Wills Point, Texas
History
Founded in 1873, Wills Point derives its name from an early American settler, William Wills, who had arrived in the area circa 1848. Wills eventually purchased a cabin from Adam Sullivan in 1852. The name 'point' may also derive from the shape of the original timberline near the cabin, though there have been unsubstantiated arguments that the name relates to the area's elevation. The layout of the city was the work of engineer General Grenville M. Dodge of the California Construction Company. The downtown streets were laid with red bricks upon packed sand in the 1920s by locals and remain in use. Downtown Wills Point has many of its original buildings that are over one hundred years old including the Wills cabin, a drug store, a dry good store, and a law office. Governor George W. Bush officially named Wills Point the Bluebird Capital of Texas in 1995.
The Majestic Movie theater was opened in 1926 by Karl C. LyBrand and was still family operated by Karl C. Lybrand III until its closure on October 4, 2010. It had been the oldest continuously operated movie theater in Texas run by a single family. The Bruce & Human Drug Company, located on the corner of 4th Street and James, was built in 1879 and is the oldest family owned drug store in Texas.
Wills Point is also the final resting place for Trailblazer, the first commercially operated monorail system in the United States.
GFA World, a Christian missionary organization, is located seven miles outside the city.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.3 km), all land.
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, Wills Point has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.
| Climate data for Wills Point, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1905–1923, 1939–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 88 (31) |
97 (36) |
94 (34) |
98 (37) |
100 (38) |
109 (43) |
113 (45) |
115 (46) |
110 (43) |
102 (39) |
91 (33) |
85 (29) |
115 (46) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 74.0 (23.3) |
77.7 (25.4) |
82.1 (27.8) |
85.6 (29.8) |
90.9 (32.7) |
95.3 (35.2) |
100.6 (38.1) |
102.1 (38.9) |
97.5 (36.4) |
90.6 (32.6) |
81.3 (27.4) |
75.6 (24.2) |
103.1 (39.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 55.5 (13.1) |
59.9 (15.5) |
67.2 (19.6) |
75.0 (23.9) |
82.6 (28.1) |
90.0 (32.2) |
94.4 (34.7) |
95.3 (35.2) |
88.8 (31.6) |
78.3 (25.7) |
66.2 (19.0) |
57.7 (14.3) |
75.9 (24.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 45.1 (7.3) |
49.1 (9.5) |
56.3 (13.5) |
63.9 (17.7) |
72.5 (22.5) |
80.2 (26.8) |
83.9 (28.8) |
84.2 (29.0) |
77.7 (25.4) |
66.9 (19.4) |
55.5 (13.1) |
47.4 (8.6) |
65.2 (18.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 34.8 (1.6) |
38.3 (3.5) |
45.4 (7.4) |
52.8 (11.6) |
62.5 (16.9) |
70.4 (21.3) |
73.4 (23.0) |
73.0 (22.8) |
66.5 (19.2) |
55.4 (13.0) |
44.8 (7.1) |
37.1 (2.8) |
54.5 (12.5) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 20.0 (−6.7) |
23.9 (−4.5) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
37.8 (3.2) |
47.6 (8.7) |
61.3 (16.3) |
67.3 (19.6) |
66.3 (19.1) |
53.4 (11.9) |
39.5 (4.2) |
28.6 (−1.9) |
23.1 (−4.9) |
17.0 (−8.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −1 (−18) |
−3 (−19) |
10 (−12) |
22 (−6) |
36 (2) |
49 (9) |
58 (14) |
55 (13) |
38 (3) |
22 (−6) |
13 (−11) |
−2 (−19) |
−3 (−19) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.40 (86) |
3.59 (91) |
4.24 (108) |
3.67 (93) |
4.85 (123) |
3.88 (99) |
2.25 (57) |
2.64 (67) |
3.29 (84) |
4.79 (122) |
3.94 (100) |
4.09 (104) |
44.63 (1,134) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.6 | 9.4 | 10.1 | 8.7 | 9.7 | 7.8 | 5.9 | 6.0 | 6.8 | 7.6 | 8.3 | 9.3 | 99.2 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 860 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,025 | 19.2% | |
| 1900 | 1,347 | 31.4% | |
| 1910 | 1,398 | 3.8% | |
| 1920 | 1,811 | 29.5% | |
| 1930 | 2,023 | 11.7% | |
| 1940 | 1,976 | −2.3% | |
| 1950 | 2,030 | 2.7% | |
| 1960 | 2,281 | 12.4% | |
| 1970 | 2,636 | 15.6% | |
| 1980 | 2,631 | −0.2% | |
| 1990 | 2,986 | 13.5% | |
| 2000 | 3,496 | 17.1% | |
| 2010 | 3,524 | 0.8% | |
| 2020 | 3,747 | 6.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 2,578 | 68.8% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 409 | 10.92% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 14 | 0.37% |
| Asian (NH) | 10 | 0.27% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 3 | 0.08% |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 11 | 0.29% |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 150 | 4.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 572 | 15.27% |
| Total | 3,747 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,747 people, 1,350 households, and 945 families residing in the city.
Education
Wills Point and the surrounding unincorporated areas are served by the Wills Point ISD. It is administered by Superintendent Scott Caloss. As of 2006, there are five schools: Wills Point Primary School (Pre-K through 1st grades), E.O. Woods Intermediate School (2nd–4th), Wills Point Middle School (5th–6th), Wills Point Jr. High (7th–8th), and Wills Point High School (9th–12th). The Wills Point High School Tigers football team won the 1A State Championship in 1965.
Photo gallery
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Downtown Wills Point -
Downtown Wills Point -
Rose Dry Goods
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Transportation
Major highways
Airports
The city owns Van Zandt County Regional Airport, which was known as Wills Point Municipal Airport prior to the 2007 approval of a major airport improvement project.
References
- ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Wills Point, Texas
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Wills Point Chronicle." Obituary. 1924 June.
- ^ "Wills Point, Texas Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Retrieved August 24, 2016.
- ^ "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ https://www.census.gov/
- ^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for F46 PDF. Federal Aviation Administration, Effective 26 April 2018.
- ^ "Van Zandt County Regional Airport". City of Wills Point. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ^ 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.
External links
- City of Wills Point Texas
- WillsPoint.com
- KWJB RADIO the official website of the only broadcasting station in Van Zandt County
- Wills Point Chronicle
- Wills Point ISD
Municipalities and communities of Van Zandt County, Texas, United States | ||
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