Pecos (/ˈpeɪkəs/PAY-kəs[4]) is the largest city in and the county seat of Reeves County, Texas, United States.[5] It is in the valley on the west bank of the Pecos River at the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas and just south of New Mexico's border. Its population was 12,916 at the 2020 census.[6] On January 24, 2012, Pecos City appeared on the Forbes 400 as the second-fastest growing small town in the United States.[7] The city is a regional commercial center for ranching, oil and gas production, and agriculture. The city is most recognized for its association with the local cultivation of cantaloupes.[8][9] Pecos claims to be the site of the world's first rodeo on July 4, 1883.[10]
History
Pecos is one of the numerous towns in West Texas organized around a train depot during the construction of the Texas and Pacific Railway. These towns were subsequently linked by the construction of U.S. Highway 80 and Interstate 20. Prior to the arrival of the railroad, a permanent camp existed nearby where cattle drives crossed the Pecos River. With the introduction of irrigation from underground aquifers, the city became a center of commerce for extensive local agricultural production of cotton, onions, and cantaloupes. The introduction of large-scale sulfur mining in adjacent Culberson County during the 1960s led to significant economic and population growth.[11] The growth was reversed after mining operations ceased in the 1990s.
As of the 2020 United States census, 12,916 people, 2,729 households, and 1,857 families resided in the city.
2000 census
As of the census[3] of 2000, 9,501 people, 3,168 households, and 2,455 families were residing in the city. The population density was 1,300.1 inhabitants per square mile (502.0/km2). The 3,681 housing units averaged 503.7 per mi2 (194.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 76.322% White, 2.45% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 18.07% from other races, and 22% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 79.57% of the population.
Of the 3,168 households, 39.9% had children under 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were not families. About 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.97, and the average family size was 3.47.
In the city, the age distribution was 32.5% under 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,943, and for a family was $26,376. Males had a median income of $25,867 versus $13,874 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,857. About 23.4% of families and 27.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.0% of those under 18 and 15.6% of those 65 or over.
Education
The City of Pecos is served by the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District, which currently has four schools:
Austin Elementary,(grades Pre K-1), Zavala Elementary, (grades 2-5), Crockett Middle School, (grades 6–8), and Pecos High School (grades 9–12).
Climate
Pecos experiences a semiarid (BSk) to desert climate (BWh) with hot summers and mild winters. The city's aridity results in a substantial diurnal temperature variation, resulting in cool nights even after hot summer days.
^Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.[18][19]
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pecos, Texas.
Pecos River Pecos, Texas Pecos Pecos Municipal Airport USNS Pecos Pecos National Historical Park Pecos League Pecos County, Texas Pecos National Forest Pecos Junction station Trans-Pecos Assiminea pecos Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District West of the Pecos Pecos Conference My Name Is Pecos Pecos, New Mexico Hollywood Stars (Pecos League) Pecos Cleans Up Trans-Pecos rat snake Pecos Independent Schools Pecos pupfish USS Pecos (AO-65) Pecos Spring Reeves County, Texas Oryx/Pecos Pecos Wilderness Pecos Bill National Register of Historic Places listings in Pecos County, Texas Trans-Peco…
s striped whiptail Arphia pecos Fort Stockton–Pecos County Airport The Pecos Kid Peco Gammarus pecos Mission Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Porciúncula de los Pecos The Pecos Dandy Guns of the Pecos Beyond the Pecos Pecos Valley Southern Railway 2024 Pecos League season Lancaster Crossing Panhandle-Pecos Valley League 2022 Pecos League season Leaving of Pecos Pecos Bill (comics) Pecos River High Bridge Pecos Canyon Pecos Promenade 2023 Pecos League season Pecos gambusia West of the Pecos (1945 film) Pecos Bill (disambiguation) The Long Loop on the Pecos USS Pecos King of the Pecos Blazing Across the Pecos East Pecos, New Mexico The Stranger from Pecos USS Pecos (AO-6) West of the Pecos (1934 film) The Pecos Pistol Orphan of the Pecos Pecos War Imperial, Texas Robin Hood of the Pecos Pals of the Pecos PECO Energy Company Muñomer del Peco Pecos River (film) Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster Pecos springsnail Battle of Pecos River Trans-Pecos Volcanic Field Peco (disambiguation) Pecos Classification Pecos Expedition Peco (unit) Hank Schyma Jorge González (Puerto Rican runner) Gundlachia triantha Peço Kagjini Pecos Bill: The Greatest Cowboy of All Time Rio Hondo (Southern Ne