O'Donnell

O'Donnell, Texas
—  City  —
Grain elevator in O'Donnell
Location of O'Donnell, Texas
Coordinates: 32°57′55″N 101°49′44″W / 32.96528°N 101.82889°W / 32.96528; -101.82889Coordinates: 32°57′55″N 101°49′44″W / 32.96528°N 101.82889°W / 32.96528; -101.82889
Country	United States
State	Texas
Counties	Lynn, Dawson
Area
• Total	0.9 sq mi (2.2 km2)
• Land	0.9 sq mi (2.2 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	3,048 ft (929 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	1,011
• Density	1,177.5/sq mi (454.7/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	79351
Area code(s)	806
FIPS code	48-53436[1]
GNIS feature ID	1342934[2]

O'Donnell is a West Texas town that lies primarily in Lynn County, with a small portion extending south into Dawson County, Texas. The population was 1,011 at the 2000 census.

History

O'Donnell was first settled in 1910^[3] and named for Tom J. O'Donnell, a railroad promoter. O'Donnell was a railroad-created town, the town was founded in anticipation that the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway would lay tracks through the area.^[4] A branch of the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway was constructed from Slaton to Lamesa in 1910.^[5] The rails were abandoned and completely removed in 1999.

Geography

O'Donnell is located on the high plains of the Llano Estacado at 32°57′55″N 101°49′44″W / 32.96528°N 101.82889°W / 32.96528; -101.82889 (32.965266, -101.829021)^[6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,011 people, 364 households, and 275 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,177.5 people per square mile (453.9/km²). There were 423 housing units at an average density of 492.7/sq mi (189.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.00% White, 1.09% African American, 1.09% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 31.75% from other races, and 1.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 65.28% of the population.

There were 364 households out of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.5% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,103, and the median income for a family was $30,833. Males had a median income of $26,193 versus $15,917 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,924. About 24.4% of families and 24.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.1% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of O'Donnell is served by the O'Donnell Independent School District and home to the O'Donnell High School Eagles.

Gallery

• 

  O'Donnell Heritage Museum at the intersection of Doak and Eighth streets

• 

  Texas Historical Commission marker in O'Donnell

• 

  O'Donnell Cemetery

Notable people

• Dan Blocker (Dec 10, 1928 - May 13, 1972) was born Bobby Dan Blocker ^[7] in DeKalb in Bowie County, Texas. His parents Mary and Ora Blocker moved to O'Donnell shortly after his birth. He graduated from Sul Ross University and taught school in Sonora. He later served in the Army before moving to California and shooting to fame as Hoss Cartwright on the NBC television series Bonanza. A small museum in O'Donnell features limited Blocker memorabilia. He was also an active liberal Democrat.

• Phil Hardberger (July 27, 1934 - ), the former mayor of San Antonio, grew up in O'Donnell. His parents, Homer Reeves Hardberger and the former Bess Scott, are buried at the O'Donnell Cemetery in Dawson County. Mrs. Hardberger (1913–2008), a native of Burnet County, taught school in the community for thirty-three years and was active in the Baptist Church.^[8]

• David Moore Smith (August 17, 1952—October 11, 2008), a farmer and businessman, was the mayor of O'Donnell from 1988–1994 and previously a member of the city council. The son of the late Warren Denzal Smith and the former Oleta Moore, he graduated in 1970 from O'Donnell High School and in 1975 from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He was a Methodist, a Shriner, and a Rotarian. He was survived by his wife, the former Esther J. Quintana; his mother, and a brother, William Denzal Smith. Interment was at O'Donnell Cemetery.^[9]

• "" Manuel Sotelo JR** (March 16 1995)( born to Manuel and Emma Sotelo) is the "miracle baby of odonnell because ,he was born 6 monthes premature , with non-developed lungs and was near death but pulled out and lived. He lives in Lubbock Texas with his parents and wants to Sing and go to college for a medical degree

See also

• Llano Estacado
• West Texas

References

External links

• Roadside America, Dan Blocker Memorial

v t e Municipalities and communities of Dawson County, Texas, United States County seat: Lamesa Cities Ackerly‡ Lamesa Los Ybanez O'Donnell‡ Unincorporated communities Klondike Patricia Welch Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v t e Municipalities and communities of Lynn County, Texas, United States County seat: Tahoka Cities New Home O'Donnell‡ Tahoka Wilson Unincorporated communities Grassland Wayside Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties