1.
City
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A city is a large and permanent human settlement. Cities generally have complex systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, housing, a big city or metropolis usually has associated suburbs and exurbs. Such cities are associated with metropolitan areas and urban areas. Once a city expands far enough to another city, this region can be deemed a conurbation or megalopolis. Damascus is arguably the oldest city in the world, in terms of population, the largest city proper is Shanghai, while the fastest-growing is Dubai. There is not enough evidence to assert what conditions gave rise to the first cities, some theorists have speculated on what they consider suitable pre-conditions and basic mechanisms that might have been important driving forces. The conventional view holds that cities first formed after the Neolithic revolution, the Neolithic revolution brought agriculture, which made denser human populations possible, thereby supporting city development. The advent of farming encouraged hunter-gatherers to abandon nomadic lifestyles and to settle near others who lived by agricultural production, the increased population density encouraged by farming and the increased output of food per unit of land created conditions that seem more suitable for city-like activities. In his book, Cities and Economic Development, Paul Bairoch takes up position in his argument that agricultural activity appears necessary before true cities can form. According to Vere Gordon Childe, for a settlement to qualify as a city, it must have enough surplus of raw materials to support trade and a relatively large population. To illustrate this point, Bairoch offers an example, Western Europe during the pre-Neolithic, when the cost of transport is taken into account, the figure rises to 200,000 square kilometres. Bairoch noted that this is roughly the size of Great Britain, the urban theorist Jane Jacobs suggests that city formation preceded the birth of agriculture, but this view is not widely accepted. In his book City Economics, Brendan OFlaherty asserts Cities could persist—as they have for thousands of years—only if their advantages offset the disadvantages, OFlaherty illustrates two similar attracting advantages known as increasing returns to scale and economies of scale, which are concepts usually associated with businesses. Their applications are seen in more basic economic systems as well, increasing returns to scale occurs when doubling all inputs more than doubles the output an activity has economies of scale if doubling output less than doubles cost. To offer an example of these concepts, OFlaherty makes use of one of the oldest reasons why cities were built, in this example, the inputs are anything that would be used for protection and the output is the area protected and everything of value contained in it. OFlaherty then asks that we suppose the protected area is square, the advantage is expressed as, O = s 2, where O is the output and s stands for the length of a side. This equation shows that output is proportional to the square of the length of a side, the inputs depend on the length of the perimeter, I =4 s, where I stands for the quantity of inputs. So there are increasing returns to scale, O = I2 /16 and this equation shows that with twice the inputs, you produce quadruple the output
2.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
3.
U.S. state
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A U. S. state is a constituent political entity of the United States of America. There are 50 states, which are together in a union with each other. Each state holds administrative jurisdiction over a geographic territory. Due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the government, Americans are citizens of both the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons covered by certain types of court orders. States range in population from just under 600,000 to over 39 million, four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names. States are divided into counties or county-equivalents, which may be assigned some local authority but are not sovereign. County or county-equivalent structure varies widely by state, State governments are allocated power by the people through their individual constitutions. All are grounded in principles, and each provides for a government. States possess a number of powers and rights under the United States Constitution, Constitution has been amended, and the interpretation and application of its provisions have changed. The general tendency has been toward centralization and incorporation, with the government playing a much larger role than it once did. There is a debate over states rights, which concerns the extent and nature of the states powers and sovereignty in relation to the federal government. States and their residents are represented in the federal Congress, a legislature consisting of the Senate. Each state is represented in the Senate by two senators, and is guaranteed at least one Representative in the House, members of the House are elected from single-member districts. Representatives are distributed among the states in proportion to the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census, the Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50, alaska and Hawaii are the most recent states admitted, both in 1959. The Constitution is silent on the question of states have the power to secede from the Union. Shortly after the Civil War, the U. S. Supreme Court, in Texas v. White, as a result, while the governments of the various states share many similar features, they often vary greatly with regard to form and substance
4.
Texas
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Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Other major cities include Austin, the second most populous state capital in the U. S. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the states struggle for independence from Mexico. The Lone Star can be found on the Texan state flag, the origin of Texass name is from the word Tejas, which means friends in the Caddo language. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, although Texas is popularly associated with the U. S. southwestern deserts, less than 10 percent of Texas land area is desert. Most of the centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, the term six flags over Texas refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state, the states annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state before the American Civil War, Texas declared its secession from the U. S. in early 1861, after the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation. One Texan industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle, due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The states economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated a boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy, as of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. The name Texas, based on the Caddo word tejas meaning friends or allies, was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves, during Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas, La Provincia de Texas. Texas is the second largest U. S. state, behind Alaska, though 10 percent larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan, it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size. If it were an independent country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile, Texas is in the south central part of the United States of America. Three of its borders are defined by rivers, the Rio Grande forms a natural border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south
5.
Fayette County, Texas
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Fayette County is a county located in the U. S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 24,554 and its county seat is La Grange. The county was created in 1837 and organized the next year, Fayette County was established in 1837 from land given by Bastrop and Colorado counties. It is named for the Marquis de la Fayette, a French nobleman who became an American Revolutionary War hero, an early resident of Brazoria County and then Fayette County, Joel Walter Robison, fought in the Texas Revolution and served in the Texas House of Representatives. There are more than a dozen historic properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Fayette County, Fayette County is the location of the real Chicken Ranch, which was the basis of the musical play and feature film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 960 square miles. As of the census of 2000, there were 21,804 people,8,722 households, the population density was 23 people per square mile. There were 11,113 housing units at a density of 12 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 84. 58% White,7. 01% Black or African American,0. 36% Native American,0. 22% Asian,0. 06% Pacific Islander,6. 66% from other races, and 1. 11% from two or more races. 12. 78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,34. 9% were of German,16. 4% Czech,7. 6% American and 5. 3% English ancestry according to census 2000. Christianity is the one religion and Judaism is the second. 28. 00% of all households were made up of individuals and 16. 40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the population was out with 23. 20% under the age of 18,7. 00% from 18 to 24,23. 60% from 25 to 44,24. 20% from 45 to 64. The median age was 43 years, for every 100 females there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.00 males, the median income for a household in the county was $34,526, and the median income for a family was $43,156. Males had an income of $29,008 versus $20,859 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,888, about 8. 10% of families and 11. 40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12. 70% of those under age 18 and 13. 50% of those age 65 or over. The county owns Fayette Regional Air Center, in an area west of LaGrange
6.
City council
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A city council, town council, town board, or board of aldermen is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area. Because of the differences in legislation between the states, the definition of a City Council varies. However, it is only those local government areas which have been specifically granted city status that are entitled to refer to themselves as cities. The official title is Corporation of the City of ------ or similar, some of the larger urban areas of Australia are governed mostly by a single entity, while others may be controlled by a multitude of much smaller city councils. Also some significant urban areas can be under the jurisdiction of rural local governments. Periodic re-alignments of boundaries attempt to rationalize these situations and adjust the deployment of assets, the 2001 Local Government Act restyled the five county boroughs of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Waterford, and Limerick as city councils, with the same status in law as county councils. For many decades until the government reforms of 1989, a borough with more than 20,000 people could be proclaimed a city. The boundaries of councils tended to follow the edge of the built-up area, as a result, the term city began to take on two meanings. The word city came to be used in a formal sense to describe major urban areas independent of local body boundaries. This informal usage is jealously guarded, gisborne, for example, adamantly described itself as the first city in the world to see the new millennium. Gisborne is administered by a council, but its status as a city is not generally disputed. Under the current law the minimum population for a new city is 50,000, in the Republic of China, a city council represents a provincial city. Members of the councils are elected through local elections for provincial cities which are held every 4–5 years, Councils for the provincial cities in Taiwan are Chiayi City Council, Hsinchu City Council and Keelung City Council. In the UK, a city council is, In England, a parish council that has been granted city status. The council of a London borough that has been granted city status, in Wales, The council of a principal area that has been granted city status. A community council that has been granted city status, in Scotland, The council of one of four council areas designated a City by the Local Government etc. City councils and town boards generally consist of elected aldermen or councillors. In the United States, members of city councils are typically called council member or council man/woman, while in Canada they are typically called councillor
7.
