Valentine, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Valentine, Texas
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Location of Valentine, Texas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Jeff Davis |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.49 sq mi (1.26 km2) |
| • Land | 0.49 sq mi (1.26 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,436 ft (1,352 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 73 |
| • Density | 148.97/sq mi (57.93/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
79854
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| Area code(s) | 432 |
| FIPS code | 48-74648 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2413416 |
Valentine is a town in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. Its population was 134 at the 2010 census, down from 187 at the 2000 census.
Contents
Description
The town is the only incorporated municipality in Jeff Davis County. Its name refers to the date of its founding in 1882 by a Southern Pacific Railroad construction crew: February 14. It is one of several cities named Valentine in the United States where the U.S. Postal Service cancels envelopes for Valentine's Day.
The noted art installation Prada Marfa (2005) is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwest of Valentine on U.S. Route 90. The Valentine resident and artist Boyd Elder (1944–2018) served as its caretaker.
Geography
Valentine is located in western Jeff Davis County along U.S. Route 90. The highway leads northwest 38 miles (61 km) to Interstate 10 at Van Horn, and southeast 35 miles (56 km) to Marfa.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.49 square miles (1.26 km2), all land. The town sits in a flat basin between the Davis Mountains 15 miles (24 km) to the east and the Sierra Vieja 11 miles (18 km) to the west.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 100 | — | |
| 1900 | 140 | 40.0% | |
| 1910 | 300 | 114.3% | |
| 1920 | 250 | −16.7% | |
| 1930 | 629 | 151.6% | |
| 1940 | 499 | −20.7% | |
| 1950 | 510 | 2.2% | |
| 1960 | 420 | −17.6% | |
| 1970 | 213 | −49.3% | |
| 1980 | 328 | 54.0% | |
| 1990 | 217 | −33.8% | |
| 2000 | 187 | −13.8% | |
| 2010 | 134 | −28.3% | |
| 2020 | 73 | −45.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 16 | 21.92% |
| Asian (NH) | 1 | 1.37% |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 6 | 8.22% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 50 | 68.49% |
| Total | 73 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 73 people, 56 households, and 41 families residing in the town.
Climate
Valentine experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with cool, dry winters and hot, dry summers.
| Climate data for Valentine, Texas (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 83 (28) |
87 (31) |
91 (33) |
98 (37) |
102 (39) |
108 (42) |
106 (41) |
103 (39) |
100 (38) |
96 (36) |
86 (30) |
80 (27) |
108 (42) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 60.8 (16.0) |
66.3 (19.1) |
73.3 (22.9) |
81.1 (27.3) |
88.6 (31.4) |
94.5 (34.7) |
92.3 (33.5) |
91.4 (33.0) |
86.6 (30.3) |
79.9 (26.6) |
69.3 (20.7) |
61.1 (16.2) |
78.8 (26.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 44.1 (6.7) |
48.5 (9.2) |
54.8 (12.7) |
62.3 (16.8) |
70.5 (21.4) |
77.9 (25.5) |
77.9 (25.5) |
76.8 (24.9) |
71.7 (22.1) |
63.2 (17.3) |
51.9 (11.1) |
44.7 (7.1) |
62.0 (16.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 27.4 (−2.6) |
30.7 (−0.7) |
36.3 (2.4) |
43.5 (6.4) |
52.4 (11.3) |
61.3 (16.3) |
63.5 (17.5) |
62.3 (16.8) |
56.8 (13.8) |
46.5 (8.1) |
34.6 (1.4) |
28.3 (−2.1) |
45.3 (7.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 3 (−16) |
−7 (−22) |
12 (−11) |
21 (−6) |
31 (−1) |
43 (6) |
51 (11) |
50 (10) |
39 (4) |
17 (−8) |
8 (−13) |
0 (−18) |
−7 (−22) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.63 (16) |
0.43 (11) |
0.37 (9.4) |
0.36 (9.1) |
0.71 (18) |
1.76 (45) |
2.40 (61) |
1.36 (35) |
1.75 (44) |
1.20 (30) |
0.57 (14) |
0.58 (15) |
12.12 (307.5) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 1.1 (2.8) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.3 (0.76) |
1.5 (3.8) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.001 in) | 2.59 | 2.19 | 2.06 | 1.63 | 3.77 | 6.19 | 7.21 | 5.06 | 4.19 | 4.00 | 1.94 | 2.56 | 43.39 |
| Source 1: Weather Atlas | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute | |||||||||||||
Transportation
Valentine is located on US 90, 35 miles (58 km) north of Marfa, and 40 miles (64 km) south of Van Horn.
Amtrak’s Sunset Limited passes through the town on Union Pacific tracks, but makes no stop. A stop is located 60 miles (96 km) to the southeast in Alpine.
Education
Valentine Independent School District is the local district.
All of Jeff Davis County is zoned to Odessa College.
Entertainment
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Valentine is home to, as one politician puts it, "the greatest ever West Texas Valentine's Day celebration." Hosted by the Big Bend Brewing Company of Alpine, Texas, as many as 1,000 people come to Valentine on Valentine's Day from points as close as Valentine itself, Marfa, and Alpine, to places such as Chicago and Cleveland. In 2014, the west Texas brewery served free cups of beer while Gary P. Nunn played live on stage.
Earthquake
On August 16, 1931, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck near Valentine, causing extensive damage. The earthquake was the most powerful ever recorded in Texas.
See also
In Spanish: Valentine (Texas) para niños
