Center, Texas

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title: "Center, Texas" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cities-in-texas", "cities-in-shelby-county,-texas", "county-seats-in-texas"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center,_Texas" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
official_nameCenter, Texas
settlement_typeCity
image_skylineDowntown Center, TX IMG 0964.JPG
imagesize250px
image_captionDowntown Center, Texas
image_mapShelby County Center.svg
mapsize250px
map_captionLocation of Center in 2009
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameUnited States
subdivision_type1State
subdivision_name1Texas
subdivision_type2County
subdivision_name2Shelby
unit_prefImperial
area_footnotes
area_total_km220.34
area_land_km220.30
area_water_km20.04
area_total_sq_mi7.86
area_land_sq_mi7.84
area_water_sq_mi0.02
population_as_of2020
population_total5221
population_density_sq_mi660.24
population_density_km2254.91
timezoneCentral (CST)
utc_offset-6
timezone_DSTCDT
utc_offset_DST-5
elevation_footnotes
elevation_ft354
coordinates
postal_code_typeZIP code
postal_code75935
area_code936
blank_nameFIPS code
blank_info48-13732
blank1_nameGNIS feature ID
blank1_info2409423
website
::

| official_name = Center, Texas | settlement_type = City | image_skyline = Downtown Center, TX IMG 0964.JPG | imagesize = 250px | image_caption = Downtown Center, Texas | image_map = Shelby County Center.svg | mapsize = 250px | map_caption = Location of Center in 2009 | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = United States | subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = Texas | subdivision_type2 = County | subdivision_name2 = Shelby | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title = | leader_name = | established_title = | established_date = | unit_pref = Imperial | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 20.34 | area_land_km2 = 20.30 | area_water_km2 = 0.04 | area_total_sq_mi = 7.86 | area_land_sq_mi = 7.84 | area_water_sq_mi = 0.02 | population_as_of = 2020 | population_footnotes = | population_total = 5221 | population_density_sq_mi = 660.24 | population_density_km2 = 254.91 | timezone = Central (CST) | utc_offset = -6 | timezone_DST = CDT | utc_offset_DST = -5 | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_ft = 354 | coordinates = | postal_code_type = ZIP code | postal_code = 75935 | area_code = 936 | blank_name = FIPS code | blank_info = 48-13732 | blank1_name = GNIS feature ID | blank1_info = 2409423 | website = | footnotes =

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Chamber_of_Commerce_building_in_Center,_TX_IMG_0956.JPG" caption="Chamber of Commerce Building in Center. This building is the original jail, built along with the Historic Courthouse. Both sit on the Town Square."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Rio_Theater_Center_Wiki_(1_of_1).jpg" caption="The Rio Theater in Center"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/First_Baptist_Church_of_Center,_TX_IMG_0952.JPG" caption="First [[Baptist]] Church at 117 Cora Street in Center is located next to the downtown section."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/First_Christian_Church_of_Center,_TX_IMG_0953.JPG" caption="First Christian Church at 124 Cora Street in Center is one of the oldest congregations in the community."] ::

Center is a city in Shelby County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,221 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is the county seat of Shelby County located in deep East Texas. It was named for its location near the center of Shelby County; the community is near the Louisiana border.