City manager
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A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities. Other small or middle sized American cities, especially in the West, in Europe, smaller cities in the Netherlands were specially attracted by the plan. Most sources trace the first city manager to Staunton, Virginia in 1908, some of the other cities that were among the first to employ a manager were Sumter, South Carolina and Dayton, Ohio, Dayton was featured in the national media, and became a national standard. The first City Managers Association meeting of eight city managers was in December 1914, by 1930200 American cities used a city manager form of government. In addition, many states, such as the states of New Hampshire, the City Manager position focuses on efficiency and providing a certain level of service for the lowest possible cost. The competence of a city manager can be assessed using composite indicators, Manager members of the ICMA are bound by a rather rigid and strongly enforced code of ethics that was originally established in 1924. Since that time the code had been up-dated/revised on seven occasions, in the early years of the profession, most managers came from the ranks of the engineering professions. As of 2005 more than 60% of those in the profession had a MPA, MBA, the average tenure of a manager is now 7–8 years and has risen gradually over the years. Tenures tend to be less in smaller communities and higher in larger ones, educational Level of Local Government Managers, Local government Local government in the United States council-manager government Clerk Kemp, Roger L. Managing Americas Cities, A Handbook for Local Government Productivity, McFarland, jefferson, NC, USA, and London, Eng. UK1998. _______, Model Government Charters, A City, County, Regional, State, jefferson, NC, USA, and London, Eng. UK,2003 _______, Forms of Local Government, A Handbook on City, County and Regional Options, McFarland, jefferson, NC, USA, and London, Eng. The rise of the city manager, A public professional in local government, organized business and the city commission and manager movements. In JSTOR White, Leonard D. Staunton, Virginia, Birthplace Of City Manager Form Of Government, a history on the city manager system of government
8.
2010 United States Census
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The 2010 United States Census, is the twenty-third and currently most recent United States national census. National Census Day, the day used for the census, was April 1,2010. As part of a drive to increase the accuracy,635,000 temporary enumerators were hired. The population of the United States was counted as 308,745,538, as required by the United States Constitution, the U. S. census has been conducted every 10 years since 1790. The 2000 U. S. Census was the previous census completed, participation in the U. S. Census is required by law in Title 13 of the United States Code. On January 25,2010, Census Bureau Director Robert Groves personally inaugurated the 2010 Census enumeration by counting World War II veteran Clifton Jackson, more than 120 million census forms were delivered by the U. S. Post Office beginning March 15,2010, the number of forms mailed out or hand-delivered by the Census Bureau was approximately 134 million on April 1,2010. The 2010 Census national mail participation rate was 74%, from April through July 2010, census takers visited households that did not return a form, an operation called non-response follow-up. In December 2010, the Census Bureau delivered population information to the president for apportionment, personally identifiable information will be available in 2082. The Census Bureau did not use a form for the 2010 Census. In several previous censuses, one in six households received this long form, the 2010 Census used only a short form asking ten basic questions, How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment, or mobile home on April 1,2010. Were there any additional people staying here on April 1,2010 that you did not include in Question 1, mark all that apply, Is this house, apartment, or mobile home – What is your telephone number. What is Person 1s age and Person 1s date of birth, is Person 1 of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin. Does Person 1 sometimes live or stay somewhere else, the form included space to repeat some or all of these questions for up to twelve residents total. In contrast to the 2000 census, an Internet response option was not offered, detailed socioeconomic information collected during past censuses will continue to be collected through the American Community Survey. The survey provides data about communities in the United States on a 1-year or 3-year cycle, depending on the size of the community, rather than once every 10 years. A small percentage of the population on a basis will receive the survey each year. In June 2009, the U. S. Census Bureau announced that it would count same-sex married couples, however, the final form did not contain a separate same-sex married couple option
9.
Central Time Zone
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The North American Central Time Zone is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, some Caribbean Islands, and part of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Central Standard Time is six hours behind Coordinated Universal Time, during summer most of the zone uses daylight saving time, and changes to Central Daylight Time which is five hours behind UTC. The province of Manitoba is the province or territory in Canada that observes Central Time in all areas. Also, most of the province of Saskatchewan is on Central Standard Time year-round, major exceptions include Lloydminster, a city situated on the boundary between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city charter stipulates that it shall observe Mountain Time and DST, putting the community on the time as all of Alberta, including the major cities of Calgary. As a result, during the summer, clocks in the province match those in Alberta. The Central Time Zone is the second most populous in the US after the Eastern Time Zone, lanett and Valley observe Eastern Time historically because they were textile mill towns and the original home office of their mills was in West Point, Georgia. Some eastern counties observe Central Time because they are close to the border of the Middle Tennessee counties surrounding the Nashville metropolitan area. Louisiana Michigan, All of Michigan observes Eastern Time except the four Upper Peninsula counties that border Wisconsin, other westernmost counties from this area such as Ontonagon observe Eastern Time. South Dakota, Eastern half as divided by the Missouri river adjacent to the state capital, note, the metropolitan area of Pierre is Central, including Fort Pierre. Wisconsin Most of Mexico—roughly the eastern three-fourths—lies in the Central Time Zone, except for six northwestern states, the federal entities of Mexico that observe Central Time, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua all use Central Standard Time year-round. The Galápagos Islands in Ecuador uses Central Standard Time all year-round, Daylight saving time is in effect in much of the Central time zone between mid-March and early November. The modified time is called Central Daylight Time and is UTC−5, in Canada, Saskatchewan does not observe a time change. One reason that Saskatchewan does not take part in a change is that, geographically. The province elected to move onto permanent daylight saving by being part of the Central Time Zone, Mexico decided not to go along with this change and observes their horario de verano from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. In December 2009, the Mexican Congress allowed ten border cities, eight of which are in states that observe Central Time, to adopt the U. S. daylight time schedule effective in 2010
10.
Daylight saving time
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Daylight saving time is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that evening daylight lasts an hour longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. Typically, regions that use Daylight Savings Time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring, American inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin proposed a form of daylight time in 1784. New Zealander George Hudson proposed the idea of saving in 1895. The German Empire and Austria-Hungary organized the first nationwide implementation, starting on April 30,1916, many countries have used it at various times since then, particularly since the energy crisis of the 1970s. The practice has both advocates and critics, DST clock shifts sometimes complicate timekeeping and can disrupt travel, billing, record keeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, and sleep patterns. Computer software often adjusts clocks automatically, but policy changes by various jurisdictions of DST dates, industrialized societies generally follow a clock-based schedule for daily activities that do not change throughout the course of the year. The time of day that individuals begin and end work or school, North and south of the tropics daylight lasts longer in summer and shorter in winter, with the effect becoming greater as one moves away from the tropics. However, they will have one hour of daylight at the start of each day. Supporters have also argued that DST decreases energy consumption by reducing the need for lighting and heating, DST is also of little use for locations near the equator, because these regions see only a small variation in daylight in the course of the year. After ancient times, equal-length civil hours eventually supplanted unequal, so civil time no longer varies by season, unequal hours are still used in a few traditional settings, such as some monasteries of Mount Athos and all Jewish ceremonies. This 1784 satire proposed taxing window shutters, rationing candles, and waking the public by ringing church bells, despite common misconception, Franklin did not actually propose DST, 18th-century Europe did not even keep precise schedules. However, this changed as rail transport and communication networks came to require a standardization of time unknown in Franklins day. Modern DST was first proposed by the New Zealand entomologist George Hudson, whose shift work job gave him time to collect insects. An avid golfer, he also disliked cutting short his round at dusk and his solution was to advance the clock during the summer months, a proposal he published two years later. The proposal was taken up by the Liberal Member of Parliament Robert Pearce, a select committee was set up to examine the issue, but Pearces bill did not become law, and several other bills failed in the following years. Willett lobbied for the proposal in the UK until his death in 1915, william Sword Frost, mayor of Orillia, Ontario, introduced daylight saving time in the municipality during his tenure from 1911 to 1912. Starting on April 30,1916, the German Empire and its World War I ally Austria-Hungary were the first to use DST as a way to conserve coal during wartime, Britain, most of its allies, and many European neutrals soon followed suit. Russia and a few other countries waited until the year
11.
