Zapata, Texas

History

Zapata was named for José Antonio de Zapata (died 1839), the revolutionary commander who served in the cavalry of the Republic of the Rio Grande, of which the town was a part. The town was relocated to higher ground in 1953 prior to the completion of Falcon Dam, which left the original town center beneath the waters of Falcon Lake.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 9.6 sqmi, of which 7.6 sqmi is land and 2.0 sqmi is water.

Climate

Zapata has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh) with sweltering summers and warm winters. Official record temperatures range from 13 °F on January 4, 1911, to 116 °F on June 16, 1998.

Rainfall averages 19.8 in annually, with higher amounts typically occurring from May to October. The wettest calendar year has been 2004 with 35.34 in and the driest 1974 with 11.63 in. The wettest month has been September 1967 with 13.26 in, whilst every month of the year has recorded a trace or less at least once and no rain whatsoever fell during the winter of 1950–51. Measurable snowfall has occurred only twice: 8.0 in on January 9, 1967 and 1.0 in on Christmas Day in 2004.

Zapata is sometimes the hottest location in the United States: on January 5, 1997 it set the all-time US record January high of 98 F.

|Jan record high F = 98 |Feb record high F = 101 |Mar record high F = 105 |Apr record high F = 111 |May record high F = 114 |Jun record high F = 116 |Jul record high F = 113 |Aug record high F = 114 |Sep record high F = 111 |Oct record high F = 104 |Nov record high F = 98 |Dec record high F = 95 |year record high F = 116 |Jan avg record high F = 87 |Feb avg record high F = 91 |Mar avg record high F = 96 |Apr avg record high F = 101 |May avg record high F = 103 |Jun avg record high F = 104 |Jul avg record high F = 104 |Aug avg record high F = 105 |Sep avg record high F = 102 |Oct avg record high F = 96 |Nov avg record high F = 91 |Dec avg record high F = 85 |year avg record high F = 107 |Jan avg record low F = 30 |Feb avg record low F = 34 |Mar avg record low F = 40 |Apr avg record low F = 49 |May avg record low F = 60 |Jun avg record low F = 67 |Jul avg record low F = 71 |Aug avg record low F = 70 |Sep avg record low F = 62 |Oct avg record low F = 49 |Nov avg record low F = 39 |Dec avg record low F = 32 |year avg record low F = 28 |Jan record low F = 13 |Feb record low F = 22 |Mar record low F = 22 |Apr record low F = 38 |May record low F = 50 |Jun record low F = 50 |Jul record low F = 42 |Aug record low F = 64 |Sep record low F = 45 |Oct record low F = 30 |Nov record low F = 31 |Dec record low F = 15 |year record low F= 13

Demographics

| 1950|1400 | 1960|2031 | 1970|2102 | 1980|3831 | 1990|7119 | 2000|4856 | 2010|5089 | 2020|5383 |align-fn=center 1850–1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Zapata first appeared as an unincorporated community in the 1950 U.S. census; and then as a census designated place in the 1980 United States census.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,383 people, 2,010 households, and 1,037 families residing in the CDP.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 5,089 people, 4,328 households and 1,265 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 666.7 per square mile. There were 2,239 housing units at an average density of 290.4 /mi2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.38% White, 0.02% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 6.82% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 94.99% of the population.

At the 2000 census, there were 1,574 households, of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.50.

31% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.4% from 20 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 49, 15.2% from 50 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

The median household income was $24,136 and the median family income was $27,708. Males had a median income of $30,833 compared with $12,604 for females. The per capita income was $11,863. About 29.1% of families and 33.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.1% of those under the age of 18 and 27.0% of those ages 65 and older.

Economy

Leading employers in Zapata County are the educational, health and social services, natural gas and oil, and retail trade industries.

The county’s present economy is mainly centered on oil and gas production, ranching, trading and services, and tourism. Its primary employers are in the mining/energy, construction, retail trade, health care, social welfare, and the services sector. Government is also a major employer in the county.

Arts and culture

The county operates the main branch of the Olga V. Figueroa Zapata County Public Library.

