San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo (pronounced /sæn ˈændʒəloʊ/) is a city in the state of Texas. Located in West Central Texas it is the county seat of Tom Green County. As of 2009 according to an estimate published by the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total population of 92,147. The San Angelo metropolitan area consists of Tom Green and Irion counties and had a population of 108,085 according to 2007 Census estimates.San Angelo is home to Angelo State University, historic Fort Concho, and Goodfellow Air Force BaseSome common aliases or nicknames of San Angelo include The River City, The Concho City, The Pearl of the Conchos, and The Oasis of West Texas; many residents refer to it as simply 'Angelo'.
History
The history of the city of San Angelo began in 1867 when Fort Concho was established as one of a series of new forts designed to protect the frontier from hostile threats. The Fort was home to cavalry, infantry, and the famous Black Cavalry otherwise known as Buffalo Soldiers by Native Americans. The village of Santa Angela was established outside the fort at the juncture of the North and South Concho rivers by Bartholomew J. DeWitt. He named the village after his wife Carolina Angela. The name was eventually changed to San Angela. The name would change again to San Angelo in 1883 on the insistence of the United States Postal Service as the original name was considered grammatically incorrect. It soon became a center for farmers and settlers in the area, as well as a fairly lawless area filled with brothels, saloons and gambling houses.The town grew quickly in the 1800s after becoming the county seat, and especially after the railroads arrived, making it a central transportation hub for the region. The Santa Fe Railroad arrived in 1888 and the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient in 1909. The city saw further growth when a tuberculosis outbreak hit the United States in the early 1900s. Many felt the dry, warm climate of San Angelo would benefit their health, and came to the city for treatment.In 1928, the city founded San Angelo College, one of the region's first institutes of higher education, as a result of a municipal election. The city had been passed over by the Texas State Legislature to be the home of what would become Texas Tech University. San Angelo College, one of the first municipal colleges, has grown to become Angelo State University. The military returned to San Angelo during World War II with the founding of Goodfellow Air Force Base, which was assigned to train pilots at the time. San Angelo grew exponentially during the oil boom of the 1900s, when vast amounts of oil were found in the area, and the city became a regional hub of the oil and gas industry.
Geography
San Angelo is located at 31°27′11″N 100°27′9″W / 31.45306°N 100.4525°W / 31.45306; -100.4525 (31.453113, -100.452502). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 58.2 square miles (150.9 km²), of which, 55.9 square miles (144.8 km²) of it is land and 2.3 square miles (6.1 km²) of it (4.03%) is water.San Angelo falls on the southwestern edge of the Edwards Plateau and the northeastern edge of the Chihuahuan desert at the juncture of the North and South Concho Rivers. The city has three lakes: Twin Buttes Reservoir, O.C. Fisher Reservoir, and Lake Nasworthy. The Middle Concho River joined the South Concho several miles upstream, but the junction has been obscured by the Twin Buttes dam.
Climate
San Angelo falls near the boundary between the subtropical semi-arid steppe (Koppen BSh) and mid-latitude steppe climates (Koppen BSk). It is located at the region where Central Texas meets West Texas weather. Temperatures occasionally reach the 100s in the summer, but, because of low humidity, never reach a high heat index. During winters, temperatures rarely drop below 30 degrees, and though the region does experience snow and sleet, they occur only a couple times a year. San Angelo averages 251 days of sunshine a year, and the average temperature is 64.9 degrees. The city sees an average rainfall of 20.45 inches (519 mm).
