Cisco, Texas

Cisco, Texas
City
Downtown Cisco (2009)
Motto: City of Progress
Location of Cisco, Texas
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Eastland
Incorporated (city)	1921
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
• Mayor	James King
Area
• Total	4.9 sq mi (12.6 km2)
• Land	4.8 sq mi (12.6 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,634 ft (498 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	3,851
• Density	794.1/sq mi (306.6/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	76437
Area code(s)	254
FIPS code	48-15004
GNIS feature ID	1332853
Website	cityofcisco.com

Cisco is a city in Eastland County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,851 at the 2000 census.

History

Cisco, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 183 and Interstate Highway 20, in northwestern Eastland County, traces its history back to 1878 or 1879, when Rev. C. G. Stevens arrived in the area, established a post office and a church, and called the frontier settlement Red Gap. About six families were already living nearby, and W. T. Caldwell was running a store a half mile to the west. In 1881 the Houston and Texas Central Railway crossed the Texas and Pacific, which had come through the year before, at a point near Red Gap, and the settlement's inhabitants moved their town to the crossing. Three years later the town was officially recognized and a new post office granted; the town's name was changed to Cisco for John A. Cisco, a New York financier largely responsible for the building of the Houston and Texas Central. Railroads continued to influence the development of Cisco as the Texas and Pacific acquired lots in the town and sold them to immigrants attracted by brochures touting the town as the "Gate City of the West." Once settlers arrived, agricultural agents employed by the railroad advised them what and when to plant and on occasion provided the seed. During the 1880s a Mrs. Haws built and managed the first hotel, and Mrs. J. D. Alexander brought the first "millinery and fancy goods" to town. Following a practice common at the time, religious groups in Cisco met together for prayer meetings in the schoolhouse until they could build separate churches. By 1892 Cisco was a growing community with two newspapers, a bank, and an economy based on trade, ranching, fruit farming, and the limestone, coal, and iron ore available nearby. A broom factory and roller corn and flour mills were among the town's fifty-six businesses. In 1893 a tornado hit Cisco, killing twenty-eight people and destroying or damaging most of its homes and businesses.

Conrad Hilton started the Hilton Hotel chain with a single hotel bought in Cisco. Hilton came to Cisco to buy a bank, but the bank cost too much; so he purchased the Mobley Hotel in 1919. The hotel is now a local museum and community center.

During the 1920s, Cisco, like nearby Ranger, Eastland, and Desdemona, was a petroleum boomtown. Although Cisco played a relatively minor role in the Eastland County oil boom of 1919–21, its population grew rapidly at the time, with some estimates as high as 15,000; in the wake of the boom, Cisco adopted a city charter and built a new railroad station that cost $25,000, a value of $310,597.88 in 2015.

In 1925, the first annual meeting of the West Texas Historical Association was held in Cisco. The association, formed in 1924, was then based at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene but moved in 1998 to Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

The Santa Claus Bank Robbery occurred in Cisco on December 23, 1927, when Marshall Ratliff and his gang attempted to rob the First National Bank. As of August 2009, the bank site is occupied by an auto parts store, with a Texas Historical Commission sign commemorating the event.

On May 9, 2015, an area just south of the city was hit by a large tornado, destroying several homes, killing 1, and critically injuring one more.

Largest Concrete Swimming Pool in the World

Cisco in its early days was plagued with inadequate water supply. In the 1920s the Williamson Dam was built north of town, resulting in the formation of Lake Cisco. It was named after James Milton Williamson, long time mayor and survivor of the 1893 tornado. At its base was built what was billed as the largest concrete swimming pool in the world. The complex boasted a two story building with a skating rink upstairs, a zoo, an amusement park with rides, and a park. Bob Wills was only one of the celebrities to entertain there. For decades it was a major attraction for folks from miles around. The hollow dam was at one time open to the public but this is no longer the case. The pool closed in the 1970s and the vacant skating rink burned a few years later.

Geography

Cisco is located at (32.384762, -98.981265). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 square miles (13 km²), of which, 4.8 square miles (12 km²) of it is land and 0.21% is water.

Cisco, Texas, is unique because it is halfway between Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Both locations are roughly 1,248 miles from Cisco.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	1,063		—
1900	1,514		42.4%
1910	2,410		59.2%
1920	7,422		208.0%
1930	6,027		−18.8%
1940	4,868		−19.2%
1950	5,230		7.4%
1960	4,499		−14.0%
1970	4,160		−7.5%
1980	4,517		8.6%
1990	3,813		−15.6%
2000	3,851		1.0%
2010	3,899		1.2%
Est. 2014	3,777		−3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,851 people, 1,491 households, and 970 families residing in the city. The population density was 794.1 people per square mile (306.6/km²). There were 1,849 housing units at an average density of 381.3 per square mile (147.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.00% White, 3.87% African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.02% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.00% of the population.

There were 1,491 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% 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 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 13.4% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,069, and the median income for a family was $31,833. Males had a median income of $27,222 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,504. About 13.0% of families and 21.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.3% of those under age 18 and 20.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Cisco is served by the Cisco Independent School District and Cisco College, an affordable, two-year college that began in Cisco in 1940.

Cisco College is located in Cisco, one of two community colleges located in Eastland County. The Cisco College mascot is the Wranglers, and their school colors are blue and white.

The Cisco High School football team (Loboes) won the 2A Div ll championship game against Refugio High School (Bobcats) at Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium in Arlington on December 19, 2013. The championship was Cisco's first. The mascot for Cisco High School is the Loboes, proudly misspelled for decades, and their colors are black and gold.

Notable people

• Jean Porter (born December 8, 1922) American actress
• Darrell "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938) of the music duo Seals and Crofts

Gallery

• 

  Conrad Hilton's Mobley Hotel

• 

  Mobley Hotel historical marker

• 

  Downtown Cisco, TX

• 

  First Baptist Church

• 

  Municipal water tower

External links

• City of Cisco Official Website
• Cisco Chamber of Commerce