White Settlement, Texas

White Settlement, Texas
City
City of White Settlement
White Settlement Police station, November 2023
White Settlement Police station, November 2023
Location of White Settlement in Tarrant County, Texas
Location of White Settlement in Tarrant County, Texas
Coordinates: 32°45′00″N 97°27′34″W / 32.75000°N 97.45944°W / 32.75000; -97.45944
Country United States
State Texas
County Tarrant
Named forThe homogeneity of white settlers in an area populated predominantly by American Indian villages during the 1840s.
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
Area
[1]
 • Total5.04 sq mi (13.05 km2)
 • Land5.04 sq mi (13.05 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation
[2]
686 ft (209 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total18,269
 • Estimate 
(2022)[3]
18,046
 • Density3,543.97/sq mi (1,368.36/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
76108
Area code(s)817 and 682
FIPS code48-78544[4]
GNIS feature ID2412255[2]
Websitewstx.us

White Settlement is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States, and a northwestern suburb of Fort Worth. The population was estimated to be 18,084 in 2021.[5]

History

[edit]

Even before the beginnings of a nearby military outpost, Fort Worth, settlers took up refuge along a creek, later named Farmers Branch Creek.[6] Before the end of 1841, settlers began arriving from Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. In 1850 the area's first census showed the population consisted of 599 Anglo-Americans and 65 black slaves.[7] By the mid-1850s, many more settlers arrived bringing with them more slaves.[8]

The oldest street in White Settlement is White Settlement Road. This original trail led from the fort to the "white settlement" about eight miles west into Native American territory. As the Native Americans were forced from the area and the settlement moved westward, the road followed. This was the only public road in White Settlement's early history.[9]

While early life was not easy for the settlers with frequent clashes with indigenous populations, White Settlement became a trading outpost. As the migrating settlers carved out homesteads among the various indigenous tribes, outsiders and American Indians referred to the area as "the white settlement."[6][10]

In February 1942, Consolidated Aircraft Company began construction on the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber at Air Force Plant #4. Liberator Village, as it became known, consisted of housing units across the city to house aircraft workers.[10]

In modern times, the city of White Settlement is the gateway to national defense, bordered by Lockheed Martin and the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. As federal properties, the White Settlement Police Department has concurrent jurisdiction for calls for service and patrols at the military base and aircraft plant.[11]

Two members of the city's West Freeway Church of Christ were killed by a gunman on December 29, 2019, during a morning service. The shooter was in turn shot dead by a church security guard.[12]

Most recent White Settlement Mayor Ronald White died in office on January 17, 2023. Mayor White was the 19th Mayor of White Settlement. [13] Mayor Pro Tem Amber Muñoz took over as the 20th Mayor of White Settlement, becoming the first female Mayor in White Settlement. On May 6, 2023, citizens of White Settlement elected Faron Young in a special election to fill the office for the remainder of White's term.[14][15]

Name

[edit]

The city got its name as it was a lone settlement of white colonists amid several Native American villages in the Fort Worth area in the Texas Republic territory in the 1840s.[16][17]

On October 14, 2005, city leaders, citing hurdles in attracting businesses,[18] announced a plan to have local voters decide on a possible name change for the town from White Settlement to West Settlement. In the November 8 election, the name change was overwhelmingly rejected by a vote of 2,388 to 219.[17][19]

Geography

[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.1 km2), all land.[20]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
195010,827—
196011,5136.3%
197013,44916.8%
198013,5080.4%
199015,47214.5%
200014,831−4.1%
201016,1168.7%
202018,26913.4%
2022 (est.)18,046−1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[21]
White Settlement racial composition as of 2020[22]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)[a]
Race Number Percentage
White (NH) 9,515 52.08%
Black or African American (NH) 1,290 7.06%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) 112 0.61%
Asian (NH) 393 2.15%
Pacific Islander (NH) 68 0.37%
Some Other Race (NH) 65 0.36%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) 844 4.62%
Hispanic or Latino 5,941 32.52%
Total 18,269

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,290 households, and 4,010 families residing in the city.

Culture

[edit]
Castleberry Baptist Church, a Baptist church in White Settlement, September 2018

The city boasts amenities including a city-owned water park, Splash Days, that operates during the summer months.[25]

White Settlement is also the winter home of several groups of Irish Travellers.[26]

The majority of White Settlement residents identify as Protestant Christians; however, there is also a Mormon church as well as a Buddhist temple within the city limits.[27]

The Texas Civil War Museum is located in White Settlement.