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 88,439 people, 34,006 households, and 22,409 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,582.2 people per square mile (610.8/km²). There were 37,699 housing units at an average density of 674.5 per square mile (260.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.10% White, 4.73% African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 13.96% from other races, and 2.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33.15% of the population.There were 34,006 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families; 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.08.In the city, the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 13.8% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.The median income for a household in the city was $32,232, and the median income for a family was $38,665. Males had a median income of $27,532 versus $20,470 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,289. About 11.6% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
San Angelo is served by the San Angelo Regional Airport, which offers daily flights through American Eagle Airlines. Intrastate and interstate bus service is provided by the Kerrville Bus Co. and Sunset Stages from the downtown Union Bus Center, as Greyhound Bus providers. Both have regularly scheduled service to major cities in Texas and nationwide.The BNSF Railway serves the town and the Texas Pacifico has a lease on a TexDoT rail line, formerly the Kansas City, Texas and Orient Railroad, but which is in poor repair.The intracity public transportation is provided by the Concho Valley Transit District, with its five fixed bus routes, with transfers provided at the Santa Fe station. The bus service runs from 6:30am to 6:30pm, Monday through Saturday. Taxi service is always available throughout the city by Red Ball Taxi and Shuttle, Checker Cab, All American Cab and Yellow Cab.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 67
U.S. Highway 87
U.S. Highway 277
State Highway 208
Houston Harte Expressway
Loop 306
FM 2288
Economy
San Angelo has consistently been ranked by many publications and rankings as one of the best small cities for business. It has been consistently ranked as one of the 'Best Places for Business and Careers' by Forbes Magazine. In 2009 CNN Money ranked San Angelo as one of the best cities to launch a small business. In 2010 Kiplinger's Personal Finance named San Angelo as one of the 'Best Cities of the Next Decade'.The telecommunication industry is a very strong employer in San Angelo. Sitel has its largest call center in the world located in San Angelo. In addition Verizon, DCS, a debt recovery corporation, and Blue Cross all employ over 1,000 each individuals locally.San Angelo serves as the regional medical center for West Central Texas. Shannon Medical Center and Community Medical Center employ over 3,000 in San Angelo, and provide services to a large region of West Central Texas.The manufacturing industry has seen hits to city since the 1990s; however, many large employers still remain, including Ethicon a division of Johnson & Johnson, Conner Steel and Hirschfield Steel & Martifer, a Portuguese conglomerate and wind-turbine tower manufacturing plant .The agricultural industry in San Angelo remains strong. San Angelo’s Producer’s Livestock Auction is the nation’s largest for sheep and lambs, and is among the top five in the nation for cattle auctions. Though most agricultural work is done outside the city, thousands of employees work in the cattle and lamb meat processing industries and many more work in agriculture supporting roles inside the city. Two agricultural research centers are located in San Angelo. The Angelo State University Management Instruction and Research Center and the Texas A&M Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at San Angelo.There are several large institutional employers in the city including Shannon Medical Center, Angelo State University and Goodfellow Air Force Base. The latter remains the largest employer in the region.
Culture
The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts opened in 1999 in downtown San Angelo on the banks of the Concho River, built with local limestone and end grain Texas mesquite. It brings in over 85,000 visitors a year and is home to the National Ceramic Competition.The Chicken Farm Art Center, located in northwest San Angelo, was founded in 1971. It houses an eclectic group of 15 artists' studios.Downtown San Angelo is home to various art galleries. The San Angelo Art walk, held every third Thursday, includes a viewing of the various downtown art galleries in downtown San Angelo. These include The Kendall Art Gallery, Ruiz Studio, Black Swan Gallery, The Glass Prism, Bonnie Beesley Rug Gallery and the Wool 'n Cotton Shop, as well as other public art venues. A free trolley service is available to the public.The San Angelo Symphony was founded in 1949. It plays several events a year, its feature event being on July 3. Over 20,000 people regularly attend that performance.Angelo Civic Theater, the oldest civic theater in Texas, was founded in 1885 to raise funds for a town clock at the county courthouse. In 1969‚ a fire destroyed the school building in which the theater was housed, so it produced its plays at various locations for 13 years, until it purchased the 230 seat Parkway Theater in 1980. Each year the theater presents five in-house plays, as well as one traveling summer play to 15,000 people.The San Angelo Civic Ballet was founded in 1983. The feature production is the annual Nutcracker production.Angelo State University, through 'The Arts at ASU,' puts on six plays a year open to the general public. The plays range from dinner theaters and Theater at the Round to conventional theater productions. It also features numerous concerts and recitals throughout the year and numerous displays in the Angelo State University Art Gallery. The public is encouraged to attend and actively supports all events.
Higher education
San Angelo is home to Angelo State University. The University, founded in 1928, has approximately 6,500 students from every county in Texas, 40 states and 24 countries. One of the nation's premier regional universities, it was featured in the Princeton Review Best 373. The only other two listed in the state of Texas were Texas A&M and the University of Texas. It offers almost 100 different undergraduate programs and 23 graduate programs, including one doctoral program. The university is divided into five colleges, Business, Education, Liberal and Fine Arts, Nursing and Allied Health, Sciences, and Graduate Studies. It is now a member of the Texas Tech University System. This association began in 2009.San Angelo has a branch of Howard College, which is based in Big Spring, Texas. The San Angelo campus has more than 2,000 students. The two-year school prepares students academically for transfer to a four-year university and concentrates in technical and occupational fields of study that lead to certificates and/or associate in applied science degrees.San Angelo is also the home to American Commercial College, the oldest continuously-owned private career college in Texas (third oldest in America). It offers seven career certificate programs.
