Tulia, Texas

History

Its site was originally on the acreage of the Tule Ranch division of the JA Ranch. In 1887, a post office was established in James A. Parrish's dugout on Middle Tule Draw, 9 mi west of what is now the site of Tulia. Evidently, the name Tule, after the nearby creek, had been selected for this post office, but at some point a clerk's error changed the name to Tulia. By 1900, Tulia was prospering as a stopping point for freight-wagon traffic en route to the railheads of Colorado City and Amarillo. A booming new era began with the extension of the Santa Fe line to Tulia in December 1906; with it came more settlers. In the mid-1980s, local industrial plants manufactured products such as clothing and farm implements, and four large cattle-feeding enterprises were nearby.

1999 drug arrest scandal

Main article: 1999 Tulia drug arrests

In July 1999, the town of Tulia gained national attention due to its involvement in the controversial war on drugs. Undercover Officer Tom Coleman conducted a sting operation that led to forty-seven citizens accused of dealing cocaine, equating to ten to twenty percent of the African American population being incarcerated.

Despite being tried, convicted, and sentenced to decades in prison, a group of attorneys led by Amarillo civil rights attorney Jeff Blackburn and Vanita Gupta from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, ultimately succeeded in having the defendants released. In 2003 Texas Governor Rick Perry granted full pardons to thirty-five of the Tulia defendants. In 2005, Coleman was convicted of perjury and sentenced to 10 years' probation and a fine.

Geography

Tulia is located at . It is located 46 mi south of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.5 sqmi, all land.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Tulia has a semiarid climate, BSk on climate maps.

Record low

Tulia holds the record for the lowest temperature in Texas, -23 F, set during the Great Blizzard of 1899. The temperature was matched by Seminole, Texas, in 1933.

|Jan record high F = 88 |Feb record high F = 90 |Mar record high F = 94 |Apr record high F = 101 |May record high F = 106 |Jun record high F = 110 |Jul record high F = 109 |Aug record high F = 108 |Sep record high F = 104 |Oct record high F = 99 |Nov record high F = 88 |Dec record high F = 82

|Jan avg record high F = 73.1 |Feb avg record high F = 77.4 |Mar avg record high F = 84.6 |Apr avg record high F = 89.2 |May avg record high F = 95.8 |Jun avg record high F = 100.6 |Jul avg record high F = 100.4 |Aug avg record high F = 99.1 |Sep avg record high F = 95.8 |Oct avg record high F = 89.9 |Nov avg record high F = 80.9 |Dec avg record high F = 73.2 |year avg record high F = 103.4

|Jan avg record low F = 8.6 |Feb avg record low F = 10.9 |Mar avg record low F = 16.7 |Apr avg record low F = 26.2 |May avg record low F = 36.5 |Jun avg record low F = 51.8 |Jul avg record low F = 57.9 |Aug avg record low F = 56.1 |Sep avg record low F = 43.2 |Oct avg record low F = 27.7 |Nov avg record low F = 15.4 |Dec avg record low F = 8.2 |year avg record low F = 3.1

|Jan record low F = -12 |Feb record low F = -23 |Mar record low F = -1 |Apr record low F = 16 |May record low F = 15 |Jun record low F = 32 |Jul record low F = 48 |Aug record low F = 40 |Sep record low F = 30 |Oct record low F = 14 |Nov record low F = -3 |Dec record low F = -11

|access-date = March 2, 2023 |access-date = March 2, 2023

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 4,473 people, 1,479 households, and 1,025 families in Tulia. The population density was 1,257.5 per square mile (485.5/km). There were 1,821 housing units at an average density of 511.9 per square mile (197.7/km). The racial makeup was 51.44% (2,301) white or European American (35.81% non-Hispanic white), 8.7% (389) black or African-American, 0.85% (38) Native American or Alaska Native, 0.11% (5) Asian, 0.02% (1) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 20.28% (907) from other races, and 18.6% (832) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 53.16% (2,378) of the population.

Of the 1,479 households, 35.0% had children under the age of 18; 45.7% were married couples living together; 30.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 27.4% of households consisted of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.4. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 11.4% of the population.