Geography

Center is 17 mi from the Louisiana border and 118 mi north of Beaumont at the center of Shelby County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.2 sqmi, of which 6.2 sqmi is land and 0.16% is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Center has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. |location = Center, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1939–present) |single line = Y |collapsed = yes |Jan record high F = 85 |Feb record high F = 90 |Mar record high F = 94 |Apr record high F = 94 |May record high F = 100 |Jun record high F = 108 |Jul record high F = 110 |Aug record high F = 110 |Sep record high F = 112 |Oct record high F = 100 |Nov record high F = 91 |Dec record high F = 84 |year record high F = 112 |Jan high F = 58.5 |Feb high F = 62.6 |Mar high F = 70.0 |Apr high F = 77.0 |May high F = 84.1 |Jun high F = 90.5 |Jul high F = 93.8 |Aug high F = 94.5 |Sep high F = 89.1 |Oct high F = 79.5 |Nov high F = 68.2 |Dec high F = 60.2 |year high F = 77.3 |Jan mean F = 47.1 |Feb mean F = 50.8 |Mar mean F = 57.8 |Apr mean F = 64.7 |May mean F = 72.9 |Jun mean F = 79.8 |Jul mean F = 83.0 |Aug mean F = 82.9 |Sep mean F = 77.0 |Oct mean F = 66.5 |Nov mean F = 55.8 |Dec mean F = 48.7 |year mean F = 65.6 |Jan low F = 35.7 |Feb low F = 39.0 |Mar low F = 45.7 |Apr low F = 52.5 |May low F = 61.8 |Jun low F = 69.1 |Jul low F = 72.2 |Aug low F = 71.3 |Sep low F = 64.9 |Oct low F = 53.4 |Nov low F = 43.3 |Dec low F = 37.2 |year low F = 53.8 |Jan record low F = 5 |Feb record low F = 0 |Mar record low F = 15 |Apr record low F = 28 |May record low F = 40 |Jun record low F = 45 |Jul record low F = 55 |Aug record low F = 52 |Sep record low F = 39 |Oct record low F = 26 |Nov record low F = 12 |Dec record low F = 2 |year record low F = 0 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation inch = 5.18 |Feb precipitation inch = 4.81 |Mar precipitation inch = 5.26 |Apr precipitation inch = 4.96 |May precipitation inch = 4.46 |Jun precipitation inch = 4.96 |Jul precipitation inch = 3.65 |Aug precipitation inch = 4.18 |Sep precipitation inch = 3.57 |Oct precipitation inch = 4.95 |Nov precipitation inch = 4.89 |Dec precipitation inch = 5.62 |year precipitation inch = 56.49 |Jan snow inch = 0.2 |Feb snow inch = 0.4 |Mar snow inch = 0.0 |Apr snow inch = 0.0 |May snow inch = 0.0 |Jun snow inch = 0.0 |Jul snow inch = 0.0 |Aug snow inch = 0.0 |Sep snow inch = 0.0 |Oct snow inch = 0.0 |Nov snow inch = 0.0 |Dec snow inch = 0.0 |year snow inch = 0.6 |unit precipitation days = 0.01 in |Jan precipitation days = 9.9 |Feb precipitation days = 9.7 |Mar precipitation days = 9.3 |Apr precipitation days = 8.3 |May precipitation days = 8.6 |Jun precipitation days = 8.7 |Jul precipitation days = 8.2 |Aug precipitation days = 7.7 |Sep precipitation days = 7.0 |Oct precipitation days = 6.7 |Nov precipitation days = 8.2 |Dec precipitation days = 10.0 |year precipitation days = 102.3 |unit snow days = 0.1 in |Jan snow days = 0.1 |Feb snow days = 0.3 |Mar snow days = 0.1 |Apr snow days = 0.0 |May snow days = 0.0 |Jun snow days = 0.0 |Jul snow days = 0.0 |Aug snow days = 0.0 |Sep snow days = 0.0 |Oct snow days = 0.0 |Nov snow days = 0.0 |Dec snow days = 0.1 |year snow days = 0.6 |source 1 = NOAA | url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=shv | title = NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | access-date = August 21, 2021}} | url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00411578&format=pdf | title = Station: Center, TX | work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020) | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | access-date = August 21, 2021}}

Demographics

|1880= 177 |1910= 1684 |1920= 1838 |1930= 2510 |1940= 3010 |1950= 4323 |1960= 4510 |1970= 4989 |1980= 5827 |1990= 4950 |2000= 5678 |2010= 5193 |2020= 5221 |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census | align = right | align-fn = center ::data[format=table title="'''Center racial composition as of 2020'''{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US4813732&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=data.census.gov}}
(NH = Non-Hispanic){{efn|Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.{{cite web |title=About the Hispanic Population and its Origin |url=https://www.census.gov/topics/population/hispanic-origin/about.html |website=www.census.gov |access-date=18 May 2022}}}}"]