Public primary and secondary education
Almost all of San Angelo is in the San Angelo Independent School District. Small parts of San Angelo are served by the Wall Independent School District (southeast San Angelo) and the Grape Creek Independent School District (northwest San Angelo). There are three main high schools, Central(CHS), Central Freshmen Campus(CFC), Lake View(LVH), three middle schools and twenty-one elementary schools within San Angelo city limits.
Private and alternative education
There are six private schools in operation in the city, certified through the 12th grade, which include Ambleside School of San Angelo, a member of Ambleside Schools International, the Angelo Catholic School, Cornerstone Christian School, Gateway Christian Academy, Trinity Lutheran School, and TLCA, which is now a Charter school.
Parks and recreation
The San Angelo City Park system was created in 1903. The city currently has 32 parks with over 375 acres (1.52 km2) of developed land. The department maintains a 33-acre (130,000 m2) municipal golf course along the river, 25 playgrounds and 25 sports practice fields. The 'crown jewels' of the parks system are the parks that make up the 10 miles (16 km) of river frontage on the Concho River winding through downtown and beyond. The parks feature many plazas, public art displays and numerous water features. The city is home to the International Water Lily Collection. The park contains over 300 varieties of water lilies, one of the largest collections in the world. The city also provides several municipal parks on Lake Nasworthy, one of three lakes surrounding the city, which include Twin Buttes Reservoir and O.C. Fisher Reservoir.San Angelo is home to San Angelo State Park. The 7,677-acre (31.07 km2) park is owned and maintained by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. It is located on the shores of the O.C. Fisher Reservoir. There are many activities available within the park, including camping, picnicking, and swimming, as well as hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding on over 50 miles (80 km) of developed trails. The park is home to the Official State of Texas Longhorn herd.The San Angelo Nature Center is located at Lake Nasworthy. It is a educational center open to the public. The center features many native and exotic animals, including alligators, bobcats, prairie dogs, tortoises and 85 different species of reptiles, including 22 different species of rattlesnakes. It includes the Spring Creek Wetland which has 260 acres (1.1 km2) being developed by the Federal Bureau of Reclamation, including a 7-mile (11 km) trail; its terrain varies from a semiarid environment to a freshwater marsh. It also maintains the one mile (1.6 km) nature trail off Spillway Road.Historic Fort Concho, a National Historic Landmark, is maintained by the city of San Angelo. It was founded in 1867 by the United States Army to protect settlers and maintain vital trade routes. It frequently experienced skirmishes with the then hostile Comanche tribe. Today, the restored site is home to several museums, and is open to visitors Tuesday through Sunday.
Sports
The San Angelo Stampede Express is an Indoor football team which was founded in 2003. They play in the Indoor Football League. Their home games are played in the 5,260 seat San Angelo Coliseum. Their regular playing season starts in April and ends in July. Ticket prices range typically from $11 to 25 per person for adults.The San Angelo Colts is a minor league baseball team and a member of United League Baseball. The first professional team to use the Colts name was founded in 1922. The current version of the team began in 2000. Their games are played at Foster Field, a facility that seats 4,200 and was built in 1999. Ticket prices range from $6 to 9 for adults.The annual San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo is held every year from February 18 through February 28. It began in 1929, making it one of the longest running rodeos in the world. It is nationally renowned within the rodeo circuit, bringing in the top contestants and ranking as one of Top 10 rodeos in the nation for monetary prizes awarded to contestants. It includes a parade, carnival and concerts and many other events in addition to the main stock show and rodeo.Angelo State University participates in NCAA D2 athletics; all games are open to the public. The school competes in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball. It features some of the largest and newest facilities in the Lone Star Conference, and consistently ranks within the Top 20 teams nationally among attendance. The University has won four National Championships in football, basketball, softball and track and field. Ticket prices vary according to the sport.
Newspapers
The San Angelo Standard-Times is the primary daily newspaper of the city of San Angelo and the surrounding West Central Texas area. Though it is distributed from San Angelo, no active printing presses remain there. It is produced in Abilene, Texas.
