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Weatherford is a city in Parker County, Texas, United States. The population was 19,000 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Parker County and is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The city was named by the Texas Legislature as the Peach Capital of Texas due to the peaches produced by area growers. As such, the peach is celebrated each year at the Parker County Peach Festival, which is Weatherford’s largest event and one of the best-attended festivals in Texas with more than 35,000 visitors. Weatherford also has a number of historic homes and buildings. More than 60 Queen Anne, Victorian and other architecturally significant homes built at the turn of the 20th century sit along the tree-lined avenues. Several of these homes are open for tours, arranged by the Parker County Heritage Society, during the Christmas season. Another landmark is the Second Empire style Parker County Courthouse, which is located in the geographical center of the county in downtown Weatherford. The building is surrounded by various historic shops that served other purposes at the turn of the 20th century, including saloons and "cat-houses". In recent years, both the interior and exterior of this historic courthouse structure have been restored to its original character and attractiveness.
Geography Weatherford is located at (32.759238, -97.784997). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 58.7 km² (22.7 mi²). 54.1 km² (20.9 mi²) of it is land and 4.6 km² (1.8 mi²) of it (7.86%) is water. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 19,000 people, 7,442 households, and 5,045 families residing in the city. The population density was 351.3/km² (909.9/mi²). There were 8,232 housing units at an average density of 152.2/km² (394.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.90% White, 2.07% African American, 0.86% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.06% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.23% of the population. There were 7,442 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,714, and the median income for a family was $47,152. Males had a median income of $35,690 versus $24,938 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,787. 11.5% of the population and 6.0% of families were below the poverty line. 11.9% of those under the age of 18 and 10.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. Education The City of Weatherford is served by the Weatherford Independent School District. Famous people Weatherford is the birthplace and was the home of Mary Martin, a Broadway actress renowned for her portrayal of Peter Pan. Martin is also known for being the mother of Larry Hagman, a TV actor known for portraying J.R. Ewing in ''Dallas''. Larry Hagman appears in the city for special occasions and to help many Weatherford charities. Former U.S. Speaker of the House Jim Wright grew up in Weatherford and wrote a book about his youth, Weatherford Days…a Time of Learning. Another famous resident is portrait artist Douglas Chandor. His portraits included those of Queen Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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