RaceNumberPercentage
White (NH)1,73333.19%
Black or African American (NH)1,64131.43%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)60.11%
Asian (NH)3025.78%
Pacific Islander (NH)100.19%
Some Other Race (NH)240.46%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)1102.11%
Hispanic or Latino1,39526.72%
Total5,221
::

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 5,221 people, 1,940 households, and 1,266 families residing in the city. The median age was 36.7 years, with 26.1% of residents under the age of 18 and 16.1% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.8 males age 18 and over.

94.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,940 households in Center, of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 37.9% were married-couple households, 20.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,269 housing units, of which 14.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 54.0% were owner-occupied and 46.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.1%.

::data[format=table title="Racial composition as of the 2020 census{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME%2CP1_001N%2CP1_003N%2CP1_004N%2CP1_005N%2CP1_006N%2CP1_007N%2CP1_008N%2CP1_009N%2CP2_001N%2CP2_002N%2CH1_001N%2CH1_002N&for=place%3A13732&in=state%3A48|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=January 27, 2026|df=mdy}}"]

RacePercent
White36.4%
Black or African American31.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native0.7%
Asian5.8%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander0.2%
Some other race16.3%
Two or more races9.0%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)26.7%
::

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,678 people, 2,034 households, and 1,334 families residing in the city. The population density was 911.0 PD/sqmi. There were 2,290 housing units at an average density of 367.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 51.14% White, 34.22% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 10.95% from other races, and 2.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.05% of the population.

There were 2,034 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 20.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,061, and the median income for a family was $31,699. Males had a median income of $23,468 versus $19,441 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,233. About 19.4% of families and 23.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.5% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.

History

Shelby County was one of the original 13 counties in Texas, being organized by the Republic of Texas Congress in 1837. The county was named for Isaac Shelby, an American military hero and governor of Kentucky. Shelby County eventually became one of the most populous and prosperous counties in the state because of its proximity to Louisiana and location along the Sabine River.

The settlement which eventually became the City of Center was originally called White Cottage. A post office was established at this settlement on April 6, 1848.

Al Johnson, an East Texas State Representative, introduced a bill to have all county seats be as close to the center of the county as possible. R.L. Parker, the County Clerk at the time, arranged to have the county surveyed and the center located. The originally county seat was Shelbyville, Texas located approximately 7 mi from White Cottage. However, one night in 1866, a group of men led by Parker entered into the court house and stole all of the records and took them to a log cabin near White Cottage. Shortly after the incident, the community became known as Center, primarily to reflect the requisite location of the county seat.

The Center post office opened in October 1866. In 1869, Confederate veterans Captain Jesse Amason and James C. Wilson, with wife Margaret Davis Wilson, each donated 50 acre of land for the townsite of Center. According to one historical account, Amason would not give the land unless the new town would have a 4 acre town square, and that is the reason that Center has such a large square. Mr. Wilson owned considerable land in the southern quarter of the town. Much of that area is called the "Wilson Addition".

On the night of May 31, 1882, a fire erupted at the courthouse and the building was a complete loss. The county contracted with J.J. E. Gibson, an Irish immigrant, to construct a new courthouse and jail. When the bond of builders J.J. E. Gibson and Pat McLaughlin for the sum of $26,725 was issued in 1884 for them to erect a new courthouse for Shelby County, the firm of Wilson and Martin was among the securities. The courthouse, modeled after an Irish castle, was completed in November, 1885 and is still standing as the centerpiece of the Center Square.

