Waxahachie, Texas

Etymology

Some sources state that the name means "cow" or "buffalo" in an unspecified Native American language. One possible Native American origin is the Alabama language, originally spoken in the area of Alabama around Waxahatchee Creek by the Alabama-Coushatta people, who had migrated by the 1850s to eastern Texas. In the Alabama language, waakasi hachi means "calf's tail" (the Alabama word waaka being a loan from Spanish vaca).

That there is a Waxahatchee Creek near present-day Shelby, Alabama, suggests that Waxahachie, Texas, shares the same name etymology. Many place names in Texas and Oklahoma have their origins in the Southeastern United States, largely due to migration and/or forced removal of various southeastern Indian tribes. The area in central Alabama that includes Waxahatchee Creek was for hundreds of years the home of the Upper Creek moiety of the Muscogee Creek Nation. Again, this would suggest a Muscogee Creek language origin of Waxahachie. "Waxahachie" therefore may be an anglicized pronunciation of the Muscogee compound word Wakvhvce from the Muscogee words Wakv (meaning "cow" derived from the Spanish vaca) and the Muscogee word Hvce (meaning "tail").

A second etymology that has been suggested for the name is insisted on by speakers of Wichita, the language of the tribe which used to live in the area but now lives mostly around Anadarko, Oklahoma. Wichita people claim the name comes from their word waks'ahe:ts'i (the apostrophe represents a glottal stop, like the middle sound in "oh oh"; "a" is schwa ("uh"); "e:" sounds almost like the "a" of "hat"; "ts" before "i" in this language often sounds like "ch" to English speaking ears; "i" has the continental value, like the one in English "machine"). It means "fat wildcat".

History

Waxahachie was founded in August 1850 as the seat of the newly established Ellis County on a donated tract of land given by early settler Emory W. Rogers, a native of Lawrence County, Alabama, who migrated to Texas in 1839. It was incorporated on April 28, 1871, and in 1875 the state legislature granted investors the right to operate a rail line from Waxahachie Tap Railroad to Garrett, Texas, which greatly increased the population of Waxahachie.

From 1902 to 1942, Waxahachie was the home of Trinity University, which was a Presbyterian-affiliated institution founded in 1869. Its present-day location is San Antonio.

The town is the namesake of the former United States Naval Ship Waxahachie (YTB-814).

In 1988, the area around Waxahachie was chosen as the site for the Superconducting Super Collider, which was to be the world's largest and most energetic particle accelerator, with a planned ring circumference of 54.1 miles (87.1 km). Seventeen shafts were sunk and 14.6 miles (23.5 km) of tunnel were bored before the project was canceled by Congress in 1993.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Waxahachie has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 21,426 people, 7,325 households, and 5,398 families residing in the city. The population density was 536.1 people per square mile (207.0/km²). There were 7,909 housing units at an average density of 197.9 per square mile (76.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.45% White, 17.10% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 9.33% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.74% of the population. The total estimated population as of June 2014 was 32,287.

There were 7,325 households of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city, the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $43,213, and the median income for a family was $50,048. Males had a median income of $32,597 versus $23,838 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,003. About 10.5% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Employment opportunities in the city are highly oriented toward industry. Owens Corning, Georgia-Pacific, Fortra Fiber Cement (James Hardie), GMP/GPPAW RockTenn, AEP Industries, Magnablend, Dart Container are located within a few miles of each other. Non-industrial employers include Baylor Scott & White Health, Waxahachie Independent School District, Walgreen Distribution Center, Wal-Mart, HEB Grocery, and Southwestern Assemblies of God University.

Annual cultural events

The Scarborough Renaissance Festival (also called Scarborough Faire), a popular Renaissance fair theme park, is located southwest of the town. It opens annually during the months of April and May and has been in operation since 1981. The city's annual Gingerbread Trail Festival features tours of many of the Gingerbread homes.

Bethlehem Revisited (Located Behind Central Presbyterian Church). Step back in time, over 2000 years ago, and walk the streets of ancient Bethlehem as Mary and Joseph did on the night of Christ’s birth. On your journey to the site of the Nativity, you will meet innkeepers, merchants, craftsmen, tradesmen, clergy, and many other citizens as they portray daily life in the City of Bethlehem, complete with sheep, camels, and donkeys. You can also visit Herod’s Court and await the nightly parade of the three kings bringing their treasures to Bethlehem’s newest citizen. Regularly voted one of the top holiday attractions in North Texas.

