Alice, Texas

History

Alice originated from the defunct community of Collins, 3 mi to the east. c. 1880, the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway attempted to build a line through Collins, which then had approximately 2,000 inhabitants. The townspeople were not amenable to selling their land to the railroad company; consequently, the railroad site was moved 3 miles west, and in 1883, a depot called "Bandana" was established at its junction with the Corpus Christi, San Diego and Rio Grande Railway. Bandana soon became a thriving cattle-shipping point, and an application for a post office was made under the name "Kleberg" in honor of Robert Justus Kleberg, a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto. The petition was denied because a town named Kleberg already appeared on the post office list, so residents then chose the name "Alice", in honor of Alice Gertrudis King Kleberg, Robert Justus Kleberg Jr.’s wife and the daughter of Richard and Henrietta King. The Alice post office opened for business in 1888. Within a few years, the remaining residents of Collins moved to Alice, which was by then a thriving community.

Alice was known for its large cattle industry until the discovery of petroleum beneath and around the town in the 1940s, which caused a slight population boom.

In the 1948 United States Senate election in Texas, an incident (Box 13 scandal) involving Lyndon B. Johnson's bid for the U.S. Senate took place at Alice's Precinct 13, where 202 ballots were cast in alphabetical order and all just at the close of polling in favor of Johnson. Johnson won the election against Coke Stevenson by 87 votes.

Culture

Alice has long been recognized as the "Birthplace of Tejano Music", dating back to the mid-1940s, when Armando Marroquin Sr., of Alice and partner Paco Betancourt of San Benito launched what was to be the first home-based recording company to record Tejano artists exclusively. Ideal Records, which was based in Alice, under the direction of Marroquin became the perfect vehicle for Tejano groups and artists to get their music to the public. Marroquin, who also owned and operated a jukebox company, ensured that Ideal recordings would be distributed throughout South Texas. The songs recorded, which were contributed by Tejano and Mexican composers, became very popular through jukeboxes placed in restaurants, cantinas, or other establishments that would have them, and the then-scarce Spanish-language radio programs. In addition to Ideal, Alice was the home of Freddie Records and Hacienda Records, which were dominant players in Tejano music in the 1970s and 1980s.

Alice is the birthplace of two Nobel Prize winners. Robert F. Curl Jr. was honored with a Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1996, and James P. Allison won a Nobel for his work in medicine in 2018.

Geography and Climate

Alice is located in central Jim Wells County at (27.750652, –98.070460). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 32.6 km2, of which 31.1 km2 are land and 1.5 km2, or 4.66%, are covered by water. Alice falls within the boundaries of South Texas and the Texas Coastal Bend region.

U.S. Route 281 passes just west of the city limits on a bypass. The highway leads north 41 mi to George West and south 37 mi to Falfurrias. Texas State Highway 44 passes through the center of town as Front Street and leads east 26 mi to Robstown and west 35 mi to Freer. Texas State Highway 359 joins SH 44 through the center of Alice, but leads northeast 30 mi to Mathis and southwest 53 mi to Hebbronville.

The nearest metropolitan areas are Corpus Christi, 45 mi to the east, and Laredo, 98 mi to the west.

Alice has very little seismic activity, with only two small earthquakes happening in recent history—a 3.8-magnitude quake on March 24, 1997, and a 4.0-magnitude quake on April 24, 2010.

|Jan record high F = 95 |Feb record high F = 98 |Mar record high F = 104 |Apr record high F = 108 |May record high F = 106 |Jun record high F = 109 |Jul record high F = 110 |Aug record high F = 109 |Sep record high F = 111 |Oct record high F = 101 |Nov record high F = 96 |Dec record high F = 93

|Jan avg record high F = 86.1 |Feb avg record high F = 90.1 |Mar avg record high F = 93.0 |Apr avg record high F = 98.3 |May avg record high F = 99.5 |Jun avg record high F = 101.9 |Jul avg record high F = 102.8 |Aug avg record high F = 104.2 |Sep avg record high F = 100.7 |Oct avg record high F = 96.0 |Nov avg record high F = 90.8 |Dec avg record high F = 86.1 |year avg record high F = 105.7

|Jan avg record low F = 30.4 |Feb avg record low F = 32.8 |Mar avg record low F = 37.9 |Apr avg record low F = 45.7 |May avg record low F = 55.6 |Jun avg record low F = 67.6 |Jul avg record low F = 69.5 |Aug avg record low F = 69.9 |Sep avg record low F = 61.3 |Oct avg record low F = 45.9 |Nov avg record low F = 36.2 |Dec avg record low F = 30.7 |year avg record low F = 27.8

|Jan record low F = 16 |Feb record low F = 15 |Mar record low F = 24 |Apr record low F = 37 |May record low F = 44 |Jun record low F = 61 |Jul record low F = 63 |Aug record low F = 61 |Sep record low F = 50 |Oct record low F = 37 |Nov record low F = 29 |Dec record low F = 22

|Jan snow depth inch = |Feb snow depth inch = |Mar snow depth inch = |Apr snow depth inch = |May snow depth inch = |Jun snow depth inch = |Jul snow depth inch = |Aug snow depth inch = |Sep snow depth inch = |Oct snow depth inch = |Nov snow depth inch = |Dec snow depth inch = |year snow depth inch =

|access-date = September 8, 2025 |access-date = September 8, 2025

Demographics

| align-fn = center

Alice city annexed the unincorporated community of Alice Southwest prior to the 1980 United States census.