Parks and recreation

The city is located on Falcon International Reservoir which is at the center of multiple fishing events throughout the year.

The city also served by a number of parks, most notably, Romeo Flores Park.

Falcon International Reservoir located in Zapata is becoming well known for its bass fishing. The community hosts numerous "Winter Texans" between November and April, most residing in travel camper trailers. The lake has been decreasing in recent years.

More world records in hang gliding have been set from Zapata than any other location in the world. The World Record Encampment has been taking place at the Zapata County Airport since 2000, and the first hang glider flights to break the 308-mile barrier took place there the first year. A distance record of 438 miles was set by Mike Barber in 2002. Three new world records were set in 2005, with the current world record, 472 miles, set by Dustin Martin in July, 2012.

Government

State representation

Zapata is represented in the Texas Senate by Democrat Judith Zaffirini, District 28, and in the Texas House of Representatives by former Democrat, now Republican Ryan Guillen, District 31.

At the Federal level, the two U.S. Senators from Texas are Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz; Zapata is part of Texas' US Congressional 28th District, which is currently represented by Democrat Henry Cuellar.

Education

All of Zapata County is within the Zapata County Independent School District. Schools located in Zapata include:

• Zapata High School
• Zapata Middle School
• Arturo L. Benavides Elementary School
• Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary School
• Zapata North Elementary School
• Zapata South Elementary School

Infrastructure

Transportation

Major highways in Zapata and their starting and ending points:

• [[Image:US 83.svg|25px]] U.S. Highway 83 Brownsville-Zapata-Westhope.
• [[Image:Texas 16.svg|25px]] Texas State Highway 16 Zapata Wichita Falls
• [[Image:Texas FM 496.svg|25px]] Farm to Market Road 496 Zapata – Falcon Mesa
• [[Image:Texas FM 3074.svg|25px]] Farm to Market Road 3074 Falcon Mesa – Falcon Mesa

Zapata County Airport provides general aviation services to Zapata.

Notes

References

References

1. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. (2007-10-25). "US Board on Geographic Names". [[United States Geological Survey]].
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. Joan B. Anderson, James Gerber ''Fifty Years of Change on the U.S.-Mexico Border'' 2008 Page 30 "The town of Zapata was not named for the Mexican revolutionary war hero Emiliano Zapata but rather for Colonel José Antonio Zapata, who lost his life in 1839 while fighting to establish the Republic of the Rio Grande."
5. "US Gazetteer Files 2016-Places-Texas".
6. "National High and Low Temperature for 02/04/2021".
7. "Monthly State Maximum/Minimum Extremes — 5/31/00". [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]].
8. "ZAPATA 1 S, TEXAS - Climate Summary".
9. "Decennial Census by Decade". [[US Census Bureau]].
10. "1900 Census of Population - Population of Texas By Counties And Minor Civil Divisions".
11. "1910 Census of Population - Supplement for Texas".
12. "1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
13. "1930 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
14. "1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
15. "1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
16. "1960 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
17. "1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
18. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
19. "1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas".
20. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas".
21. "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas".
22. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Zapata CDP, Texas". [[United States Census Bureau]].
23. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Zapata CDP, Texas". [[United States Census Bureau]].
24. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Zapata CDP, Texas". [[United States Census Bureau]].
25. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Zapata CDP, Texas".
26. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Zapata CDP, Texas".
27. "Fishing Falcon Reservoir".
28. [http://ozreport.com/search.php?domains=OzReport.com&sitesearch=OzReport.com&client=pub-2925268477293988&forid=1&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&hl=en&q=Zapata&sa.x=0&sa.y=0&sa=Search "Zapata" at The Oz Report], retrieved 2008-05-14
29. [http://records.fai.org/hang_gliding Hang Gliding and Paragliding World Records] {{webarchive. link. (February 12, 2005 , [[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale]] (FAI), retrieved 2008-05-14)
30. (12 January 2013). "Two Men, One Sky: A Flight to the Finish". The New York Times.