighborhoods."

The wealthiest neighborhood, as of 2003, in Richmond is Hillcrest. Winston Terrace, another neighborhood, had its first houses built in 1940. Construction increased around the end of World War II. Most of the houses were built between 1940 and 1965. Jeannie Kever of the Houston Chronicle said that Winston Terrace is "a swath of mid-20th-century America, with sweeping oak trees and colorful brick or wood bungalows, named for the descendants of one of the region's most illustrious pioneers."

"Mud Alley" as of 1985 had older bars and clubs. Mud Alley is located in an area which, in 1985, housed most of the African Americans in Richmond. As of 1993 many police raids for drugs occurred in "Mud Alley". "Mud Alley" was known by several other nicknames, including "Little Boomtown". Historically the area had a lot of recreational drugs.

Climate

The average warmest month is August.
The highest recorded temperature was 108 degrees Fahrenheit in 2000.
The average coolest month is January.
The lowest recorded temperature was 6 degrees Fahrenheit in 1949 and 1989.
The maximum average precipitation occurs in June.

Climate data for Richmond, TX
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F	84	89	92	95	99	102	105	105	108	98	91	90	108
Average high °F	65	68	74	81	88	93	95	96	91	84	75	67	81.4
Daily mean °F	55	58	64	71	79	84	86	87	81	74	65	56	71.7
Average low °F	44	48	53	61	69	75	77	77	71	63	54	45	61.4
Record low °F	6	9	21	32	47	56	63	60	47	30	22	6	6
Rainfall inches	3.55	3.18	3.43	3.36	4.30	5.65	3.97	4.43	5.10	5.28	4.84	3.37	50.46
Record high °C	28.9	31.7	33.3	35	37.2	38.9	40.6	40.6	42.2	36.7	32.8	32.2	42.2
Average high °C	18.3	20	23.3	27.2	31.1	33.9	35	35.6	32.8	28.9	23.9	19.4	27.44
Daily Mean °C	12.8	14.4	17.8	21.7	26.1	28.9	30	30.6	27.2	23.3	18.3	13.3	22.06
Average low °C	6.7	8.9	11.7	16.1	20.6	23.9	25	25	21.7	17.2	12.2	7.2	16.33
Record low °C	-14.4	-12.8	-6.1	0	8.3	13.3	17.2	15.6	8.3	-1.1	-5.6	-14.4	-14.4
Rainfall mm	90.2	80.8	87.1	85.3	109.2	143.5	100.8	112.5	129.5	134.1	122.9	85.6	1,281.7

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	816	—
1880	1,156	41.7%
1890	993	−14.1%
1910	1,371	—
1920	1,273	−7.1%
1930	1,432	12.5%
1940	2,026	41.5%
1950	2,030	0.2%
1960	3,668	80.7%
1970	5,777	57.5%
1980	9,692	67.8%
1990	9,801	1.1%
2000	11,081	13.1%
2010	11,679	5.4%
Est. 2015	12,138	3.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,081 people, 3,413 households, and 2,628 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,975.4 people per square mile (1,150.1/km²). There were 3,595 housing units at an average density of 965.3 per square mile (373.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 51.20% White, 10.55% African American, 0.63% Native American, 3.53% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 31.00% from other races, and 3.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 58.71% of the population.

There were 3,413 households out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.16 and the average family size was 3.60.

In the city, the population was spread out with 31.6% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,888, and the median income for a family was $35,801. Males had a median income of $27,457 versus $22,723 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,195. About 17.0% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.4% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.