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'Anahuac' is a city in Chambers County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,210 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Chambers County and is situated in East Texas.

Contents

History

Geography

Ecology

Demographics

External links

History

The city was named after a region in Mexico. The first dwellers in this area were the Atakapan Indians. In 1721, Frenchman Jean Baptiste de La Harpe reached this area. The area became known under the name Perry's Point, named after Colonel Henry Perry, who erected a military post here in 1816. In October 1830, the Mexican commander Colonel John Davis Bradburn claimed the area for Mexico with three officers and 40 soldiers. In January 1831, General Manuel de Mier y Terán officially named the city Anahuac.
Two major events called the Anahuac Disturbances in 1832 and 1835 helped to precipitate the Texas Revolution that led to the separation of Texas from Mexico.
In 1862, a small Confederate outpost called Fort Chambers was established nearby, but neither the town nor the fort played a major role in the American Civil War. The first economically significant event was 1894, when Jesse and Charles R. Cumming founded the first saw mill here in 1894. The 1935 discovery of the Anahuac and Turtle Bay oil fields brought a period of economic development. The Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge was established sixteen miles southeast of the city in 1963 by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. In 1989, the local chamber of commerce organized the first Gatorfest which attracted 14,000 people into the Fort Anahuac Park, and has been held annually since then.

Geography

Anahuac is located at (29.768622, -94.679067).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.5 km² (2.1 mi²), all land.

Ecology

Southeast of the city of Anahuac is the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge which is popular among birdwatchers because almost 250 species of birds (see external link) have been reported there. Anahuac NWR is home to several species of marsh birds called rails including Yellow Rail, Clapper Rail and Black Rail.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,210 people, 803 households, and 600 families residing in the city. The population density was 402.5/km² (1,044.8/mi²). There were 902 housing units at an average density of 164.3/km² (426.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.28% White, 20.23% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 9.05% from other races, and 1.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.99% of the population.
There were 803 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,924, and the median income for a family was $46,750. Males had a median income of $34,904 versus $24,917 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,056. About 11.1% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

External links

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★ Bird Sightings at Anahuac NWR