Television
KSAN-TV(NBC)
KLST(CBS)
KERA-TV(PBS)
KTXE-LP(ABC)
KIDY(Fox)
KEUS-LP(Univision)
KANG-CA(TeleFutura)
K45HW(Multimedios Television)
Radio
KCRN93.3 FM (Christian)
KCLL100.1 FM (Oldies)
KCOR1350 AM (Spanish Talk)
KDCD92.9 FM (Country)
KELI98.7 FM (Variety Hits)
KGKL-AM960 AM (News/Talk)
KGKL-FM97.5 FM (Country)
KIXY-FM94.7 FM (Top 40)
KKSA1260 AM (News/Talk)
KGNZ90.9 FM (Christian)
KKCN103.1 FM (Country)
KNRX96.5 FM (Classic Rock)
KMDX106.1 FM (Top 40)
KMEO91.9 FM (Christian)
KNCH 90.1 FM (Public Radio operated byTexas TechPublic Media)
KSJT107.5 FM (Spanish Pop/Rock)
KWFR101.9 FM (Classic/Modern Rock)
WXK33(NOAA Weather Radio)
Notable residents
Crawford Goldsby(also known as 'Cherokee Bill') was born in Fort Concho (across the Concho River from what was then San Angelo) on February 8, 1876.
Frank 'Bring'em Back Alive' Bucklived in San Angelo in the 1940s and 1950s.
Jazz musicianJack Teagardenlived in San Angelo.
College Football Hall of FamememberPierce HoltattendedAngelo State University, and was a member of theSan Francisco 49ersandAtlanta Falconsin the 1990s. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection.
George B. Jackson(1850-1900) was anAfrican Americanbusinessman and rancher from San Angelo who was considered the 'wealthiest black in Texas' in the second half of the19th century.
ActorFess Parkergrew up on a ranch near San Angelo.
Pop singerPaula DeAndawas born in San Angelo in 1989.
Former Major LeaguerDavid Hulseattended San Angelo Central High School, and went on to play for theTexas RangersandMilwaukee Brewersin the 1990s.
Four-timeCy Young Award-winningbaseball pitcherGreg Madduxwas born in San Angelo.
MusicianErnest Tubb, a member of theCountry Music Hall of Fame, worked for several years in San Angelo, and had a daily live music show on a local radio station prior to going toNashville.
Robert Nason Beck(1928–2008), pioneer researcher of the uses of radioactive materials, like technetium-99, for medical imaging usingpositron emission tomography, was born and has family in San Angelo.
Award-winningwesternwriter and roustaboutElmer Kelton(1926–2009) lived in San Angelo.
Former professionaltennisplayerCliff Richey, who won 45 career singles titles, 1970 World Grand Prix Champion, 2 time Davis Cup Champion, No. 1 ranked player in the United States 1970 and the co-author of 'Acing Depression: A Tennis Champions Toughest Match' was born in San Angelo and currently lives there.
Former professional tennis player Nancy Richey, who won 6 Grand Slam titles and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame '03 was born in San Angelo and currently lives there. Together Nancy and Cliff are the best brother and sister to have ever played the game of tennis.
Matthew McConaugheyowns a ranch nearby and frequently shops in San Angelo.
Los Lonely Boysis an AmericanGrammy-winning musical group from San Angelo that plays Tex-Mexrockwith elements ofblues,soul,country, andTejano.
Monty McCutchen, aprofessional basketballrefereein theNBA, lives there.
Pulitzer Prizenominee andTexas A&M UniversityprofessorJoe Feaginwas born in San Angelo.
Bram Stoker Awardwinner and novelistLucy A. Snydergrew up in San Angelo and has used a fictional version of the city as a setting in some of her work.
Shea Morenz, a graduate ofSan Angelo Central, formerUniversity of Texasquarterback, and who was drafted by theNew York Yankees, lived in 'Angelo'.
FormerScreaming TreesguitaristGary Lee Connernow resides in San Angelo.
Former survivor candidate and actorColby Donaldsonwas born just outside San Angelo and lived in the city.
Colleen R. LaRose, indicted in March 2010 with trying to recruit Islamic terrorists to wagejihadand murder a Swedish artist.
FormerNFLplayerJeff Drostwas born in San Angelo.
