Rochester, Texas

Rochester, Texas
Town
Location of Rochester, Texas
Coordinates: 33°18′51″N 99°51′23″W / 33.31417°N 99.85639°WCoordinates: 33°18′51″N 99°51′23″W / 33.31417°N 99.85639°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Haskell
Area
• Total	0.4 sq mi (0.9 km^2)
• Land	0.4 sq mi (0.9 km^2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km^2)
Elevation	1,594 ft (486 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	378
• Density	1,076.0/sq mi (415.4/km^2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	79544
Area code(s)	940
FIPS code	48-62636[1]
GNIS feature ID	1366626[2]

Rochester is a town in northwestern Haskell County, Texas, United States. The population was 378 as of the 2000 census.

History

Rochester was founded by A. B. Carothers in 1906 as the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway was built in the area. It takes its name from Rochester, New York.^[3]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	562		—
1940	611		8.7%
1950	773		26.5%
1960	625		−19.1%
1970	529		−15.4%
1980	492		−7.0%
1990	458		−6.9%
2000	378		−17.5%
2010	324		−14.3%
Est. 2015	315	[4]	−2.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 378 people, 155 households, and 106 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,076.0 people per square mile (417.0/km²). There were 191 housing units at an average density of 543.7 per square mile (210.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 65.34% White, 7.14% African American, 1.06% Native American, 24.07% from other races, and 2.38% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 38.62% of the population.

There were 155 households, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were not families. About 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town, the population was distributed with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $20,357, and the median income for a family was $25,893. Males had a median income of $17,188 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,912. About 24.2% of families and 29.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.8% of those under age 18 and 20.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

From the early 1900s to 2005, Rochester operated its own single-campus school district. The high school was completed in 1938, and had served in that capacity until May 2005. Due to rapidly declining enrollment, the district merged with the Haskell Consolidated Independent School District on June 1, 2005. The Rochester campus now serves as the district's junior high school.

During consolidation, some children transferred to Knox City and Rule Schools.

References

1. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. "Rochester, TX". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
4. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.