West Point, Fayette County, Texas facts for kids
West Point is a small community in western Fayette County, Texas, United States. It's called an "unincorporated community" because it's not officially a city or town with its own local government.
It's a very small place. In fact, there isn't much information about its population from the 2010 census. This usually means it has fewer than 500 people living there. West Point has a post office with the ZIP Code 78963, which was started on January 27, 1873. However, it's not used anymore and is in disrepair.
Contents
A Look Back: West Point's History
How West Point Started
Around 1831, the land where West Point is located was given to Montreville Woods and another person from the Woods family. They planned for it to be a town. In the 1880s, the first railroad came to the area, and a community began to grow. The Woods family built a strong fence, called a stockade, on the land. Because of this, people unofficially called the area "Wood's Prairie."
Growth and Changes
West Point grew quite a bit. By 1873, it had a cannery (a place where food is preserved in cans), two doctors, and three hotels. That same year, it was granted its own post office.
In the 1920s and 1930s, a new road called TX-71 was built. This road was about a mile south of the railroad tracks, which were used by the MK&T company. Many people living in West Point decided to move closer to this new road.
Population and Schools
During the 1940s, West Point's population reached almost 300 people. Students from West Point would go to school in a nearby town called La Grange. Even today, children from the West Point area attend schools in the La Grange Independent School District.
West Point's Decline
After the late 1940s, West Point started to get smaller. By 1950, its population was cut in half. The last time a census counted residents in West Point was in 1990, when 250 people were reported. This same number was used for the 2000 census. By 2010, West Point was no longer listed on the official census records.
