Bryan, Texas | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Bryan, 2009 | |
| Nicknames: The Good Life, Texas Style | |
 Show Bryan Show Brazos County Show Texas Show the United States | |
  Bryan Location within Texas Show map of Texas Bryan Location within the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:30°40′28″N96°22′12″W / 30.67444°N 96.37000°W /30.67444; -96.37000[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Brazos |
| Incorporated | 1871 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–Manager |
| • Mayor | Bobby Gutierrez[2] |
| • City Manager | Kean Register[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 54.26 sq mi (140.53 km2) |
| • Land | 54.16 sq mi (140.28 km2) |
| • Water | 0.097 sq mi (0.25 km2) |
| Elevation | 361 ft (110 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 83,980 |
| • Density | 1,592.9/sq mi (615.01/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes | 77801-03, 77807-08 |
| Area code | 979 |
| FIPS code | 48-10912[5] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2409927[1] |
| Website | www |
Bryan is a city in and thecounty seat ofBrazos County,[6]Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of theBrazos Valley (East andCentral Texas). As of the2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city ofCollege Station, which lies to its south. Together they make up theBryan–College Station metropolitan area, the 15th-largest metropolitan area in Texas with 268,248 people as of 2020.[7]
The area around Bryan was part of a land grant toMoses Austin bySpain. Austin's son,Stephen F. Austin, helped bring settlers to the area. Among the settlers wasWilliam Joel Bryan, the nephew of Stephen Austin. In 1866, the county seat ofBrazos County was changed fromBoonville to Bryan, and a post office was opened. In 1867, after many delays caused by theCivil War, the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, which had only previously gotten as far asMillican, finally reached Bryan. A short time later, in 1871, the city of Bryan became incorporated. Just south of Bryan, theAgricultural and Mechanical College of Texas opened in 1876 in what would later be known asCollege Station. The following year, 1877 saw the establishment of theBryan Independent School District. Keeping up with progress in the rest of the country, Bryan added electric lighting and a waterworks to its community in 1889. The fifth Brazos County courthouse was built in 1892, and by the turn of the century, in 1900, the International-Great Northern Railroad stopped in Bryan.
Using a generous grant of $10,000 fromAndrew Carnegie, theCarnegie Library of Bryan opened its doors in 1902. A bell, made in 1905 and rung in 1918 to signal the end of World War I, is still located out front today.[8] In 1910, the town built an interurban railroad to College Station. By 1923, the line was abandoned. The first Jewish place of worship, the Temple Freda synagogue, was opened in 1913.[9] During the 1930s, the town of North Oakwood merged with Bryan. Now Bryan and College Station are "twin" cities. In 1936,State Highway 6 was built, running right through town.
In 2006, the Texas A&M University System announced that the new Texas A&M Health Science Center campus would be built in Bryan near the new Traditions Golf Course development.[10]
A fire at the El Dorado Chemical Co. in 2009 caused the evacuation of 70,000 residents due to the burning ofammonium nitrate, possibly causing minor respiratory problems.[11] However, the city requested that only "anyone who can smell smoke or see smoke to evacuate their homes and businesses" and did not enforce an evacuation except for 500 homes in the nearby vicinity of the fire.[12][13] Less than 1,000 residents chose to evacuate, taking shelter atTexas A&M University, which closed its campus for the day to ease traffic problems. City fire officials chose to let the fire burn down before tackling it, since the chemicals were water reactive.[12][14][15] The evacuation, which started at 2:30 pmCST ended at 7 pm, except for a small, defined area immediately around the fire, where approximately 100 Bryan residents lived.[14] In the end, only 500 residents were under a mandatory evacuation, and 35 people were treated for respiratory problems from the smoke. Officials from El Dorado said there was never any danger from the smoke or fire. The warehouse, valued at just under $1 million, was destroyed.[13]
In 2010, the Brazos County District Attorney's Office started the enforcement of a "Gang Safety Zone" in response to an escalation in violence within Bryan. Major US papers and ABC News covered this move. Cities likeHouston andLos Angeles looked to the Bryan model of safety enforcement surroundinggang violence. The injunction declared a 3.2-mile (5.1 km) area in Bryan as the Gang Safety Zone. This placed about half of downtown in the area.[16]
In 2013 thePlanned Parenthood clinic in Bryan closed as a result of state budget cuts which impacted family-planning facilities. The facility began offering abortions in 1998; it was one of three in the state which ceased operations on August 31, 2013.[17]
Bryan is located northwest of the center of Brazos County. It is bordered to the southeast by the city ofCollege Station and to the northwest by the unincorporated community ofLake Bryan. TheBrazos River flows past approximately nine miles to the southwest.[18][19] According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.5 square miles (115.3 km2), of which 44.4 square miles (115.0 km2) is land and 0.077 square miles (0.2 km2), or 0.20%, is water.[20]
The local climate ishumid subtropical and temperate, and winters are mild with periods of low temperatures usually lasting less than two months. Snow and ice are extremely rare. Summers are warm and hot with occasional showers being the only real variation in weather.