UTC-5
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UTC−05,00 is a time offset that subtracts five hours from Coordinated Universal Time. In North America, it is observed in the Eastern Time Zone during standard time, the western Caribbean uses it year round. The southwestern and northwestern portions of Indiana Mexico – Central Zone Central, in most of Mexico, daylight time starts a few weeks after the United States. Communities on the U. S. border that observe Central Time follow the U. S. daylight time schedule
12.
ZIP Code
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ZIP Codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, was chosen to suggest that the travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly. The basic format consists of five numerical digits, an extended ZIP+4 code, introduced in 1983, includes the five digits of the ZIP Code, a hyphen, and four additional digits that determine a more specific location within a given ZIP Code. The term ZIP Code was originally registered as a servicemark by the U. S. Postal Service, USPS style for ZIP is all caps and the c in code is also capitalized, although style sheets for some publications use sentence case or lowercase. The early history and context of postal codes began with postal district/zone numbers, the United States Post Office Department implemented postal zones for numerous large cities in 1943. For example, Mr. John Smith 3256 Epiphenomenal Avenue Minneapolis 16, by the early 1960s a more organized system was needed, and on July 1,1963, non-mandatory five-digit ZIP Codes were introduced nationwide. Three months later, on October 1,1963, the U. S, an earlier list in June had proposed capitalized abbreviations ranging from two to five letters. The abbreviations have remained unchanged, with one exception, according to the historian of the U. S. Robert Moon, an employee of the post office, is considered the father of the ZIP Code, he submitted his proposal in 1944 while working as a postal inspector. The post office gives credit to Moon only for the first three digits of the ZIP Code, which describe the sectional center facility or sec center, an SCF is a central mail processing facility with those three digits. The SCF sorts mail to all post offices with those first three digits in their ZIP Codes, the mail is sorted according to the final two digits of the ZIP Code and sent to the corresponding post offices in the early morning. Sectional centers do not deliver mail and are not open to the public, Mail picked up at post offices is sent to their own SCF in the afternoon, where the mail is sorted overnight. The United States Post Office used a character, which it called Mr. ZIP. He was often depicted with a such as USE ZIP CODE in the selvage of panes of stamps or on labels contained in, or the covers of. In 1983, the U. S. Postal Service introduced an expanded ZIP Code system that it called ZIP+4, often called plus-four codes, add-on codes, or add ons. But initial attempts to promote use of the new format met with public resistance. For Post Office Boxes, the rule is that each box has its own ZIP+4 code. However, there is no rule, so the ZIP+4 Code must be looked up individually for each box. It is common to use add-on code 9998 for mail addressed to the postmaster,9999 for general delivery, for a unique ZIP Code, the add-on code is typically 0001
13.
Geographic Names Information System
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It is a type of gazetteer. GNIS was developed by the United States Geological Survey in cooperation with the United States Board on Geographic Names to promote the standardization of feature names, the database is part of a system that includes topographic map names and bibliographic references. The names of books and historic maps that confirm the feature or place name are cited, variant names, alternatives to official federal names for a feature, are also recorded. Each feature receives a permanent, unique feature record identifier, sometimes called the GNIS identifier, the database never removes an entry, except in cases of obvious duplication. The GNIS accepts proposals for new or changed names for U. S. geographical features, the general public can make proposals at the GNIS web site and can review the justifications and supporters of the proposals. The Bureau of the Census defines Census Designated Places as a subset of locations in the National Geographic Names Database, U. S. Postal Service Publication 28 gives standards for addressing mail. In this publication, the postal service defines two-letter state abbreviations, street identifiers such as boulevard and street, department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey, National Mapping Division, Digital Gazeteer, Users Manual. Least Heat Moon, William, Blue Highways, A Journey Into America, standard was withdrawn in September 2008, See Federal Register Notice, Vol.73, No. 170, page 51276 Report, Principles, Policies, and Procedures, Domestic Geographic Names, U. S. Postal Service Publication 28, November 2000. Board on Geographic Names website Geographic Names Information System Proposals from the general public Meeting minutes
14.
German Texan
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Arriving Germans tended to cluster in ethnic enclaves, the majority settled in a broad, fragmented belt across the south-central part of the state, where many became farmers. As of 1990, about three million Texans considered themselves at least part ethnic German, a subgroup of German Americans. Emigration in force began during the period of the Republic of Texas following the establishment of the Adelsverein by a group of Germans dedicated to colonizing Texas in the 1800s. A large portion of the early settlers following statehood were Forty-Eighters, after generations, German Texans spoke what became known as Texas German, a German language dialect that was tied to the historic period of highest immigration. In Germany, the language developed differently than it did among the relatively isolated ethnic colony in the US and they founded the towns of Bulverde, New Braunfels, Fredericksburg, Boerne, Walburg, and Comfort in Texas Hill Country, and Schulenburg and Weimar to the east. Reprint, San Marcos, German-Texan Heritage Society,1987, the German Settlement of Texas after 1865. Jordan, Terry G. German Seed in Texas Soil, Immigrant Farmers in Nineteenth-Century Texas, austin, University of Texas Press,1966,1975, etc. San Antonio, University of Texas at San Antonio Institute of Texan Cultures,1981, lonn, Ella Foreigners in the Confederacy. First published in 1940, it remains the work on the subject. San Antonio, University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio,1970,1987, German-Texan Heritage Society Texas German Society Wanderlust, From German to Texan, exhibit at the Witte Museum German Texans, Curriculum for Students
15.
First Mexican Republic
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For the current entity named United Mexican States, see Mexico. The First Federal Republic was a period in Mexican history corresponding to the first time in both, republic and federation were established as form of government in the Mexican nation. The republic was proclaimed on November 1,1823 by Constituent Congress, the federation was formally and legally established on October 4,1824 when the Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States came into force. That caused a severe political instability and violence, the republic was ruled by two triumvirates and nine presidents. Guadalupe Victoria, was the president who completed his full term in this period. On October 23,1835, after the repeal of the Constitution of 1824, the unitary regime was formally established on December 30,1836, with the enactment of the seven constitutional laws. In December 1822, Generals Antonio López de Santa Anna and Guadalupe Victoria wrote and this was an agreement between these two generals, amongst other Mexican generals, governors, and high-ranking governmental officials, to abolish the monarchy and replace it with a republic. Several insurrections arose in the Mexican provinces beginning in December, but they were all put down by the Imperial Army and this was because Santa Anna had previously made a secret agreement with General Echávarri, the commander of the Imperial forces. By this agreement, the Plan of Casa Mata was to be proclaimed throughout Mexico on February 1,1823 and this plan did not recognize the First Mexican Empire and called for the convening of a new Constituent Congress. The insurrectionists sent their proposal to the delegations and requested their adherence to the plan. In the course of just six weeks, the Plan of Casa Mata travelled to remote places as Texas. On September 27,1821, after three centuries of Spanish rule and an 11-year war of independence, Mexico obtained its sovereignty, the Treaty of Córdoba recognized New Spain as an independent empire, which took the name of the Mexican Empire. A minority of the Constituent Congress in search of stability chose as monarch the general Agustín de Iturbide who had led the war effort against Spain and he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on May 18,1822. Soon after, problems arose between the emperor and the Constituent Congress, Antonio López de Santa Anna proclaimed the Plan of Casa Mata, which was later joined by Vicente Guerrero and Nicolás Bravo. Iturbide was then forced to reinstate the Congress, and in a attempt to save the order and keep the situation favorable to his supporters. However, the restored Congress declared the appointment of Iturbide void ab initio, on 8 April, the Congress declared the Plan of Iguala and the Treaty of Córdoba void as well. With that the Empire was dissolved and the country declared its freedom to establish itself as it saw fit, several states openly rebelled against these changes. Northern Coahuila y Tejas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Durango, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Yucatán, Jalisco, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas all disapproved
16.
