Huntsville is located in the East Texas Piney Woods on the Interstate 45 corridor between Houston and Dallas with a population of 35,508.
Huntsville served as the residence of Sam Houston, who is recognized in Huntsville by the Sam Houston Memorial Museum and a statue on Interstate 45. Huntsville has headquarters of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) and several prisons operated by the department.
History
Huntsville became the home of Sam Houston, who served as President of the Republic of Texas, Governor of the State of Texas, Governor of Tennessee, U.S. Senator, and Tennessee congressman.
General Houston led the Texas Army in the Battle of San Jacinto – the decisive victory of the Texas Revolution. Houston has been noted for his life among the Cherokees of Tennessee, and – near the end of his life – for his opposition to the American Civil War, a position which was a very unpopular in his day.
Houston’s life in Huntsville is also commemorated by his namesake Sam Houston State University, and by a 70 ft (21 m) statue.
Demographics
In the city the population was spread out with 15.1% under the age of 18, 29.3% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 152.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 163.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,075, and the median income for a family was $40,562. Males had a median income of $27,386 versus $22,908 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,576. About 13.1% of families and 23.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
Geography
Huntsville is about 70 miles (110 km) north of Houston. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a land area of 35.86 square miles in 2010.
Government and infrastructure
The Huntsville Unit, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice-operated prison in Huntsville
Huntsville has the headquarters of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), the Texas agency that operates state correctional facilities for adults.[13][14] The state of Texas prison system had been headquartered in Huntsville since Texas’s founding as a republic, and the TDCJ is the only major state agency not headquartered in Austin, the state capital.
The Texas Forensic Science Commission is headquartered on the grounds of Sam Houston State University.
Education
The City of Huntsville is served by the Huntsville Independent School District (HISD).
The city has Sam Houston State University, which also served as the first location for Austin College.
The 7,000 square feet (650 m2) Huntsville Public Library opened on Sunday September 24, 1967 after the group “Friends for a Huntsville Public Library” had campaigned for the opening of a public library.
Recreation
Huntsville has several tourist attractions. They include an art tour, a downtown walking tour, Sam Houston’s grave, the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, the Sam Houston Woodland Home, and a folk and cowboy music festival held every April.
All Huntsville, TX area information provided courtesy of Wikipedia
