Plainview, Texas

Geography

Plainview is located at 34°11′28″N 101°43′8″W (34.191204, -101.718806) and is located on the Llano Estacado.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.8 square miles (36 km²), all land.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Plainview has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,336 people, 7,626 households, and 5,666 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,621.0 inhabitants per square mile (625.9/km²). There were 8,471 housing units at an average density of 614.8/sq mi (237.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.21% White, 5.87% African American, 1.13% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 26.53% from other races, and 2.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 49.83% of the population.

There were 7,626 households out of which 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size is 4.

In the city, the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,551, and the median income for a family was $35,215. Males had a median income of $26,434 versus $19,888 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,791. About 15.0% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice Region V office is located in Plainview. The current Region V headquarters opened in 1996 in a former Bank of America building.

Notable people

In media

The 1992 Steve Martin film Leap of Faith was partially filmed on location in Plainview. Until 2016, the downtown water tower bore the name and mascot of the fictional town in which the movie is set: The Rustwater Bengals. The Quick Lunch Diner, where several scenes were filmed, is now closed, and the site is now home to the Broadway Brew.

In the eighteenth episode of the second season of Vice Plainview was featured as a ghost town in a feature called "Deliver Us from Drought".

Education

The City of Plainview is served by the Plainview Independent School District.

Wayland Baptist University is a four-year university with approximately 1100 students at its main campus in Plainview. South Plains College-Plainview Branch

The Llano Estacado Museum is located in Plainview.

The Bulldog is the mascot for the Plainview High School.

Economy

On February 11, 2009, the Texas Department of State Health Services ordered the cessation of operations and full recall of all products produced by a Plainview-based peanut processing facility owned by Peanut Corporation of America, following the discovery of "dead rodents, rodent excrement and bird feathers in the plant," and revelations that the plant had operated without state licensure or inspection. The plant had voluntarily suspended operations one day earlier, and was not linked to the salmonella outbreak that had forced the shutdown of other PCA plants.

The largest employer was a Cargill beef processing plant, mothballed on February 1, 2013 due to lack of incoming animals from the local area due to the 2010–2012 Southern United States drought. Closure of the plant created a crisis in Plainview as an annual payroll of $15.5 million was lost and many of the 2,300 employees and their families relocated after being laid off.

National Register of Historic Places