Austria
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Austria, officially the Republic of Austria, is a federal republic and a landlocked country of over 8.7 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, the territory of Austria covers 83,879 km2. The terrain is mountainous, lying within the Alps, only 32% of the country is below 500 m. The majority of the population speaks local Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, other local official languages are Hungarian, Burgenland Croatian, and Slovene. The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty, from the time of the Reformation, many northern German princes, resenting the authority of the Emperor, used Protestantism as a flag of rebellion. Following Napoleons defeat, Prussia emerged as Austrias chief competitor for rule of a greater Germany, Austrias defeat by Prussia at the Battle of Königgrätz, during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, cleared the way for Prussia to assert control over the rest of Germany. In 1867, the empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary, Austria was thus the first to go to war in the July Crisis, which would ultimately escalate into World War I. The First Austrian Republic was established in 1919, in 1938 Nazi Germany annexed Austria in the Anschluss. This lasted until the end of World War II in 1945, after which Germany was occupied by the Allies, in 1955, the Austrian State Treaty re-established Austria as a sovereign state, ending the occupation. In the same year, the Austrian Parliament created the Declaration of Neutrality which declared that the Second Austrian Republic would become permanently neutral, today, Austria is a parliamentary representative democracy comprising nine federal states. The capital and largest city, with a population exceeding 1.7 million, is Vienna, other major urban areas of Austria include Graz, Linz, Salzburg and Innsbruck. Austria is one of the richest countries in the world, with a nominal per capita GDP of $43,724, the country has developed a high standard of living and in 2014 was ranked 21st in the world for its Human Development Index. Austria has been a member of the United Nations since 1955, joined the European Union in 1995, Austria also signed the Schengen Agreement in 1995, and adopted the euro currency in 1999. The German name for Austria, Österreich, meant eastern realm in Old High German, and is cognate with the word Ostarrîchi and this word is probably a translation of Medieval Latin Marchia orientalis into a local dialect. Austria was a prefecture of Bavaria created in 976, the word Austria is a Latinisation of the German name and was first recorded in the 12th century. Accordingly, Norig would essentially mean the same as Ostarrîchi and Österreich, the Celtic name was eventually Latinised to Noricum after the Romans conquered the area that encloses most of modern-day Austria, around 15 BC. Noricum later became a Roman province in the mid-first century AD, heers hypothesis is not accepted by linguists. Settled in ancient times, the Central European land that is now Austria was occupied in pre-Roman times by various Celtic tribes, the Celtic kingdom of Noricum was later claimed by the Roman Empire and made a province
17.
Czech Texans
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Czech Texans are residents of the state of Texas who are of Czech ancestry. As of the 2000 U. S. Census, there are 187,729 Czech-Americans living in Texas, historically, Czech Moravian settlements were found in Central Texas. Czechs first settled in Texas in the 1840s, traveling from Bohemia, Moravia, Czech settlers usually identified themselves as Austrian, German, Bohemian, Slovak or Moravian. Although many Czech-Texans have experienced cultural assimilation, Czech celebrations and events continue to be held, Temple is home to the Czech Heritage Museum. A Fayetteville museum celebrates Texass Czech settlement, in Caldwell is the Burleson County Czech Heritage Museum. In 2004, the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center was opened in LaGrange, houstons Czech Cultural Center promotes research of Czech history. Praha hosts the Praha Homecoming, also known as the Prazska Pout, the city of West hosts Westfest every Labor Day, which includes a Koláče baking contest and a Taroky tournament. Crosby, northeast of Houston, hosts a Czech Fest and a Koláče Bake, the Czech Heritage Society of Texas has developed 14 chapters throughout the state. The National Polka Festival is a parade and festival held in Ennis. The 3-day festival is held every Memorial Day weekend, most of the party halls offer a lunch or dinner with Czech foods such as klobása, sauerkraut, and koláče, as well as live entertainment with traditional polka music and dancing. The available literature about Texas Czechs and their history has expanded with advent of self-publishing, one author has declared Mr. Albert Blaha of Houston the Father of Texas Czech History, saying that He is our own František Palacký. Naše Dějiny, a magazine of Texas Czech genealogy, history, the Library of the SPJST, founded in Temple in 1963, has holdings which include over 20,000 volumes, the vast majority of which deal with Czech or Texas Czech topics. In 2013, The Texas Czech Genealogical Society hosted the From Generation to Generation Research Conference for those interested in exploring Czech ancestry,12,805 Texans can speak the Czech language. Czech-language journalism has been active in the state over the years. Thirty-three newspapers and periodicals have been published, as of 1993 one weekly newspaper, Našinec, published at Granger, and one monthly, Hospodář, published at West, were still being published entirely in Czech. Other periodicals such as Věstník and the Brethren Journal contained sections printed in Czech, language change, The testimony of Czech tombstone inscriptions in Praha, Texas. In E. Eckert, Varieties in Czech, Czechs, Texas State Historical Association Czech Texans. The Czech Heritage Society of Texas, welcome Czechs of Texas and Czechs worldwide
18.
Kolach
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A Kolach is a type of pastry that holds a dollop of fruit, rimmed by a puffy pillow of supple dough. Originating as a semisweet wedding dessert from Central Europe, they have become popular in parts of the United States, the name originates from the Czech, and originally Old Slavonic word kolo meaning circle, wheel. The word kolache may also be used to describe a meat filled pastry, however, this probably refers to a klobasnek. A klobasnek is often thought to be a variation of the kolach, however, unlike kolache, which came to the United States with Czech immigrants, klobasniky were first made by Czechs that settled in Texas. Montgomery, Minnesota, is the Kolacky capital of the world, verdigre, Nebraska, stakes the same claim with their Kolach Days. Prague, Nebraska, claims to be known as the home of the worlds largest kolache, both Caldwell and West, Texas, claim the title of Kolache Capital of the state. Haugen, Wisconsin is the Kolache Capital of Wisconsin, the village is a Bohemian settlement that celebrates its Czech Heritage during an annual festival. Kolaches are a staple of the festival with Kolache sales, bake-offs. Still other communities in the United States hold Czech-American festivals, where kolache may be found and it was the sweet chosen to represent the Czech Republic in the Café Europe initiative of the Austrian presidency of the European Union, on Europe Day 2007. A related dish is a klobasnek, which is popular in central and it often uses similar bread but is filled with a link of sausage or ground sausage. Some people also refer to these as kolaches, but they are accurately referred to as a pig in a blanket. They may also contain ham, cheese, jalapeño, eggs and bacon/sausage, potato, etc. Czech settlers created klobasniky after they immigrated to Texas. Kalach, East Slavic, Southern Slavic and Romanian bread Kołacz, Polish pastry Koloocheh, Iranian pastry Vatrushka, East Slavic pastry Kolach Video produced by Wisconsin Public Television
19.
History of the Jews in Texas
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Jewish Texans have been a part of the history of Texas since the first European explorers arrived in the region in the 16th century. In 1990, there were around 108,000 adherents to Judaism in Texas, more recent estimates place the number at around 120,000. Spanish Texas did not welcome easily identifiable Jews, but they came in any case, jao de la Porta was with Jean Laffite at Galveston, Texas in 1816, and Maurice Henry was in Velasco in the late 1820s. Jews fought in the armies of the Texas Revolution of 1836, some with James Fannin at Goliad, dr. Albert Levy became a surgeon to revolutionary Texan forces in 1835, participated in the capture of Bexar, and joined the Texas Navy the next year. The first families were conversos and Sephardic Jews, later settlers such as the Simon family, led by Alex Simon, came in the 1860s and contributed to the construction of synagogues and monuments such as the Simon Theatre. Levinson, a Jewish Texan civic leader, arrived in 1861, today the vast majority of Jewish Texans are descendants of Ashkenazi Jews, those from central and eastern Europe whose families arrived in Texas after the Civil War or later. Organized Judaism in Texas began in Galveston with the establishment of Texas first Jewish cemetery in 1852, by 1856 the first organized Jewish services were being held in the home of Galveston resident Isadore Dyer. These services would eventually lead to the founding of Texas first and oldest Reform Jewish congregation, Temple Bnai Israel, the first synagogue in Texas, Congregation Beth Israel of Houston, was founded in Houston in 1859 as an Orthodox congregation. However, by 1874 the congregation voted to change their affiliation to the fledgling Reform movement, the ensuing years were accompanied by the spread of Judaism throughout Texas. Temple Beth-El was founded in San Antonio in 1874, followed by Temple Emanu-El of Dallas in 1875, between 1907 and 1914 a resettlement program, known as the Galveston Movement, was in operation to divert Jews fleeing Russia and eastern Europe away from the crowded East Coast cities. Henry Cohen, the rabbi of Bnai Israel at the time, is credited with helping to found the Movement, Texas however suffered from antisemitism in early 20th century. During the 1920s Ku Klux Klan became influential in Houston and Texas, billie Mayfield edited a weekly Klan newspaper in Houston that regularly used anti-Semitic stereotypes to attack Jews as parasites only interested in extracting wealth from the community. He wrote in an article “there are lots of good Jews in Houston and all over Texas, you find them with tombstones over their heads. ”However most of the times the violence was against the African-Americans, KKK threat also helped unify the Houston Jewish community. By 1924, the Klan had lost much of its support and influence. Even at the time of KKK many Houston Jews were powerful in its economy, by the 1920s, big department stores in Houston, such as Foley’s and Battlestein’s, were owned by Jews. Brothers Simon and Tobias Sakowitz left Russia as young children, in 1915, they opened a clothing store in Houston that eventually became Sakowitz’s, one of the finest department stores in the city. In 1959, they built a new store on Westheimer Road. Sakowitz’s expanded too much in the 1970s and declared bankruptcy during the downtown of the 80s
20.