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 17,891 people, 6,129 households, and 4,362 families residing in the city. The median age was 36.8 years, 26.7% of residents were under the age of 18, and 17.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.2 males age 18 and over.

98.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 6,442 households in Alice, of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.9% were married-couple households, 18.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 7,312 housing units, of which 11.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 61.7% were owner-occupied and 38.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.2%.

2022 estimates

According to the 2022 United States census estimates, there were 17,697 people, 5,955 households, and 4,535 families residing in the city.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, 19,010 people, 6,400 households and 4,915 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,597.4 PD/sqmi. The 6,998 housing units averaged 588.0 per square mile (227.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 77.44% White, 0.86% African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 18.07% from other races, and 2.41% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 78.05% of the population.

Of the 6,400 households, 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were not families. About 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.39.

Age distribution was 30.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median household income was $30,365, and the median family income was $34,276. Males had a median income of $32,409 versus $17,101 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,118. About 17.9% of families and 21.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.4% of those under age 18 and 20.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Today, Alice's economy is centered on the oil industry, with more than 100 different oil field companies located around the Alice area. Alice is called the "Hub City" due to its geographical location between Corpus Christi, McAllen, Laredo, and San Antonio. Its location between these cities makes it an ideal center for distribution.

, Alice has an unemployment rate of 6.30% when the U.S. average was 8.50%.

Transportation

Highways

• [[File:US 281.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 281
• [[File:I-69C.svg|20px]] Interstate 69C – I-69C will be concurrent with U.S. Highway 281.
• [[File:Texas 44.svg|20px]] State Highway 44
• [[File:Texas 359.svg|20px]] State Highway 359
• [[File:Texas FM 665.svg|20px]] FM 665

Air travel

• Alice International Airport – general-aviation airport with no scheduled service

Railways

• Texas Mexican Railway – now owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, which connects Monterrey, Mexico, via Laredo, to the Port of Corpus Christi

Education

The city is served by the Alice Independent School District.

Higher education

• Coastal Bend College provides vocational and academic courses for certification or associate degrees. The college also works with local businesses and industry to customize training and education classes for employees.

Public

• High school – grades 9–12 – Alice High School
• Junior high – grades 6–8 – William Adams Middle School
• Elementary schools – grades K–5 – Dubose, Noonan, Saenz, and Schallert

Private

• St. Elizabeth School, grades Pre-K3–6
• St. Joseph School, grades PreK3–9 (Now closed)
• Alice Christian School, grades K–12
• Agape House, grades PreK–12
• Alice Migrant Head Start

Notable people

• James P. Allison, immunologist, winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the Lasker Prize, and the Breakthrough Prize for his development of cancer immunotherapy
• Chris Brazzell, Canadian Football League player and ex NFL player, born May 22, 1976, and played on the Alice High School football team: He was drafted to the NFL in 1998 to the New York Jets as the 174th overall pick in the sixth round
• Marv Brown, NFL player with the Detroit Lions in 1957 born August 15, 1930
• Sonny Brown, Houston Oiler, MVP of the 1985 Orange Bowl that earned his team the Oklahoma Sooners a national championship; graduated from Alice High in 1982 where he was 2nd-team all-state quarterback
• Lois Chiles, born April 15, 1947, top 1970s fashion model and actress, most famous for her role as Bond girl Holly Goodhead in Moonraker
• John Donald Wesley Corley (born 1951 and Alice High School graduate of 1969), retired four-star general in the United States Air Force
• Robert F. Curl Jr., Nobel Prize winner, born on August 23, 1933, in Alice; emeritus professor of chemistry at Rice University. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996 for the discovery of fullerene (with the late Richard Smalley, also of Rice University, and Harold Kroto of the University of Sussex)
• J. Frank Dobie, award-winning author who taught at UT Austin, moved to Alice at 16 until he graduated from WAHS
• Bill Henry, Major League Baseball pitcher from 1952 to 1969; played on six clubs including the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox
• Raymond L. Johnson, mathematician; first African American student admitted to Rice University (PhD, 1969)
• Bill Mason, journalist murdered in 1949 after exposing corruption in local law enforcement
• Richard Raymond, born in Alice on October 27, 1960; Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives currently representing District 42, which encompasses western Webb County and includes most of the city of Laredo
• Brigadier General Angela Salinas, commanding general of Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego: She assumed command on August 4, 2006, becoming the first woman to command the Recruit Depot
• Brothers Jim and Wayne Tyrone, both born in Alice; Major League Baseball outfielders
• Reality Winner (born 1991), American intelligence specialist pled guilty to felony transmission of national defense information.
• David Valdez, photographer who served as the Chief Official White House Photographer

Outdoor activities

Alice and its surrounding areas have an abundance of wildlife, so hunting, fishing, and bird watching are favorite activities, and wild game hunting leases are available through Texas Parks and Wildlife. Golfers have two courses from which to choose in the Hub City, with the Alice Municipal Golf Course being the larger with 18 holes, long fairways, and water hazards. The other is the nine-hole Alice Country Club golf course, east of town.

References

References

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