Smithville is a city in Bastrop County, Texas, United States, near the Colorado River. The population was 3,901 at the 2000 census. The population grew to an estimated 4,339 for 2004.

History

Smithville was established in 1827, when Thomas Gazely settled in the area and operated a store. A community sprang up around the store, and it was named Smithville, in honor of another early resident, William Smith. Gazely's store closed upon his death in 1853. J.P. Jones and Frank Smith opened another store in the community in 1867. A Presbyterian Church was organized in 1871. A post office was opened in 1876. In 1887, the railroad came to Smithville causing the town's population to boom, and the town was incorporated in March 1895. By 1900, Smithville had a population of 2,577.

Geography

Smithville is located at . This location is 12 miles southeast of Bastrop and 29 miles southeast of Austin.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²), of which, 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.85%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,901 people, 1,491 households, and 990 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,112.7 people per square mile (429.1/km²). There were 1,672 housing units at an average density of 476.9/sq mi (183.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.01% White, 14.53% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 5.10% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.43% of the population.

There were 1,491 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,586, and the median income for a family was $45,163. Males had a median income of $33,500 versus $23,409 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,282. About 12.1% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Smithville is served by the Smithville Independent School District.

Notable people from Smithville

• Hannibal, jazz trumpeter and composer
• The late DJ Screw, Pioneer of Screw music, the style of dirty south hip hop known for its pitched-down lyrics and chopped-up beats. Born in Smithville and later moved to Houston, Texas. died November 16, 2000.
• Robert Luigi "Bob" Bradshaw, Noted NASA Engineer. Developed Standards for the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center in Houston

Trivia

• The movie Hope Floats was filmed in Smithville, and was released at theaters across the nation on May 29, 1998. [20139]
• On December 2, 2006, at the area's annual Festival of Lights, Smithville broke the Guinness Book of world records' record for the world's largest gingerbread man. The record breaking "man" measures over 26 feet and weighs 1,308 lb, 8 oz. The pan used in the baking now stands as a monument at the James H. Long Railroad Park in Smithville.

(Listed in the Guinness World Records 2009, page 124. 1,308 lb 8 oz Smithville Chamber of Commerce 2006)

References

External links

• City of Smithville website
• Smithville, Texas on Facebook