Navidad River
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The Navidad River is a 90 mile long coastal river in the U. S. state of Texas that runs roughly parallel to its sister river, the Lavaca River. It is not spring fed, and all of its volume is runoff which eventually provides for much of the water in Lake Texana and it begins in two primary branches. The East Navidad River begins in southern Fayette County and runs southeast until it reaches Colorado County, the West Navidad River also begins in Fayette County and wanders south for twenty-three miles until its confluence with the East Navidad near Oakland, where it becomes the Navidad River. The town of Schulenburg is centered between the two branches, which are both somewhat seasonal, and navigation can be due to low water levels and obstructions. The river then winds south, passing the communities of Sublime, Speaks and Morales. Beyond the lake, the river continues south for a few miles, mustang Creek and Sandy Creek both empty into the Navidad as part of the Lake Texana formation. The entire watershed and associated water resources are managed by the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority, the Navidad River is best known for being the territory of the legendary Wild Man of the Navidad, which many believe to be the very first Bigfoot sightings in Texas. The creature was first widely reported in 1837 throughout the settlements along the Navidad River bottoms, circa the modern-day town of Sublime, Texas. The rivers notoriety was increased even more after IFC Films released the film titled The Wild Man of the Navidad in 2009. Although the movie was set in the town of Sublime, Texas, it was actually shot south of the area in Whitsett
21.
U.S. Route 90
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U. S. Route 90 is an east–west United States highway. US90 has seven exits on I-10 in the State of Florida and it also includes part of the DeSoto Trail between Tallahassee and Lake City, Florida. The highways eastern terminus is in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, at an intersection with Florida State Road A1A three blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and its western terminus is in Van Horn, Texas at an intersection with Bus. I-10, just north of I-10 and just west of State Highway 54 and this was its former intersection with US80, but the western segments of US80 have been decommissioned in favor of I-10 and I-20. US90 begins at an intersection with BL I-10 and SH54 in downtown Van Horn and it then heads south-southeast towards Marfa, where the route begins to head generally east. The route is two lanes west of Uvalde. At this point, it becomes a surface road until it reaches western Bexar County where it becomes a freeway. This concurrency with I-10 continues intermittently into western Houston, where US90 follows the Katy Freeway, the section of US90 that is multiplexed with I-10 through Houston is the only section of the route that is unsigned. In eastern Houston, US90 splits from I-10 and heads northeast towards Liberty, the speed limit on US90 between Van Horn and Del Rio is mainly 75 miles per hour. Beginning at Seguin, US90 Alternate splits from US90 and travels parallel to the south, rejoining the main route in northeast Houston. In 1991, the construction on a four- to six-lane freeway northeast of Houston in Harris County was completed along a new routing for US90 and this segment traveled from just inside Beltway 8 to east of the town of Crosby. Construction began in 2006 to extend the freeway westward to the intersection of I-10, on January 24,2011, the new extension officially opened. Due to lack of funds, overpasses were not built over Greens Bayou and over future Purple Sage Road, entering Louisiana from the west, US90 and I-10 travel side by side through Lake Charles to Lafayette. The portion of US90 from Lafayette to New Orleans is designated to become the corridor for I-49, in New Orleans, US90 again meets up with I-10, and the two highways follow a similar path into Mississippi. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, Mississippis portion of US90 was entirely four-laned except for a short segment at the states west end leading to the old Pearl River Bridge into Louisiana. That segment of old highway is obviated for most purposes by an extension of the roadway from its split with US90 to I-10 just east of the much newer Pearl Bridge. Before Katrina, the 26-mile stretch of US90 traveling from the St, the median featured many old, stately oak trees, a good number of which survived the storm. Many segments and important bridges were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005
22.
Weimar, Texas
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Weimar is a city in Colorado County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,151 at the 2010 census, in 1873 the town was founded as Jackson, but subsequently was called Weimar in tribute to the German city of Weimar. Located on Interstate 10 and US90 between San Antonio, Austin, and Houston, Weimar is a community of predominantly Czech. A strong history of baseball exists in Weimar, veterans Park was ahead of its time when it was built in 1948, and was the first lighted baseball field between San Antonio and Houston. Veterans Park remains a state-of-the-art baseball stadium, having hosted a Babe Ruth League World Series Tournament in 2005, Weimar is where Norman J. Sirnic and Karen Sirnic were murdered by serial killer Angel Maturino Resendiz on May 2,1999. Their parsonage was adjacent to the train tracks, Weimar was founded in 1873 in anticipation that the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway was going to build through the site. The community was first called Jackson, after D. W. Jackson, a native Georgian and area landowner who donated land for the railroad right-of-way, the Weimar post office was established in 1873. The town was incorporated in 1875, after beginning with a few hundred townspeople, Weimar had by its tenth birthday achieved a population over 1,000. As it grew, Weimar established itself as a center of trade for pecans, poultry, by 1877, the town was large enough to make its first city map. In 1888, Weimar witnessed the origin of the first town newspaper, The Weimar Mercury, local industries include meat processing, tooling and sheet-metal works, and manufacturing of gaskets. Agriculture continues to play an important role, as Weimar continues to trade in feed grain, poultry, corn, pecans, the former GH&SA railroad remains in service today as part of the Union Pacific Railroad system. Throughout the 20th century, Weimar enjoyed a slow yet steady growth in population, business establishments held their numbers steady at around 70. After a high population of 2,400 in 1976, the town declined slightly in the following decade, in 1980, the population was 2,128. In 1990, the population of Weimar was 2,052, by 2010, the population had rebounded to 2,151. Weimar is located in western Colorado County at 29°42′8″N 96°46′48″W, according to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.3 square miles, all of it land. U. S. Route 90 passes through the center of town as Main Street, while Interstate 10 passes through the edge of the city. Via either highway it is 15 miles east to Columbus, the county seat, downtown Houston is 88 miles to the east, and downtown San Antonio is 109 miles to the west. As of the census of 2000,1,981 people,817 households, the population density was 877.2 people per square mile
23.
Flatonia, Texas
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Flatonia is a town in southwestern Fayette County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 10 and the Southern Pacific Railroad,12 miles west of Schulenburg, the population was 1,383 at the 2010 census. Flatonia was established on April 8,1874, on land that the Galveston, Harrisburg, the community, originally made up of Anglo American settlers, was named after F. W. Flato, a local merchant and one of the first settlers. Residents placed their homes in the former Flatonia settlement, one mile southeast of the current Flatonia, the post office, established in the former Flatonia in 1870, moved to the new Flatonia with the same name. Flatonia was incorporated on November 10,1875, and held its first election on December 6 of that year, in 1878 the town had 800 residents and an economy dependent on cattle and cotton. The location of the railway and inexpensive real estate led to the arrival of Arab, Bohemian, German, Greek, the north-south line of the Waco branch of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway opened in the mid-1880s, leading to new settlements of Muldoon and Moulton. Competition from the settlements, respectively north and south of Flatonia, by 1900 Flatonia had a significant population decrease. During the first half of the 20th century Flatonias prospects increased and decreased according to the economy and cattle. In 1950 Flatonia had 1,024 residents,50 businesses, in the 1960s cotton no longer was a substantial aspect of the area economy, therefore many area farms began to ranch cattle. During that time the population was between 1,000 and 1,500, Interstate 10 opened in the 1970s, leading many tourist businesses to move from U. S. Highway 90 to I-10, one mile north of Highway 90. In 1985 Flatonia had six businesses, in 1990 Flatonia had 1,295 residents. Flatonia is located in southwestern Fayette County at 29°41′13″N 97°6′28″W, U. S. Route 90 passes through the center of town as Main Street, leading east 12 miles to Schulenburg and west 12 miles to Waelder. Texas State Highway 95 intersects US90 in the center of Flatonia, entering from the south as Faires Street, Highway 95 leads south 19 miles to Shiner and north 26 miles to Smithville. Interstate 10 passes through the side of Flatonia, with access from Exit 661. I-10 leads east 108 miles to Houston and west 90 miles to San Antonio, according to the United States Census Bureau, Flatonia has a total area of 1.6 square miles, of which 0.02 square miles, or 1. 01%, is water. Flatonia has hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, summers range in the 90s with a few days in July and August reaching 100. Winters can be chilly but rarely reach below freezing, low temperatures are mostly in the fifties or forties. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,377 people,504 households, the population density was 850.8 people per square mile
24.