Texas Country Reporter Festival (hosted by Bob Phillips) The Texas Country Reporter Festival features artists, craftsmen, music, and food from all over the Lone Star State – much of it featured on TCR over the years. It’s free, family-friendly, and fun! Pets are welcome, but they must be leashed. With an average attendance of over 30,000

Tourism

Waxahachie is locally known for its elaborate Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse, considered by many to be among the most beautiful of Texas's older courthouses. The town also features many examples of Victorian architecture and Gingerbread homes, several of which have been converted into bed and breakfasts. Ellis County Art Association & Museum (Cultural Attractions- Events- & Facilities; 501 West Main Street).

Parks and recreation

Parks in Waxahachie include Spring Park, Getzendaner Memorial Park, Richards Park, Sheaffer Full Life Center - Southwestern Assemblies of God University, Southwestern Assemblies of God University Football Field, Lumpkin Stadium, Southwestern Assemblies of God University Baseball Fields, Chapman Park.

Government

The city of Waxahachie is a voluntary member of the North Central Texas Council of Governments association, the purpose of which is to coordinate individual and collective local governments and facilitate regional solutions, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and enable joint decisions.

State government

Waxahachie is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Brian Birdwell, District 22, and in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican John Wray, District 10.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Waxahachie District Parole Office in Sherman.

Federal government

At the federal level, the two U.S. senators from Texas are Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz; since 2003 Waxahachie has been part of Texas' 6th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Republican Joe Barton.

The United States Postal Service operates the Waxahachie Post Office.

Primary and secondary

Waxahachie is served by the Waxahachie Independent School District. There are currently seven elementary campuses, two middle school campuses, a ninth grade center, and two high schools. WISD aims to offer all of its students a well-rounded education and offers AP and Dual Credit courses as well as varied Career and Technology courses.

Waxahachie High School is classified as 5A and offers a range of extracurricular activities to its students, including football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball, golf, tennis, concert and marching band, drama, choir, drill team, and dozens of academic teams and clubs. WISD offers several CTSO's to its students including FFA, Skills USA and TSA.

Several of the school's programs have achieved national recognition in recent years. The football program has made the playoffs every year from 1989 to 2010.

Waxahachie Global High School, an ECHS T-STEM school emphasizing instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in a small-learning-community environment, as well as an Early College High School, opened on August 27, 2007.

In addition to the district schools, Life School, a public charter school system, operates the 7-12 Waxahachie campus. On April 15, 2014, Life School broke ground on a new high school in Waxahachie planned to accommodate approximately 1,000 9th-12th graders.

Private schools

The area is also served by several private schools, including Waxahachie Preparatory Academy (WPA), St Joseph Catholic School and First Christian Day School. WPA and the First Christian Day School offer a K–12 education, while St Joseph only has K-8.

Colleges and universities

Two post-secondary educational institutions have campuses in the city of Waxahachie. Navarro College, a community college based in Corsicana, Texas, has a campus in Waxahachie.

Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a private four-year university affiliated with the Assemblies of God offering accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Media

The Waxahachie Daily Light has served the town since 1867, and the first newspaper in Waxahachie, the Waxahachie Argus, was established in 1870. Additionally, there are 47 radio stations within close listening range of Waxahachie.

Health care

Both Altus Emergency Center and Baylor Scott & White Health at Waxahachie provide emergency services locally as does Ennis Regional Medical Center about 14 miles away in Ennis, Texas. Between 2003 and 2010, Waxahachie’s healthcare industry added 555 jobs, making it the city’s 4th largest employment sector.

In movies

In the mid-1980s Waxahachie became popular with the movie industry.

The majority of Tender Mercies, a 1983 film about a country western singer, was filmed in Waxahachie. Director Bruce Beresford deliberately avoided the city's picturesque elements and Victorian architecture, and instead filmed more rural locations that more closely resembled the West Texas area. The Texas town portrayed in Tender Mercies is never specifically identified. Mercies starred Robert Duvall, who won the 1983 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the film.

The 1984 film Places in the Heart starring Sally Field was also filmed in Waxahachie. Unlike Mercies, it was filmed deliberately in the town square and utilized the Victorian and plantation homes still intact in the area. Field won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1985 for her role in the film.

The 1985 film The Trip to Bountiful starring Geraldine Page was also filmed in Waxahachie. Page won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1986 for her role in Bountiful.

Other movies made in or around Waxahachie are:

Additionally, the long-running television series Walker, Texas Ranger, starring Chuck Norris, was filmed in Waxahachie on occasion. Some scenes in Prison Break were filmed in Waxahachie.

Sister cities

Sabinas in Coahuila, Mexico, has been proposed as Waxahachie's sister city. Sabinas is located about 70 miles (110 km) south of Eagle Pass, Texas.