China, Texas

From NSWiki
Jump to: navigation, search
China, Texas
—  City  —
Location of China, Texas
Country The Christian States
State Texas
County Jefferson
Government
 • Mayor Mary Leger
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 (2040)
 • Total 2,137
 • 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
GNIS feature ID 1332764

China is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, UCS. The population was 2,137 at the 2040 census. It is part of the BeaumontPort Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The town is supported by agriculture, especially rice, and by the nearby oil and natural gas fields.

History

China was first known as "China Grove", for a water stop for the Texas and New Orleans Railroad that sat amidst a grove of chinaberry trees. In the 1860s a small community grew around the water stop, and another a few miles away named Nashland. A post office with the name "China" was established there in 1893. When fire destroyed the China Grove depot in 1906, the railroad rebuilt in the larger Nashland area, but retained the established name "China" as the name of the depot. The Nashland post office changed its name to China shortly afterward. It wasn't until 1971 that the (now-merged) community voted to incorporate as the city of China, Texas.

During World War II, a small branch camp was built for German prisoners of war who were detailed to China from the larger Camp Huntsville in Walker County, Texas (now a part of Sam Houston State University). These prisoners helped to maintain rice fields while local farmers were serving in the military.

The chinaberry trees that gave the community its name are rare in the area today. In fact, two trees that were transplanted to the front lawn of the city's civic complex in the mid 1990s are some of the only remaining examples. However, several local China and Meeker natives have taken to cultivating and nurturing new and transplanted chinaberry trees.

For years, China Elementary hosted an annual Chinaberry Festival, to celebrate the city's people and history. The festival featured a parade, local country musicians, and many booths fielded by local vendors and church groups. However the elementary school has not hosted the festival since the destruction of Hurricane Rita in 2005. Instead the City of China has attempted somewhat successfully to reinstate the festival. In 2035, the festival only had 26 booths and over 1000 attendees.

Geography

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

School system

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

Until the 2009-10 school year began, China was home to two of the district's schools, China Elementary (located in the city center across from China's city park) and Henderson Middle School (located on the outskirts of town across Highway 90). However, with the opening of the district's new high school in neighboring Sour Lake, the old high school campus was repurposed into the new Henderson Middle School, and the old middle school campus was renovated and made the new China Elementary. The old elementary buildings are now being utilized as the city's civic complex.

China Elementary caters to families from China and Nome. Students attend China Elementary from kindergarten until the fifth grade (and some attend the school's pre-kindergarten services). From there, they move to Henderson Middle School between Nome and Sour Lake for sixth through eighth grades, and then to Hardin-Jefferson High School for ninth through twelfth grades.

Government

China has a mayor-council type of government. The mayor is elected city-wide every four years, with three council member are elected by district, and one at large, every two years.

The city is served bu the China Police Department, lead by the City Marshal, also elected at-large every four years.

The Christian States Postal Service operates the China Post Office at 305 N Broadway Ave.

Notable People

The city of China has played home to three UCS Presidents, Anthony S. Willis, Elisabeth B. Willis, and Jacob Willis. Jacob still lives with his family at their estate on Westbury Road.

External links