U.S. Route 77
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U. S. Route 77 is a north–south United States highway. As of 2005, the northern terminus is in Sioux City. Its southern terminus is in Brownsville, Texas, at Veterans International Bridge on the U. S. -Mexico border and it is unsigned in and around Dallas, Texas. The route has major freeway sections in Oklahoma City including the Broadway Extension connecting suburban Edmond to downtown Oklahoma City. The section between the Oklahoma-Texas state line and Waco, Texas is mostly co-located with Interstate 35 and the 35E spur through Dallas, Texas and, as of 2004, US77 Alternate has a northern terminus in Hallettsville, Texas. It rejoins US77 at Refugio, Texas, while the main line of US77 passes through Victoria, Alternate US77 veers to the west to serve Yoakum and Cuero. A section of U. S.77 located in the Giddings, another section of US77, from I-37 to SH44 in Nueces County, was redesignated I-69/US77 in 2011. In Oklahoma, U. S. Route 77 runs north–south, paralleling Interstate 35, connecting Texas to Kansas and it passes through many major cities, including Ardmore, Oklahoma City and Norman, Guthrie, and Ponca City. It has a section, the Broadway Extension, connecting Oklahoma City to its northern suburb Edmond. US-77 runs for 234 miles in Kansas, between the U. S.40 junction and the Cowley County line is designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway. In Cowley County, it is the Robert B, near Arkansas City it is the Walnut Valley Greenway. From Nebraska to U. S.24 and from K-15 to Arkansas City, in Nebraska, U. S.77 is a major north–south artery connecting the capital city of Lincoln with outlying areas to the north and south. The highway is designated as the Homestead Expressway from Beatrice to Interstate 80 at Lincoln, in Lincoln, U. S.77 becomes a full controlled-access expressway before it overlaps with Interstate 80 for about 8 miles. North of Interstate 80, U. S.77 continues as an expressway to Wahoo and it remains a two-lane highway except for two sections near Fremont, which are four-lane divided highways. The expressway north of Fremont is shared with U. S. Route 275 and Nebraska Highway 91. U. S.275 and NE91 separate from U. S.77 just south of Winslow, Nebraska, U. S. Route 77 barely enters Iowa. After crossing the Missouri River via the Veterans Bridge at Sioux City and its total length in Iowa is slightly more than four-tenths mile. US77 previously extended north through South Dakota to Ortonville, Minnesota and it followed the current I-29 corridor up to the Toronto, South Dakota area, and then followed current South Dakota Highway 15 north to Milbank, South Dakota
25.
La Grange, Texas
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La Grange is a city in Fayette County, Texas, United States, near the Colorado River. It is located between Houston and Austin on Texas State Highway 71, the population was 4,641 at the 2010 census, and in 2015 the estimated population was 4,712. La Grange is the county seat of Fayette County, La Grange was the site of an early crossing of the Colorado River along La Bahía of the El Camino Real, during the Spanish period. The earliest Anglo-American settlers in the area were Aylett C. Buckner and Peter Powell, the first Anglo-American settlement on the citys present location was by Stephen F. Austins band of colonists in 1822. John Henry Moore built a blockhouse in 1828 as protection from the Comanche, the building is known as Moores Fort and can be found today in nearby Round Top, having been moved there for restoration. By 1831 a small community had developed around Moores Fort, the town of La Grange was platted in 1837, during the Republic of Texas period, as the county seat for the then-new county of Fayette. Both of these names were in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayettes castle in France for which La Grange was named is the Château de la Grange-Bléneau, German and Czech culture had a more social tradition around drinking. La Grange became the home of many Jewish immigrants in the late 19th century, La Grange has a number of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town was the point for the Mier Expedition, known for the Black Bean Episode. Team members had gathered at an historic oak that is a local landmark, the tree survives, although it was damaged from being hit by the car of a drunk driver. The tree has a support for stability. After independence, Texas continued to have armed confrontations with Mexican forces over control of the territory between the Rio Grande and the Nueces River, in what is known as the 1842 Dawson Massacre, numerous Texas militia were killed by Mexican forces near San Antonio. Several years later, the remains of dead and of those from the black bean death lottery, were exhumed and reinterred in La Grange in a large common tomb with a sandstone vault. This took place in a ceremony on September 18,1848, at the now known as Monument Hill, more than 1,000 people attended, including former president of the Republic of Texas. On January 17,1849, Heinrich Ludwig Kreische, a recent German immigrant and he built a three-story house and, in 1860, began building a brewery. By 1879, it was the third-largest brewing operation in Texas, Kreische maintained the tomb for the rest of his life, but the tomb and Kreische Brewery began to deteriorate after his death in 1882. The Kreische family asked the city to remove the tomb from their property, on April 15,1905, the Texas Legislature passed a bill to authorize acquisition, by purchase or condemnation, of the 0.36 acres of land occupied by the tomb
26.
Victoria, Texas
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Victoria is the largest city and county seat of Victoria County, Texas. The population was 62,592 as of the 2010 census, the three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 as of the 2000 census. Victoria is located 30 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, the city is a regional hub for a seven-county area known as the Golden Crescent, and serves a retail trade area of over 250,000 people. Victoria is known as The Crossroads because of its location within a two-hour drive of Corpus Christi, Houston, San Antonio, Victoria is named for General Guadalupe Victoria, who became the first president of independent Mexico. Victoria is the city of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria in Texas. The city of Guadalupe Victoria was founded in 1824 by Martín De León, a Mexican empresario, in honor of Guadalupe Victoria, Victoria was initially part of De Leóns Colony, which had been founded that same year. By 1834, the town had a population of approximately 300, during the Texas Revolution, Guadalupe Victoria contributed soldiers and supplies to pro-revolutionary forces. However, after James Fannin was defeated by the Mexican army at the Battle of Coleto, after Santa Ana was defeated at the Battle of San Jacinto, the towns Mexican residents were driven out by Anglo settlers, who renamed it Victoria. In 1840, a Comanche raid on nearby Linnville killed many residents of the town, a cholera outbreak occurred in 1846. During the mid-19th century, the city developed a population of European immigrants. By the turn of the 20th century, Victoria was experiencing population growth thanks to its position as a regional trade center. The University of Houston–Victoria was founded in 1971, Victoria is located on the coastal plains of Texas about 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and 20 miles from the nearest bay waters. It lies along and just to the east of the Guadalupe River, the topography is mostly flat to slightly rolling with an average elevation of 95 feet. Vegetation in better-drained areas consists primarily of grasses with post oaks and other small timber. Moist sites can grow tall forests dominated by elm and pecan, Victoria is classified as humid subtropical. June through August is very hot and humid with temperatures regularly exceeding 90 °F. The record high temperature of 111 °F. was recorded in September 2000, spring and autumn are generally mild to warm with lower humidity. Winters are mild with cold spells
27.
