Official Name: | Jefferson, Texas |
Settlement Type: | City |
Mapsize: | 250px |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | United States |
Subdivision Type1: | State |
Subdivision Name1: | Texas |
Subdivision Type2: | County |
Subdivision Name2: | Marion |
Established Title: | Founded |
Established Date: | 1841 |
Named For: | Thomas Jefferson |
Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Area Footnotes: | [1] |
Area Total Km2: | 11.59 |
Area Land Km2: | 11.52 |
Area Water Km2: | 0.07 |
Area Total Sq Mi: | 4.48 |
Area Land Sq Mi: | 4.45 |
Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.03 |
Population As Of: | 2020 |
Population Total: | 1875 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
Timezone: | Central (CST) |
Utc Offset: | -6 |
Timezone Dst: | CDT |
Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
Elevation M: | 59 |
Elevation Ft: | 194 |
Coordinates: | 32.7611°N -94.3494°W |
Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
Postal Code: | 75657 |
Area Code: | 903, 430 |
Area Code Type: | Area code |
Blank Name: | FIPS code |
Blank Info: | 48-37528[2] |
Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Blank1 Info: | 1338692[3] |
Website: | City of Jefferson |
Jefferson is a city and county seat of Marion County, Texas, in Northeast Texas.[4] [5] [6] It has a population of 1,875 as of the 2020 United States census.[7] [8]
Almost every commercial building and house on the main arterial road in Jefferson has a historic marker.[9]
Early records indicate that Jefferson was founded around 1841 on land ceded from the Caddo Indians. At that time, a log jam more than 100 miles long existed on the Red River north of present Natchitoches, Louisiana. The Indians said that this log jam, known as the Great Red River Raft, had always existed.
The Red River Raft (or Great Raft) acted as a dam on the river and raised the level of Caddo Lake and the Red River several feet. This rise of Caddo Lake and the corresponding rise in the Big Cypress Bayou at Jefferson permitted commercial riverboat travel to Jefferson from ports such as St. Louis and New Orleans via the Mississippi and Red Rivers.
Jefferson was one of the most important ports in Texas between 1845 and 1872. The town reached its peak population just a few years after the Civil War and is reported to have exceeded 30,000. During this time, Jefferson was the sixth-largest town in Texas.
There were attempts over the years to remove the raft and permit the normal flow of the Red River, but these attempts were unsuccessful until the discovery of nitroglycerin. In 1873, using nitroglycerin, the Army Corps of Engineers was finally able to clear the raft from the Red River. This lowered the level of Caddo Lake and Big Cypress to the extent that riverboat traffic to Jefferson was no longer commercially feasible. At the peak of river traffic, Jefferson had a population of over 7,000. A few years later, it had dropped to a little over 3,000.
The Sterne Fountain was given to the city in 1913 to honor the contribution of Jacob and Ernestine Sterne, a Jewish couple who settled in Jefferson before the Civil War and became prominent citizens who managed the post office and were involved in numerous civic and cultural projects. The fountain includes a statue of Hebe, the Greek goddess of Youth, by Giuseppe Moretti.[10]
One of the legends related to Jefferson referred to Jay Gould, the railroad magnate. The legend goes that Gould wanted to bring his railroad through Jefferson but the town leaders refused because they had the river traffic. Gould said that "grass would grow in the streets" without the railroad. Gould credited with supporting the removal of the Red River Raft and the subsequent decline of Jefferson as a river port. Much of this tale is fiction. Townspeople obtained Gould's railcar and it is displayed as a tourist attraction in downtown Jefferson.[11]
Since 2000, Jefferson has been the location for the Pulpwood Queens Book Club Girlfriend Weekend's annual conference, attracting authors from all around the country.[12] Home of the famous TJ Blackburn Syrup Works since 1927.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4sqmi, of which 4.3sqmi is land and 0.1sqmi (1.58%) is water.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Jefferson has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[13]
White (NH) | 1,102 | 58.77% | |
Black or African American (NH) | 621 | 33.12% | |
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 12 | 0.64% | |
Asian (NH) | 17 | 0.91% | |
Some Other Race (NH) | 6 | 0.32% | |
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 72 | 3.84% | |
Hispanic or Latino | 45 | 2.4% | |
Total | 1,875 |
At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the city was $17,034, and the median income for a family was $26,250. Males had a median income of $28,929 versus $14,583 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,558. About 29.4% of families and 32.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 54.1% of those under age 18 and 22.7% of those age 65 or over. At the American Community Survey of 2020, its median household income was $40,306 with a mean income at $67,961.[16]
The city of Jefferson is served by the Jefferson Independent School District.