The town of Center made national news twice in 1920s for the lynchings of black murder suspects without a trial. On August 3, 1920, Lige Daniels was seized by an angry mob that broke into the Shelby County Jail, where he was being held on charges of the beating death of a woman. Daniels, an 18-year old black man, was dragged out and hanged from a tree in front of the courthouse, famous as the "Center Hanging Oak". The oak tree was used again as a gallows on May 21, 1928, when another mob intercepted another 18-year old African-American, accused murderer Eolis Evans, as he was being returned to the county jail. The "hanging oak" tree itself died in 1990 and was cut down.

At noon on February 12, 1950, an F3 tornado touched down in Center, destroying several buildings. The tornado killed three and injured at least 15 people.

Events

The city celebrates a county wide East Texas Poultry Festival in October each year. The poultry festival is accompanied by the Poultry Festival Pageant in which high school Juniors of the county participate. The Pageant crowns a Poultry Festival Queen who presides over the three-day Poultry Festival. The festival is in honor of John Moosberg who started the broiler house system in Shelby County. A mural of the events is located in the Farmers State Bank with John Mooseberg's picture. The Queen is decided by a board of non-partisan, appointed judges.

Also in Shelby County there is the Miss Shelby County Pageant. The Pageant is open to all Shelby County Young Ladies and a PreTeen, JrTeen, Teen and Miss Queen is crowned. The title holder represents Shelby County throughout her annual reign at many area events. Also each fall, in August, junior girls from Shelby County high schools compete against each other in the Poultry festival pageant the winner wins a $2,000 scholarship.

Media

The Light and Champion, a news and information company, marked its 140th year of operation in 2017. Based in Center, it serves Shelby County, as well as Logansport, Louisiana. The Light and Champion produces a weekly print edition, a weekly free-distribution print product called The Merchandiser. The Light and Champion is owned by Moser Community Media, based in Brenham, Texas.

Notable people

Outlying communities

  • Aiken
  • Spann's Chapel
  • Mt. Herman
  • Jericho
  • Short
  • James
  • Folsom Chapel
  • Dreka
  • Neuville

Government and infrastructure

The City of Center was incorporated in 1893, however, this incorporation was dissolved and the city was reincorporated by means of another charter in 1901. The city developed and adopted a new home rule charter on April 7, 1984. The City of Center operates under the home rule charter with a council-manager form of government. The governing body, the Center City Council, is composed of a mayor, two council members elected "at-large" by citywide elections and four members elected from single member districts. The mayor and council members serve staggered two year terms. The mayor and council beside the city manager, are responsible for casting a vision and direction for the city, enacting legislation in the form of ordinances and resolutions, adopting and amending budgets, making appointments to the different boards and commissions and determining the policies of the city. The United States Postal Service operates the Center Post Office.

Education

The City of Center is served by the Center Independent School District.

References

References

  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
  2. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
  3. {{GNIS. 2409423
  4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
  5. [http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=875114&cityname=Center%2C+Texas%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Center, Texas]
  6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
  7. "Explore Census Data".
  8. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin".
  9. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
  10. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
  11. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
  12. S
  13. "Mob Lynches Negro for Murder of Woman", ''Atlanta Constitution'', August 3, 1920, p4
  14. "Negro Is Lynched By Mob of 1,000 In Center, Texas", ''Billings (MT) Gazette'', August 3, 1920, p1
  15. "Negro Slayer Is Hanged In Center", ''Longview (TX) News-Journal'', May 21, 1928, p1
  16. [https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/websites/FamousTreesOfTexas/TreeLayout.aspx?pageid=15845 "Center Hanging Oak"], ''Famous Trees of Texas'', Texas A & M University Forest Service"]
  17. "Tornado History Project: 19500212.48.10".
  18. "[http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/center-101-weaver-st-center-tx-1357444 Post Office Location - CENTER] {{webarchive. link. (October 23, 2010 ." [[United States Postal Service]]. Retrieved on May 19, 2010.)

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cities-in-texascities-in-shelby-county,-texascounty-seats-in-texas