Omaha, Texas
History
This area of Texas had been lightly settled under Spanish and Mexican rule. It was primarily settled after annexation by the United States by migrants from the South, many of whom arrived before the American Civil War. In that period, farmers had established cotton plantations. It was also an area of pine forests.
Omaha was first named as Morristown in 1880 by former Confederate Lieutenant Thompson Morris; it was a stop on the new St. Louis Southwestern Railway, which spurred the town's development as a trading center. The US Post Office had changed the name to Gavett. In 1886, a group of seven men from Randolph County, Alabama drew names from a hat to pick a new name; the winner, Hugh Ellis, was allowed to rename the settlement after a town in his home state, and he chose Omaha.
"By 1890 Omaha had three churches, a school, a weekly newspaper, and a population of 450." The town was incorporated in 1914. A new enterprise of raising vegetable-plant seedlings for sale developed in the area. During the twentieth century, Omaha was the site of a shipping operation that sent millions of these seedlings to destinations throughout the United States. "In 1980 it had a population of 960 and twenty-three rated businesses", reaching nearly 1,000 by the end of the 20th century.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km), all land. There are 966.2 people per square mile.
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 219 | — | |
| 1920 | 492 | — | |
| 1930 | 506 | 2.8% | |
| 1940 | 623 | 23.1% | |
| 1950 | 735 | 18.0% | |
| 1960 | 854 | 16.2% | |
| 1970 | 898 | 5.2% | |
| 1980 | 960 | 6.9% | |
| 1990 | 833 | −13.2% | |
| 2000 | 999 | 19.9% | |
| 2010 | 1,021 | 2.2% | |
| 2020 | 1,131 | 10.8% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 1,403 | 24.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 628 | 44.8% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 490 | 34.9% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 0 | 0% |
| Asian (NH) | 0 | 0% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 0 | 0% |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 26 | 1.9% |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 8 | 0.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 251 | 17.9% |
| Total | 936 |
As of the 2022 American Community Survey, there were 1,403 people and 492 households in the city, with an average of 2.8 persons per household.
Education
The City of Omaha is served by the Pewitt Consolidated Independent School District.
Notable person
- Randolph E. (Randy) Moore, a native of Omaha was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in Arlington
References
- ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Omaha, Texas
- ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". CensusReporter. January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Omaha, Texas", Handbook of Texas History Online
- ^ "Census profile: Omaha, TX". Census Reporter. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ https://www.census.gov/
- ^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ 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.
Further reading
- Jean Connor, A Short History of Morris County (Daingerfield, Texas: Daingerfield Bicentennial Commission, 1975).
Municipalities and communities of Morris County, Texas, United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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