Government and infrastructure

[edit]

The city of White Settlement operates as a city manager form of government overseen by a Mayor and City Council.[28] The suburb of Fort Worth boasts a full-time police and fire department to represent public safety.

The police department is overseen by Chief of Police Christopher Cook, previously the chief spokesperson and deputy police chief for the City of Arlington, Texas.[11][29] The police department provides dispatch services to the cities of Westworth Village and Sansom Park. The department also provides detention services for the cities of Westover Hills, Westworth Village, Sansom Park, White Settlement Independent School District, the United States Marshal's Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 2022, the Fort Worth Police Department and Tarrant County Justice of the Precinct 4 Judge Christopher Gregory entered into an Inter-local Agreement with the White Settlement Police Department to establish and authorize concurrent enforcement jurisdiction.[30]

The Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth and Air Force Plant #4 has territory in White Settlement.[31] The United States Postal Service operates the White Settlement Post Office.[32] The city is under the jurisdiction of Tarrant County and operates as a Council-Manager government type.[33]

Education

[edit]

The City of White Settlement is served by the White Settlement Independent School District. In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.[34]

The White Settlement Public Library is located in the Municipal Complex.[35]

Less than 16% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher as opposed to 34% of all Texans.[36]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.[23][24]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: White Settlement, Texas
  3. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ "white settlement population - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "History of White Settlement | White Settlement, TX". www.wstx.us. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  7. ^ "Civil War: "Unheard of Scoundrelism," Secession, and the Great Hanging | Hometown by Handlebar". hometownbyhandlebar.com. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  8. ^ "THE STORY OF WHITE SETTLEMENT". www.wsmuseum.com. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  9. ^ "White Settlement Streets Named For Pioneer And Developer's Families". www.wsmuseum.com.
  10. ^ a b "THE STORY OF WHITE SETTLEMENT". www.wsmuseum.com. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Meet the Chief | White Settlement, TX". www.wstx.us. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  12. ^ "Grand Jury Declines to Indict Church Security Guard Who Killed Gunman in Texas". NPR.
  13. ^ "White Settlement Mayor Ronald White dies, city says". WFAA. January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  14. ^ "Live election results: North Texas May 6 Elections". FOX 4. May 5, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  15. ^ "City Council". White Settlement, Texas. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  16. ^ "About Us, History". White Settlement, TX.
  17. ^ a b "White Settlement Residents Vote Down Name Change". www.kxii.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2020.
  18. ^ Norris, Michele (November 7, 2005). "Voters to Decide on Name for 'White Settlement'". NPR. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  19. ^ Romero, Simon (November 13, 2005). "A Town With a Provocative Name Says No to Change". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  20. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): White Settlement city, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  21. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  22. ^ "Census of Population and Housing, 2010 [United States]: Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". ICPSR Data Holdings. February 21, 2012. doi:10.3886/icpsr33441.v1. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  23. ^ https://www.census.gov/ [not specific enough to verify]
  24. ^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  25. ^ "White Settlement's Waterpark | Splash Dayz | Texas". splashdayz. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  26. ^ Boyd, Deanna (March 21, 2015). "Travellers have long history in Tarrant County". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  27. ^ "Neither Mormon nor Protestant? The Reorganized Church and the challenge of identity", Mormon Identities in Transition, Bloomsbury Academic, 1996, doi:10.5040/9781350005594.ch-006, ISBN 978-1-4742-8129-4
  28. ^ "City Council | White Settlement, TX". www.wstx.us. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  29. ^ "White Settlement PD Names New Chief, Arlington Deputy Chief Christopher Cook". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. March 21, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  30. ^ Clarridge, Emerson (October 25, 2022). "At Fort Worth's western border, a novel plan for police from nearby cities to step in". Fort Worth Star Telegram. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  31. ^ "White Settlement city, Texas Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 24, 2010.
  32. ^ "Post Office Location – White Settlement Archived 2010-07-15 at the Wayback Machine." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 24, 2010.
  33. ^ "About Us | White Settlement, TX". www.wstx.us. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  34. ^ "2009 Accountability Rating System". October 25, 2015. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  35. ^ TEGNA. "White Settlement library cat to stay". KREM. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  36. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
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