| Brownsville, Texas |
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GEOGRAPHY Brownsville is located at 25°55'49" North, 97°29'4" West (25.930307, -97.484424), on the U.S.-Mexico Border (marked here by the Rio Grande or Río Bravo del Norte) from Matamoros , Tamaulipas . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 215.0 Km&2 (83.0 Mi&2 ). 208.2 km&2 (80.4 mi&2) of it is land and 6.8 km&2 (2.6 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 3.16% water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 139,722 people, 38,174 households, and 32,180 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 671.0/km&2 (1,737.8/mi&2). There were 42,323 housing units at an average density of 203.2/km&2 (526.4/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 7.32% White , 0.41% African American , 0.42% Native American , 0.54% Asian , and 0.03% Pacific Islander . 91.28% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 38,174 households out of which 50.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were Married Couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.7% were non-families. 13.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.62 and the average family size was 3.99. In the city the population was spread out with 34.6% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 17.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $24,468, and the median income for a family was $26,186. Males had a median income of $21,739 versus $17,116 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $9,762. 36.0% of the population and 32.4% of families were below the Poverty Line . 45.0% of those under the age of 18 and 31.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. HISTORY .]] Pre-Brownsville History
Brownsville History
See Also: Cortina Troubles
CITY GOVERNMENT Brownsville has a Council-Manager style of Government. The Mayor and six City Commissioners, two At-Large and four District, serve staggered four year terms. Every two years, three Commission seats are voted for, one At-Large and two Districts. General elections are held on the first Saturday of May in odd numbered years. The City Secretary's Office conducts the city elections. This involves administering the appropriate papers for a candidate to be included on the ballot. The City Secretary is also responsible for keeping records on the candidates, mainly their Campaign Finance Reports. The City Secretary's Office counts the votes and declares a winner. In Texas, local elections are non-partisan, meaning candidates don't run with a party affiliation but independently. It is not uncommon though for groups of candidates with similar political ideologies to support each other. In non-partisan elections a potential candidate for any city elected office will self-nominate themselves by going to the City Secretary's Office and filing the appropriate paperwork to be placed on the ballot. The City Secretary's Office will then check if the candidate meets residency requirements to run for a particular office. A candidate for local office must receive a majority of the vote in order to avoid a runoff. If a runoff election is needed the City Secretary's Office will set the date as needed. In the event that a Commissioner or the Mayor vacates his/her seat a special election will be held to fill the vacancy. At current Brownsville's elected officials are:
The Current Public Utilities Board Members are:
The next regular elections for the City will occur in the following years:
Brownsville also has officials that are appointed by the City Commission among those are the:
PUBLIC UTILITIES BOARD The City Commission also appoints a six member Public Utilities Board. The Board members are nominated and elected by the City Commission and must receive a majority of votes to be put on the board. Since there are six voting City Commissioners a nominee must receive four votes to be appointed to the Public Utilities Board. Each Board member's term is four years. According to the Brownsville City Charter a nominee for the Public Utilities Board cannot be related to any commissioner within the second degree by blood or marriage. In addition to this, after a Board member has served one term they can only be elected to serve only one more term, whether or not it is a consecutive or non-consecutive term. The Mayor of Brownsville, by virtue of being the Mayor, is an Ex-officio member of the Board. The Current Public Utilities Board Members are:
TRANSPORTATION Brownsville is served by the following and U.S. 281 . General and commercial aviation service is provided by Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport . INTERESTING FACTS Because of its proximity to Mexico, English and Spanish have equal status in Brownsville. The motto of Brownsville is "On the Border by the Sea". Brownsville has 3 international bridges:
Brownsville is home to 50 public schools ranging from Pre Kindergarten to 12th Grade. See Education In Brownsville, Texas for more details on the education available. Local attractions include the Gladys Porter Zoo, Camille Lightner Playhouse, a historical downtown with buildings over 150 years old, The University Of Texas At Brownsville / Texas Southmost College , Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport (BRO), a port known as the Port of Brownsville and the Children's Museum of Brownsville. There is also easy access to South Padre Island and Matamoros, Mexico . A number of the famous historical homes in downtown Brownsville are becoming the homes of local Law Offices. Brownsville (Brownsville-Harlingen- Raymondville) is one of American's Greenest Cities accord to Forbes.com. Brownsville is the hometown of the heroine in the song " Delta Dawn ". Bob Dylan performed a song called "Brownsville Girl" (co-written with Robert Hunter of Grateful Dead fame). Brownsville is mentioned in the song "Matamoros Banks" by Bruce Springsteen , and in the song "Texas Women" by Hank Williams Jr . Jim White recorded a song titled "That Girl from Brownsville, Texas". EXTERNAL LINKS
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