China, Texas
Location of China, Texas
Coordinates: 30°3′15″N 94°19′55″W / 30.05417, -94.33194
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Jefferson
Area
- Total	1.3 sq mi (3.4 km²)
- Land	1.3 sq mi (3.3 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	39 ft (12 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,112
- Density	862.8/sq mi (333.1/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	77613
Area code(s)	409
FIPS code	48-14704[1]
GNIS feature ID	1332764[2]

China is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,112 at the 2000 census.

History

It is named for the "China Berry" trees that were native to the area but have all but gone extinct today. In fact, perhaps some of the only examples you may find of the trees in the area are in the front lawn of China Elementary. The two trees were transplanted in the mid 90's, and are steadily growing. China used to have an annual festival named after the trees, the China Berry Festival, to celebrate the city's people in a time of coming together. However since the festival was run by the local elementary school, a switch in China Elementary administration in the early 2000s caused the festival to repeatedly not come to fruition, much to the chagrin of the community.

Recent History

In 2004, shortly after the city established a police department and appointed a city judge, elections for a new mayor was held. The platforms of both candidates included the immediate removal of the lone police officer and the judicial branch of city government. Immediately following the election it became quite apparent the new mayor was illiterate. Months later a scandal erupted around the falsification of legal documents (allegedly his wife was signing the city paperwork) and under the table payments to city lawn workers caused the new mayor to step down.

Geography

China is located at 30°3′15″N, 94°19′55″W (30.054259, -94.331882)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²), of which, 1.3 square miles (3.3 km²) of it is land and 0.77% is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,112 people, 426 households, and 314 families residing in the city. The population density was 862.8 people per square mile (332.8/km²). There were 458 housing units at an average density of 355.4/sq mi (137.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.04% White, 24.01% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 2.79% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.59% of the population.

There were 426 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,172, and the median income for a family was $41,500. Males had a median income of $36,094 versus $21,635 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,940. About 12.7% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over.

School System

China is part of the Hardin-Jefferson Independent School District, a school system which spans over a large area including China and neighboring cities Nome and Sour Lake, as well as development communities such as Pinewood, Countrywood, Greyburg, and Blanch.

China is home to two of the school district's schools, China Elementary and Henderson Middle School.

China Elementary caters typically to China's families, and sometimes to some of those from Nome. Students attend China Elementary from kindergarten until the third grade (China Elementary offers pre-kindergarten services). From there, they move to the larger Sour Lake Elementary, which provides kindergarten through fifth grade. From there, all students move to Henderson Middle School in China for sixth through eighth grades. After that, all students move to Hardin-Jefferson High School, which lies on Highway 326 between Nome and Sour Lake and provides ninth through twelfth grades.

Both China Elementary and Henderson Middle School used to be part of China School District prior to the consolidation of the local school districts.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Tourism page
• History
• USGS GNIS: China, Texas

• China, Texas is at coordinates 30°03′15″N 94°19′55″W / 30.054259, -94.331882 (China, Texas)Coordinates: 30°03′15″N 94°19′55″W / 30.054259, -94.331882 (China, Texas)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Jefferson County, Texas County seat: Beaumont Cities Beaumont | Bevil Oaks | China | Groves | Nederland | Nome | Port Arthur‡ | Port Neches | Taylor Landing CDP Central Gardens Communities Fannett | Hamshire | LaBelle Footnotes ‡This city also has portions in adjacent county or counties