Interstate 10
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Interstate 10 is the southernmost cross-country interstate highway in the American Interstate Highway System. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica, California, to I-95 in Jacksonville and this freeway is part of the originally planned Interstate Highway network that was laid out in 1956, and its last section was completed in 1990. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following I-90, I-80, about one-third of its length is within the state of Texas, where the freeway spans the state at its widest breadth. Between its west terminus in Santa Monica, California, and the major East Los Angeles Interchange, the Santa Monica Freeway is also called the Rosa Parks Freeway for the segment beginning at I-405, and ending at I-110/SR110. The segment between the East Los Angeles Interchange and the city of San Bernardino,63 miles long, is called the San Bernardino Freeway, for example, a sign near the western terminus of the highway in Santa Monica proclaims this highway the Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway. I-10 is known to a lesser degree as the Veterans Memorial Highway. In Palm Springs, I-10 is also named the Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway as a tribute to the late entertainer who served both as the mayor and as a U. S. Congressman, another stretch a short distance east in Indio is proclaimed the Doctor June McCarroll Memorial Freeway. In Arizona, the highway is designated the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway, the portion through Phoenix is named the Papago Freeway, and it is a vital piece of the metropolitan Phoenix freeway system. This designation starts at Loop 101, near 99th Avenue, from the southern terminus of I-17 to the southernmost junction with Loop 202, the highway is signed as the Maricopa Freeway. This name holds true as well for I-17 from its terminus to the Durango Curve south of Buckeye Road. From Loop 202 south to the terminus of I-8 just southeast of Casa Grande. The Arizona Department of Transportation also has maps that show it as the Maricopa Freeway, while the American Automobile Association, the latters name is used on a stretch of Loop 101 from Loop 202 to I-17. Between I-17 in Phoenix and the I-19 interchanges in Tucson, I-10 is included in the federally designated CANAMEX Corridor, extending from Mexico City to Edmonton, in Tucson, Arizona, between I-10 mileposts 259 and 260 are interchange ramps connecting I-10 with the northern terminus of I-19. The highest elevation along I-10 occurs just east of Tucson,20 miles west of Willcox, at the mile marker 320 exit for the Amerind Foundation, the westbound lanes of I-10 briefly cross above 5,000 feet above sea level. I-10 passes through three Southern New Mexico municipalities of regional significance before the junction with I-25, Lordsburg, Deming, most of I-10 in New Mexico, between Exit 24 and Exit 135, is concurrent with US70. At Lordsburg is the junction of US70 and a concurrency. Several exits between Lordsburg and Deming are either for former towns or lack any town at all, at Deming is the western junction of US180, which also forms a concurrency with I-10 all the way to El Paso. One mile north of Deming on US180 is New Mexico State Road 26 which serves as a cut to north I-25
28.
Houston
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Houston is the most populous city in the state of Texas and the fourth-most populous city in the United States. With a census-estimated 2014 population of 2.239 million within an area of 667 square miles, it also is the largest city in the southern United States and the seat of Harris County. Located in Southeast Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, it is the city of Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land. Houston was founded on August 28,1836, near the banks of Buffalo Bayou and incorporated as a city on June 5,1837. The city was named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and had commanded, the burgeoning port and railroad industry, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the citys population. Houstons economy has an industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics. Leading in health care sectors and building equipment, Houston has more Fortune 500 headquarters within its city limits than any city except for New York City. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled, the city has a population from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community. Houston is the most diverse city in Texas and has described as the most diverse in the United States. It is home to cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year to the Museum District. Houston has a visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District. In August 1836, two real estate entrepreneurs from New York, Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen, purchased 6,642 acres of land along Buffalo Bayou with the intent of founding a city. The Allen brothers decided to name the city after Sam Houston, the general at the Battle of San Jacinto. The great majority of slaves in Texas came with their owners from the slave states. Sizable numbers, however, came through the slave trade. New Orleans was the center of trade in the Deep South. Thousands of enslaved African Americans lived near the city before the Civil War, many of them near the city worked on sugar and cotton plantations, while most of those in the city limits had domestic and artisan jobs. Houston was granted incorporation on June 5,1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor, in the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County and the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas
29.
San Antonio
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San Antonio, officially the City of San Antonio, is the seventh-most populated city in the United States and the second-most populous city in the state of Texas, with a population of 1,409,019. It was the fastest growing of the top 10 largest cities in the United States from 2000 to 2010, the city straddles South Texas and Central Texas and is on the southwestern corner of an urban megaregion known as the Texas Triangle. San Antonio serves as the seat of Bexar County, recent annexations have extended the citys boundaries into Medina County and, though for only a very tiny area near the city of Garden Ridge, into Comal County. Due to its placement, the city has characteristics of other urban centers in which there are sparsely populated areas. San Antonio is the center of the San Antonio–New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area, growth along the Interstate 35 and Interstate 10 corridors to the north, west and east make it likely that the metropolitan area will continue to expand. San Antonio was named for Saint Anthony of Padua, whose feast day is on June 13, the city contains five 18th-century Spanish frontier missions, including The Alamo and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, which were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2015. Other notable attractions include the River Walk, the Tower of the Americas, the Alamo Bowl, the city is home to the five-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and hosts the annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, one of the largest such events in the country. The U. S. Kelly Air Force Base operated out of San Antonio until 2001, the remaining portions of the base were developed as Port San Antonio, an industrial/business park and aerospace complex. San Antonio is home to six Fortune 500 companies and the South Texas Medical Center, at the time of European encounter, Payaya Indians lived near the San Antonio River Valley in the San Pedro Springs area, calling the vicinity Yanaguana, meaning refreshing waters. In 1691, a group of Spanish Catholic explorers and missionaries came upon the river and Payaya settlement on June 13 and they named the place and river San Antonio in his honor. It was years before any Spanish settlement took place, father Antonio de Olivares visited the site in 1709, and he was determined to found a mission and civilian settlement there. He directed Martin de Alarcón, the governor of Coahuila and Texas, differences between Alarcón and Olivares resulted in delays, and construction did not start until 1718. The families who clustered around the presidio and mission formed the beginnings of Villa de Béjar, on May 1, the governor transferred ownership of the Mission San Antonio de Valero to Fray Antonio de Olivares. On May 5,1718 he commissioned the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar on the west side of the San Antonio River, one-fourth league from the mission. On February 14,1719, the Marquis of San Miguel de Aguayo proposed to the king of Spain that 400 families be transported from the Canary Islands, Galicia, or Havana to populate the province of Texas. By June 1730,25 families had reached Cuba, and 10 families had sent to Veracruz before orders from Spain came to stop the re-settlement. Under the leadership of Juan Leal Goraz, the group marched overland from Veracruz to the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, due to marriages along the way, the party now included 15 families, a total of 56 persons. They joined the community established in 1718
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United States Census Bureau
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The United States Census Bureau is a principal agency of the U. S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureaus primary mission is conducting the U. S. Census every ten years, in addition to the decennial census, the Census Bureau continually conducts dozens of other censuses and surveys, including the American Community Survey, the U. S. Economic Census, and the Current Population Survey, furthermore, economic and foreign trade indicators released by the federal government typically contain data produced by the Census Bureau. The Bureaus various censuses and surveys help allocate over $400 billion in federal funds every year and help states, local communities, the Census Bureau is part of the U. S. Department of Commerce and its director is appointed by the President of the United States. The Census Bureau now conducts a population count every 10 years in years ending with a 0. Between censuses, the Census Bureau makes population estimates and projections, the Census Bureau is mandated with fulfilling these obligations, the collecting of statistics about the nation, its people, and economy. The Census Bureaus legal authority is codified in Title 13 of the United States Code, the Census Bureau also conducts surveys on behalf of various federal government and local government agencies on topics such as employment, crime, health, consumer expenditures, and housing. Within the bureau, these are known as surveys and are conducted perpetually between and during decennial population counts. The Census Bureau also conducts surveys of manufacturing, retail, service. Between 1790 and 1840, the census was taken by marshals of the judicial districts, the Census Act of 1840 established a central office which became known as the Census Office. Several acts followed that revised and authorized new censuses, typically at the 10-year intervals, in 1902, the temporary Census Office was moved under the Department of Interior, and in 1903 it was renamed the Census Bureau under the new Department of Commerce and Labor. The department was intended to consolidate overlapping statistical agencies, but Census Bureau officials were hindered by their role in the department. An act in 1920 changed the date and authorized manufacturing censuses every 2 years, in 1929, a bill was passed mandating the House of Representatives be reapportioned based on the results of the 1930 Census. In 1954, various acts were codified into Title 13 of the US Code, by law, the Census Bureau must count everyone and submit state population totals to the U. S. President by December 31 of any year ending in a zero. States within the Union receive the results in the spring of the following year, the United States Census Bureau defines four statistical regions, with nine divisions. The Census Bureau regions are widely used. for data collection, the Census Bureau definition is pervasive. Title 13 of the U. S. Code establishes penalties for the disclosure of this information, all Census employees must sign an affidavit of non-disclosure prior to employment. The Bureau cannot share responses, addresses or personal information with anyone including United States or foreign government, only after 72 years does the information collected become available to other agencies or the general public
