Post, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Post, Texas
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Garza County Historical Museum in Post is a restored sanitarium
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Location of Post in Garza County, Texas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Garza |
| Founded | 1907 |
| Incorporated | 1914 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.774 sq mi (9.775 km2) |
| • Land | 3.745 sq mi (9.699 km2) |
| • Water | 0.029 sq mi (0.075 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,605 ft (794 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 4,790 |
| • Estimate
(2023)
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3,486 |
| • Density | 931.0/sq mi (359.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC–6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC–5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code |
79356
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| Area code(s) | 806 |
| FIPS code | 48-59012 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1365627 |
| Sales tax | 8.25% |
Post is a city in and the county seat of Garza County, Texas, United States. Its population was 4,790 at the 2020 census. and according to 2023 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 3,486.
Contents
History
Post is located on the edge of the caprock escarpment of the Llano Estacado, the southeastern edge of the Great Plains. It is at the crossroads of U.S. Routes 84 and 380.
The land belonged to John Bunyan Slaughter, as it was on his U Lazy S Ranch. In 1906, Slaughter sold it to Charles William (C. W.) Post, the breakfast cereal manufacturer, who founded "Post City" as a utopian colonizing venture in 1907. Post devised the community as a model town. He purchased 200,000 acres (810 km2) of ranchland and established the Double U Company to manage the town's construction. The company built trim houses and numerous structures, which included the Algerita Hotel, a gin, and a textile plant. They planted trees along every street and prohibited alcoholic beverages. The Double U Company rented and sold farms and houses to settlers. A post office began in a tent during the year of Post City's founding, being established (with the name Post) July 18, 1907, with Frank L. Curtis as first postmaster. Two years later, the town had a school, a bank, and a newspaper, the Post City Post, the same name as the daily in St. Louis, Missouri. The Garza County paper today is called the Post Dispatch. The railroad reached the town in 1910. The town changed its name to "Post" when it incorporated in 1914, the year of C. W. Post's death. By then, Post had a population of 1000, 10 retail businesses, a dentist, a physician, a sanitarium, and Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches.
From 1910 to 1913, Post experimented with attempts at rainmaking. Explosives were detonated in the atmosphere at timed intervals. Precipitation records, however, showed that the efforts failed.
The C. W. Post estate pledged $75,000, and the town raised $35,000 in 1916 to bid unsuccessfully to become the site of the proposed West Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College. Postex Cotton Mills began production in 1913 with 250 employees. When the Post interests sold the business in 1945 to Ely and Walker Dry Goods Company of St. Louis, the plant was producing six million yards of cloth a year and employed 375 workers who manufactured Postex cotton sheets and Garza pillow cases. Ely and Walker sold Postex in 1955 to Burlington Industries, the world's largest textile manufacturer at that time. By 1973, the company employed 450 persons. The mill has since closed.
Oilfield service companies have been important to the economy, as have farming and ranching. In 1989, Post had two libraries, a hospital, a nursing home, an airport, the Post Dispatch (founded 1926), and 90 businesses. The population reached 3,400 in 1928, declined to 2,000 in 1940, and increased to 3,100 during the 1950s. With the development of the local oil industry, the town's population attained its highest level of 4,800 in 1964. The 1980 census showed a population of 3,864, but by 1988, the Texas Almanac reported 4,162. In 1990, the population was 3,768.
The former sanitarium in Post is preserved as the Garza County Historical Museum. It is located to the right rear of the courthouse. Linda G. Puckett is the museum director.
Many ranchers and civic boosters live in Garza County, among them Giles McCrary, a former mayor who until his death in 2011 operated the OS Museum, a hybrid of exhibits from both the American West and Asia, which are changed three times per year.
Geography
Post is located on the rolling plains at the foot of the Llano Estacado at 33°11′30″N 101°22′50″W / 33.19167°N 101.38056°W (33.191789, -101.380432).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2), of which, 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.53%) is covered by water.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Post has a semiarid climate, BSk on climate maps.
Major roads and highways
U.S. Highway 84
U.S. Highway 380
State Highway 207
Farm to Market Road 669
Farm to Market Road 651
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1920 | 1,436 | — | |
| 1930 | 1,668 | 16.2% | |
| 1940 | 2,046 | 22.7% | |
| 1950 | 3,141 | 53.5% | |
| 1960 | 4,663 | 48.5% | |
| 1970 | 3,854 | −17.3% | |
| 1980 | 3,961 | 2.8% | |
| 1990 | 3,768 | −4.9% | |
| 2000 | 3,708 | −1.6% | |
| 2010 | 5,376 | 45.0% | |
| 2020 | 4,790 | −10.9% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 3,486 | −35.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census Texas Almanac: 1850-2000 2020 Census |
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2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 1,386 | 28.94% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 229 | 4.78% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 23 | 0.48% |
| Asian (NH) | 23 | 0.48% |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 10 | 0.21% |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 74 | 1.54% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3,045 | 63.57% |
| Total | 4,790 | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 census, there were 4,790 people, 1,188 households, and 787 families residing in the city. There were 1,422 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 72.2% White, 6.1% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 12.3% from some other races and 8.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 63.6% of the population.
Education
The City of Post is served by the Post Independent School District and home to the Post High School Antelopes.
Gallery
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City welcome sign
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Downtown historic district
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Hotel Garza Bed and Breakfast
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Garza Theatre hosts community events
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C.W. Post statue in front of the Garza County Courthouse
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City Hall
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Post Public Library
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Tower Theater is adjacent to the library
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Algerita Arts Center is housed in a former hotel in the Post Historic District.
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J. Cruse Christmas Gallery downtown; behind the gallery is the OS Museum, developed by Giles McCrary.
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Post Stampede Rodeo stadium
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First United Methodist Church at 216 West Tenth Street
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First Baptist Church at 402 West Main Street observed its centennial in 2008.
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Holly's Drive-In on U.S. Highway 84 in south Post
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Picker at Postex Cotton Mills, Post, Texas (postcard, c. 1913–1918)
See also
In Spanish: Post (Texas) para niños
