Kosse, Texas

Kosse, Texas
Town

Kosse City Office

Location of Kosse, Texas
Coordinates: 31°18′27″N 96°37′49″W / 31.30750°N 96.63028°W / 31.30750; -96.63028Coordinates: 31°18′27″N 96°37′49″W / 31.30750°N 96.63028°W / 31.30750; -96.63028
Country United States
State Texas
County Limestone
Area
 • Total 1.3 sq mi (3.4 km2)
 • Land 1.3 sq mi (3.4 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 499 ft (152 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 497
 • Density 381.7/sq mi (147.4/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 76653
Area code(s) 254
FIPS code 48-39844[1]
GNIS feature ID 1360753[2]
Downtown Kosse
Kosse Cafe is located at the intersection of Texas Highways 7 and 14
First Baptist Church of Kosse; pastor John Free (2012)

Kosse is a town in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 497 at the 2000 census. A July 1, 2009 U.S. Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 507.[3]

Kosse calls itself "A Little Town with a Big Heart."

Geography

Kosse is located at 31°18′27″N 96°37′49″W / 31.30750°N 96.63028°W / 31.30750; -96.63028 (31.307452, -96.630267).[4] It is situated at the junction of State Highways 7 and 14 in southwestern Limestone County, approximately 16 miles east of Marlin and 17 miles south of Groesbeck. The closest large cities are Waco, 42 miles to the northwest, and Bryan/College Station, 52 miles south of Kosse.[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2), all land.

History

Initial settlement of the area dates back to the mid 1840s. Settlers built homes near Duck Creek and ran a stage stop for the Franklin-Springfield and Waco-Marlin stage routes.[6] Following the Civil War, the area was chosen as the destination for the Houston and Texas Central Railway (H&TC). The community that sprang up around the site was named Kosse, after H&TC chief engineer Theodore Kosse.[7] Eutaw, a much larger settlement two miles east of Kosse, began to decline when the railroad bypassed the community in favor of its smaller neighbor.[8] Businesses and residents followed. The post office moved from Eutaw to Kosse in 1870.[9] In 1871, the town of Kosse was chartered and a municipal government was organized.[7] By 1880, the town had a population of 476 and four churches. Five years later, Kosse had multiple cotton gins, two sawmills, and three gristmills.[5] An acre of land was granted for the construction of a public school on October 1, 1884. Kosse became an independent school district in 1893, with J. Thomas Hall as its first superintendent.[7] The district had a total of 225 students. A separate school with 80 students and two teachers served the area's black community.[6] By 1890 there were 647 residents.[10] Kosse was home to 700 residents in 1914. A local Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1921. The Great Depression severely impacted Kosse as businesses closed and people left in search of greater employment opportunities. Declining student enrollment caused the Kosse School Board to vote in favor of consolidation with Groesbeck in 1968.[7] Kosse had eleven businesses in 1989. The 1990 census put the number of inhabitants at 505. That figure had dropped to 497 in 2000.[6]

Near Kosse is the historic Ebenezer Cemetery, established in 1865.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 497 people, 205 households, and 137 families residing in the town. The population density was 381.7 people per square mile (147.6/km²). There were 269 housing units at an average density of 206.6 per square mile (79.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 73.24% White, 18.31% African American, 1.01% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 5.84% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.66% of the population.

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1880476—
189064735.9%
190071710.8%
19107646.6%
192087214.1%
1930805−7.7%
19408819.4%
1950566−35.8%
1960354−37.5%
197047133.1%
19804842.8%
19905054.3%
2000497−1.6%
2010464−6.6%
Est. 2015462[11]−0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

There were 205 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,227, and the median income for a family was $30,781. Males had a median income of $24,167 versus $16,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,868. About 19.6% of families and 25.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.4% of those under age 18 and 21.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in the town of Kosse is provided by the Groesbeck Independent School District.

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 "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. ↑ "Table 4: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Texas, Listed Alphabetically: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009" (CSV). United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2010-09-09. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  4. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  5. 1 2 "Kosse, Texas". Texas Escapes Online Magazine. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  6. 1 2 3 "Kosse, Texas". The Handbook of Texas online. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Kosse, Texas". Kosse Cafe. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  8. ↑ "Eutaw, Texas". The Handbook of Texas online. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  9. ↑ "About Kosse". Greater Kosse Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  10. ↑ A Memorial and Biographical History of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon Counties, Texas. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company. 1893. p. 376. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  11. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
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