| Climate data for Bryan, Texas | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 86 (30) | 99 (37) | 96 (36) | 96 (36) | 100 (38) | 107 (42) | 110 (43) | 109 (43) | 112 (44) | 102 (39) | 94 (34) | 89 (32) | 112 (44) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 61.0 (16.1) | 64.8 (18.2) | 71.7 (22.1) | 78.9 (26.1) | 85.8 (29.9) | 91.7 (33.2) | 94.8 (34.9) | 96.2 (35.7) | 90.5 (32.5) | 81.4 (27.4) | 71.0 (21.7) | 62.3 (16.8) | 79.2 (26.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 41.2 (5.1) | 44.4 (6.9) | 51.0 (10.6) | 58.1 (14.5) | 66.6 (19.2) | 72.7 (22.6) | 74.6 (23.7) | 74.5 (23.6) | 69.4 (20.8) | 60.3 (15.7) | 50.5 (10.3) | 42.2 (5.7) | 58.8 (14.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −3 (−19) | 5 (−15) | 17 (−8) | 28 (−2) | 42 (6) | 53 (12) | 58 (14) | 58 (14) | 42 (6) | 29 (−2) | 19 (−7) | 2 (−17) | −3 (−19) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.24 (82) | 2.85 (72) | 3.17 (81) | 2.66 (68) | 4.33 (110) | 4.45 (113) | 2.14 (54) | 2.68 (68) | 3.18 (81) | 4.91 (125) | 3.22 (82) | 3.23 (82) | 40.06 (1,018) |
| Source: weather.gov[21] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 2,979 | — | |
| 1900 | 3,589 | 20.5% | |
| 1910 | 4,132 | 15.1% | |
| 1920 | 6,307 | 52.6% | |
| 1930 | 7,814 | 23.9% | |
| 1940 | 11,842 | 51.5% | |
| 1950 | 18,072 | 52.6% | |
| 1960 | 27,542 | 52.4% | |
| 1970 | 33,719 | 22.4% | |
| 1980 | 44,337 | 31.5% | |
| 1990 | 55,002 | 24.1% | |
| 2000 | 65,660 | 19.4% | |
| 2010 | 76,201 | 16.1% | |
| 2020 | 83,980 | 10.2% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 89,615 | [22] | 6.7% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[23] 1850–1900[24] 1910[25] 1920[26] 1930[27] 1940[28] 1950[29] 1960[30] 1970[31] 1980[32] 1990[33] 2000[34] 2010[35] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[36] | Pop 2010[37] | Pop 2020[38] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 33,943 | 32,772 | 33,220 | 51.70% | 43.01% | 39.56% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 11,520 | 13,406 | 12,876 | 17.54% | 17.59% | 15.33% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 152 | 175 | 117 | 0.23% | 0.23% | 0.14% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1,063 | 1,278 | 2,028 | 1.62% | 1.68% | 2.41% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 25 | 40 | 83 | 0.04% | 0.05% | 0.10% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 53 | 78 | 379 | 0.08% | 0.10% | 0.45% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 633 | 835 | 2,453 | 0.96% | 1.10% | 2.92% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 18,271 | 27,617 | 32,824 | 27.83% | 36.24% | 39.09% |
| Total | 65,660 | 76,201 | 83,980 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 83,980 people, 30,647 households, and 18,659 families residing in the city.
As of thecensus[5] of 2000, there were 65,660 people, 23,759 households, and 14,873 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,515.2 inhabitants per square mile (585.0/km2). There were 25,703 housing units at an average density of 593.1 per square mile (229.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 64.65%White, 17%African American, 0.40%Native American, 1.65%Asian, 0.08%Pacific Islander, 13.32% fromother races, and 2.17% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any ethnicity/nationality were 17.83% of the population.
There were 23,759 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% weremarried couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 18.1% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 15.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,672, and the median income for a family was $41,433. Males had a median income of $29,780 versus $22,428 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $15,770. About 15.5% of families and 22.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.
| Employer | Number of employees |
|---|---|
| Texas A&M University | 17,000 |
| Bryan Independent School District | 3,000 |
| Texas A&M Health Science Center | 2,000 |
| College Station Independent School District | 2,000 |
| Blinn College | 2,000 |
| Reynolds and Reynolds | 1,500 |
| CHI St. Joseph Health | 1,000 |
| Sanderson Farms | 1,000 |
| Walmart | 1,000 |
| H-E-B | 1,000 |
Sports complexes and recreation centers include:Kyle Field, Merrill Green Stadium,Reed Arena,Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park,American Momentum Bank Ballpark,G. Rollie White Coliseum, Anderson Track and Field Complex, Aggie Soccer Complex, Bryan Regional Athletic Complex, Aggie Softball Complex, George P. Mitchell Tennis Center, Spirit Ice Arena, The City Course at Phillips Event Center,[40] and Bryan Aquatic Center.[41]
TheTexas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Hamilton Unit, a pre-release facility in Bryan.[42] Hamilton opened as an adult prison facility. It was renovated for juveniles and, in mid-1997,[43] re-opened as theTexas Youth Commission (TYC) J.W. Hamilton Jr. State School. On June 15, 2003, the facility was transferred back to the TDCJ.[44] The TDCJ also operates the Bryan District Parole Office in nearbyCollege Station.[45]
TheUnited States Postal Service operates the Bryan and Downtown Bryan post offices.[46][47] TheFederal Bureau of Prisons operates theFederal Prison Camp, Bryan, a women's prison located in Bryan.[48]
TheBrazos Transit District began offeringbus service in the Bryan-College Station in 1974. It offers fixed bus routes throughout Bryan-College Station. Operating on weekdays on an hourly basis, the seven routes converge at a central location for transferring between routes.[50][51] It also offersparatransit services fordisabled riders and an on-demand shared ride service.[52]Texas A&M University, headquartered in sister cityCollege Station, operates student-driven free buses on weekdays for use by the general public that includes coverage around several apartment complexes in Bryan near campus and along a route that culminates at the campus ofBlinn College.[53][54][55]
Bryan is served commercially byEasterwood Airport, aregional airport operated by Texas A&M University in College Station.[56]American Eagle offers flights to and from their larger hub airport atDallas/Fort Worth International Airport.[57][58][59]
The city of Bryan owns and operatesCoulter Field and providesfixed-base operator services, hangar space, and runways for private flights.[60][61]
Municipalities and communities ofBrazos County, Texas,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place has portions in adjacent county or counties | |
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