24.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 79.2 males.

The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $30,500 (with a margin of error of +/- $4,753). The median family income was $31,419 (+/- $6,378). Males had a median income of $34,476 (+/- $7,351) versus $10,744 (+/- $2,212) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $24,115 (+/- $10,197). Approximately, 33.3% of families and 33.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 49.9% of those under the age of 18 and 18.4% of those ages 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, 5,117 people, 1,698 households, and 1,222 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,447.6 PD/sqmi. The 1,898 housing units averaged 537.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 66.45% White, 8.40% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 22.14% from other races, and 2.48% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 39.63% of the population.

Of the 1,698 households, 37.0% had children under 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were not families. About 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.64, and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city, the population was distributed as 27.8% under 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,794, and for a family was $32,415. Males had a median income of $24,857 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,956. About 16.0% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.7% of those under 18 and 14.9% of those 65 or over.

Politics

Tulia is represented in the U.S. House by Republican Ronny Jackson.

Education

The city is served by the Tulia Independent School District.

Schools that serve Tulia include:

• Tulia High School (grades 9–12)
• Tulia Junior High School (grades 6–8)
• W.V. Swinburn Elementary School (grades 3–5)
• Highland Elementary School (grades EE–2)

All of Swisher County is in the service area of Amarillo College.

Media

;Newspapers:

• Swisher County News

In media

A documentary Tulia, Texas: Scenes from the Drug War was filmed by Sarah Kunstler and Emily Kunstler in 2003, and won the Best Documentary Short award at Woodstock Film Festival. Another documentary, titled Tulia, Texas, filmed by Cassandra Herman and Kelly Whalen, premiered in 2008 at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin and aired on PBS February 10, 2009.

The Tulia 47 drug sting events were to feature in a film directed by John Singleton and starring Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry. The 1999 drug arrests were also explored in the documentary American Drug War: The Last White Hope.

Rattlesnake is a 2019 crime drama mystery film set in Tulia.

Notable people

• Tim Curry, district attorney in Tarrant County, Texas, from 1972 to 2009
• Marshal Dutton, singer and guitarist for the band Hinder

Notes

References

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "American FactFinder". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. (2007-10-25). "US Board on Geographic Names". [[United States Geological Survey]].
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
5. {{Handbook of Texas
6. Balko, Radley. (June 2021). "The Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces". [[PublicAffairs]].
7. (2007). "Taking the 'Garbage' out in Tulia, Texas: The Taboo on Black-White Romance and Racial Profiling in the 'War on Drugs'". [[Wisconsin Law Review]].
8. Blakeslee, Nate. (2005). "Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town". [[PublicAffairs]].
9. Balko, Radley. (June 2021). "The Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces". [[PublicAffairs]].
10. (2011-02-12). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
11. "Climate Summary for Tulia, Texas".
12. "Texas Day by Day".
13. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
14. "Explore Census Data".
15. https://www.census.gov/ {{nonspecific. (August 2022)
16. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin".
17. "US Census Bureau, Table P16: HOUSEHOLD TYPE".
18. "US Census Bureau, Table DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS".
19. "Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
20. "US Census Bureau, Table P1: RACE".
21. "US Census Bureau, Table P2: HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE".
22. "US Census Bureau, Table S1101: HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES".
23. "US Census Bureau, Table S1501: EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT".
24. "US Census Bureau, Table S1903: MEDIAN INCOME IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2020 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS)".
25. "US Census Bureau, Table S2001: EARNINGS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2020 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS)".
26. "US Census Bureau, Table S1701: POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS".
27. "US Census Bureau, Table S1702: POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS OF FAMILIES".
28. [https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.164. AMARILLO COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.].
29. {{IMDb title. 0986375. Tulia, Texas: Scenes from the Drug War (2003)
30. [http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com/archives/2004schedule/shorts.screeningwith.htm Woodstock Film Festival 2004 Screening]
31. {{IMDb title. 1185407. Tulia, Texas (2008)
32. {{IMDb title. 0976181. Tulia (2014)
33. "Tulia (2008) - Movie Details - Cast & Crew, Photos & Trailer".