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Census
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A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population, the term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses, other common censuses include agriculture, business, and traffic censuses. United Nations recommendations also cover census topics to be collected, official definitions, classifications, the word is of Latin origin, during the Roman Republic, the census was a list that kept track of all adult males fit for military service. Current administrative data systems allow for other approaches to enumeration with the level of detail but raise concerns about privacy. A census can be contrasted with sampling in which information is obtained only from a subset of a population, typically main population estimates are updated by such intercensal estimates. Modern census data are used for research, business marketing, and planning. Census counts are necessary to adjust samples to be representative of a population by weighting them as is common in opinion polling, similarly, stratification requires knowledge of the relative sizes of different population strata which can be derived from census enumerations. In some countries, the census provides the official used to apportion the number of elected representatives to regions. In many cases, a carefully chosen random sample can provide accurate information than attempts to get a population census. A census is often construed as the opposite of a sample as its intent is to count everyone in a rather than a fraction. However, population censuses rely on a frame to count the population. This is the way to be sure that everyone has been included as otherwise those not responding would not be followed up on. The fundamental premise of a census is that the population is not known, the use of a sampling frame is counterintuitive as it suggests that the population size is already known. However, a census is also used to collect data on the individuals in the nation. This process of sampling marks the difference between historical census, which was a house to house process or the product of a decree. The sampling frame used by census is almost always an address register, thus it is not known if there is anyone resident or how many people there are in each household. Depending on the mode of enumeration, a form is sent to the householder, as a preliminary to the dispatch of forms, census workers will check any address problems on the ground. While it may seem straightforward to use the postal service file for this purpose, a particular problem is what are termed communal establishments which category includes student residences, religious orders, homes for the elderly, people in prisons etc
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Population density
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Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume, it is a quantity of type number density. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and most of the time to humans and it is a key geographical term. Population density is population divided by land area or water volume. Low densities may cause a vortex and lead to further reduced fertility. This is called the Allee effect after the scientist who identified it, commonly this may be calculated for a county, city, country, another territory, or the entire world. The worlds population is around 7,000,000,000, therefore, the worldwide human population density is around 7,000,000,000 ÷510,000,000 =13.7 per km2. If only the Earths land area of 150,000,000 km2 is taken into account and this includes all continental and island land area, including Antarctica. If Antarctica is also excluded, then population density rises to over 50 people per km2, thus, this number by itself does not give any helpful measurement of human population density. Several of the most densely populated territories in the world are city-states, microstates, cities with high population densities are, by some, considered to be overpopulated, though this will depend on factors like quality of housing and infrastructure and access to resources. Most of the most densely populated cities are in Southeast Asia, though Cairo, for instance, Milwaukee has a greater population density when just the inner city is measured, and the surrounding suburbs excluded. Arithmetic density, The total number of people / area of land, physiological density, The total population / area of arable land. Agricultural density, The total rural population / area of arable land, residential density, The number of people living in an urban area / area of residential land. Urban density, The number of people inhabiting an urban area / total area of urban land, ecological optimum, The density of population that can be supported by the natural resources. S. States by population density Selected Current and Historic City, Ward & Neighborhood Density
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Marriage
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The definition of marriage varies according to different cultures, but it is principally an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually sexual, are acknowledged. In some cultures, marriage is recommended or considered to be compulsory before pursuing any sexual activity, when defined broadly, marriage is considered a cultural universal. Individuals may marry for several reasons, including legal, social, libidinal, emotional, financial, spiritual, whom they marry may be influenced by socially determined rules of incest, prescriptive marriage rules, parental choice and individual desire. In some areas of the world, arranged marriage, child marriage, polygamy, conversely, such practices may be outlawed and penalized in parts of the world out of concerns for womens rights and because of international law. These trends coincide with the human rights movement. Marriage can be recognized by a state, an organization, an authority, a tribal group. It is often viewed as a contract, Marriages can be performed in a secular civil ceremony or in a religious setting via a wedding ceremony. The act of marriage usually creates normative or legal obligations between the individuals involved, and any offspring they may produce, some cultures allow the dissolution of marriage through divorce or annulment. In some areas, child marriages and polygamy may occur in spite of laws against the practice. For example, the number of marriages in Europe decreased by 30% from 1975 to 2005 and these changes have occurred primarily in Western countries. The word marriage derives from Middle English mariage, which first appears in 1250–1300 CE and this in turn is derived from Old French, marier, and ultimately Latin, marītāre, meaning to provide with a husband or wife and marītāri meaning to get married. The adjective marīt-us -a, -um meaning matrimonial or nuptial could also be used in the form as a noun for husband. Anthropologists have proposed several competing definitions of marriage in an attempt to encompass the wide variety of marital practices observed across cultures, even within Western culture, definitions of marriage have careened from one extreme to another and everywhere in between. The anthropological handbook Notes and Queries defined marriage as a union between a man and a such that children born to the woman are the recognized legitimate offspring of both partners. In recognition of a practice by the Nuer people of Sudan allowing women to act as a husband in certain circumstances, Kathleen Gough suggested modifying this to a woman, none of these men had legal rights to the womans child. Economic anthropologist Duran Bell has criticized the definition on the basis that some societies do not require marriage for legitimacy. He argued that a definition of marriage is circular in societies where illegitimacy has no other legal or social implications for a child other than the mother being unmarried. In 1955 article in Man, Leach argued that no one definition of marriage applied to all cultures and he offered a list of ten rights associated with marriage, including sexual monopoly and rights with respect to children, with specific rights differing across cultures
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Median income
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Median income is the amount that divides the income distribution into two equal groups, half having income above that amount, and half having income below that amount. Mean income is the amount obtained by dividing the total income of a group by the number of units in that group. Median income can be calculated by household income, by personal income, in 2013, Gallup published a list of countries with median household income, based on a self-reported survey of approximately 1000 adults from each country. The figures are in international dollars using purchasing power parity and are based on responses from at least 2,000 adults in each country, below is a list of the top 30 countries. The figures do not take taxes and social contributions into account, a study on the Census income data claims that when correcting for underreporting, U. S. gross median household income was $57,739 in 2010. The annual median equivalence disposable household income for selected OECD countries is shown in the table below and this is the disposable income of an equivalent adult in a household in the middle of the income distribution in a year. Data are in United States dollars at current prices and current purchasing power parity for private consumption for the reference year, an academic study on the Census income data claims that when correcting for underreporting, U. S. gross median household income was 15% higher in 2010. The OECD uses the Census ASEC as its source for the US Since 1980, U. S. gross domestic product per capita has increased 67%, Median household income is a politically sensitive indicator. Voters can be critical of their government if they perceive that their cost of living is rising faster than their income, figure 1 shows how American incomes have changed since 1970. The last recession was the early 2000s recession and was started with the bursting of the dot-com bubble and it affected most advanced economies including the European Union, Japan and the United States. An economic recession will normally cause household incomes to decrease, often by as much as 10%, the Late-2000s recession began with the bursting of the U. S. housing bubble, which caused a problem in the dangerously exposed sub prime-mortgage market. This in turn triggered a financial crisis. In constant price,2011 American median household income was 1. 13% lower than what it was in 1989 and this corresponds to a 0. 05% annual decrease over a 22-year period. In the mean time, GDP per capita has increased by 33. 8% or 1. 33% annually, a comparison between Median Equivalised Household Income and GDP per Capita in USD for select developed countries is shown in the chart below. In 2015, the household income spiked 5.2 percent, reaching $56,000. List of countries by average wage List of U. S
