Harper, Texas
—  CDP  —
Location of Harper, Texas
Coordinates: 30°18′4″N 99°14′36″W / 30.30111°N 99.24333°W / 30.30111; -99.24333Coordinates: 30°18′4″N 99°14′36″W / 30.30111°N 99.24333°W / 30.30111; -99.24333
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Gillespie
Area
- Total	56.6 sq mi (146.5 km2)
- Land	56.6 sq mi (146.5 km2)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	2,054 ft (626 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,006
- Density	17.8/sq mi (6.9/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	78631
Area code(s)	830
FIPS code	48-32456[1]
GNIS feature ID	1374000[2]

Harper is a census-designated place (CDP) in Gillespie County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,006 at the 2000 census.

Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Demographics 4 Education 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Geography

Harper is located at 30°18′04″N 99°14′36″W / 30.301009°N 99.243326°W / 30.301009; -99.243326 (30.301009, -99.243326).^[3] This is about 76 miles (122 km) northwest of San Antonio and 90 miles (145 km) west of Austin.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 56.6 square miles (146.5 km²), all of it land.

[edit] History

The site was first settled by the families of Eli McDonald and Matthew Taylor in 1863. A historical marker just south of U.S. Highway 290 commemorates the McDonald massacre of August 1864. This incident involved the killing of two family members and the kidnapping of five more by Kiowa Indians.

A post office was established in 1883 by George Franklin Harper, for whom the town was named. By 1985, the town served a large ranching area and had six churches, fire department and ambulance services, a public school, and growing residential subdivisions. The population of the area exceeded 1,000 by 2000.^[4]

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,006 people, 417 households, and 293 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 17.8 people per square mile (6.9/km²). There were 536 housing units at an average density of 9.5/sq mi (3.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.73% White, 0.10% African American, 0.80% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 2.39% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.97% of the population.

There were 417 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $31,776, and the median income for a family was $39,013. Males had a median income of $26,900 versus $23,421 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $15,318. About 10.8% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

Harper is served by the Harper Independent School District.

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ "Harper, Texas". The Handbook of Texas online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/HH/hlh25.html. Retrieved 2009-07-08. 

[edit] External links

• Harper from the Handbook of Texas Online

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Gillespie County, Texas County seat: Fredericksburg City Fredericksburg CDPs Harper | Stonewall Unincorporated communities Albert | Doss | Luckenbach