Damon, Texas | |
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 US Post Office in Damon, Texas | |
 Location of Damon, Texas. | |
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| Coordinates:29°17′22″N95°44′13″W / 29.28944°N 95.73694°W /29.28944; -95.73694 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Brazoria |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2) |
| • Land | 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 79 ft (24 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 436 |
| • Density | 396/sq mi (152.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 77430 |
| Area code | 979 |
| FIPS code | 48-19108[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1355614[2] |
Damon is acensus-designated place (CDP) inBrazoria County,Texas, United States. The population was 436 at the2020 census. The town is located about 20 miles (32 km) south ofRosenberg onTexas State Highway 36. Damon sits partly atop a salt dome which was exploited forpetroleum,sulphur, andlimestone.
Damon is located in northwestern Brazoria County at29°17′22″N95°44′13″W / 29.28944°N 95.73694°W /29.28944; -95.73694 (29.289519, -95.737038). According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.394 square miles (3.61 km2), all land.[3]
Damon is 2 miles (3.2 km) from theSan Bernard River and 8 miles (13 km) from theBrazos River. The community is betweenNeedville inFort Bend County andWest Columbia in Brazoria County.[4]
Damon is home to the highest point in Brazoria County, Damon Mound, rising 144 feet (43.9 m) above sea level.
The west part of the town sits atop Damon Mound, the surface expression of a saltdiapir or dome. The plug of salt rises through geological formations ofTertiary geologic age. The top of the salt mass is about 500 feet (152 m) below the surface and above it arelimestone,gypsum, andanhydrite.Petroleum was trapped around the salt dome insandstone and limestone layers. Five million barrels of crude oil were extracted from 85 wells in the years up to 1924. In the year 1930 alone the mound yielded 224,000 barrels of oil.[5]
TheKarankawa people lived on Damon Mound before the arrival of Europeans. Arrowheads, burial grounds, broken pottery, and stone tools found in the area are evidence of their habitation. In ancient times, the mound's sour earth was regarded by the local native peoples as having medicinal properties. This feature was caused by the presence ofsulphur and other minerals near the surface.[6]
The area was first settled by Europeans in 1831 when Samuel Damon arrived from the United States. Damon married Lorena Darst and built a home on the south side of the mound. The settlement grew until it counted 100 inhabitants in 1890 when it was called Damon Mound. At that time cattle ranching was an important business. In 1895, the post office reopened after having been closed for three years. The town was renamed Damon around that time. A Baptist church opened in 1896. In 1918 a railroad line was built fromRosenberg to Damon in order to haul away the limestone and sulphur that were quarried from the mound.
In 1925, the town had 300 residents and a Catholic church was founded. The population dipped to 260 in 1931 at which time the town had its own school district. In 1944 the railroad line was discontinued beyondGuy to the north. Nevertheless, Damon's population reached nearly 400 from the 1940s to the 1980s. In 1989 there were 375 residents, a feed store, cotton gin, quarry and other businesses. The 2000 census reported 535 persons and Baptist, Catholic, Church of Christ, and Lutheran places of worship.[7]
Damon is served by the Damon Volunteer Fire Department.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 535 | — | |
| 2010 | 552 | 3.2% | |
| 2020 | 436 | −21.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1850–1900[9] 1910[10] 1920[11] 1930[12] 1940[13] 1950[14] 1960[15] 1970[16] 1980[17] 1990[18] 2000[19] 2010[20] 2020[21] | |||
Damon was first listed as acensus designated place in the2000 U.S. census.[19]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[22] | Pop 2010[23] | Pop 2020[24] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 377 | 368 | 261 | 70.47% | 66.67% | 59.86% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.18% | 0.00% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 6 | 2 | 11 | 1.12% | 0.36% | 2.52% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.19% | 0.18% | 0.00% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0.93% | 0.00% | 0.23% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 1 | 9 | 14 | 0.19% | 1.63% | 3.21% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 145 | 171 | 149 | 27.10% | 30.98% | 34.17% |
| Total | 535 | 552 | 436 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[1] of 2000, there were 535 people, 207 households, and 149 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 385.7 inhabitants per square mile (148.9/km2). There were 231 housing units at an average density of 166.5 per square mile (64.3/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 77.01%White, 1.31%Native American, 0.19%Asian, 21.12% fromother races, and 0.37% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 27.10% of the population.
There were 207 households, out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% weremarried couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.07.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $31,111, and the median income for a family was $37,250. Males had a median income of $36,875 versus $23,750 for females. Theper capita income for the CDP was $15,950. About 14.2% of families and 20.8% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.7% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.
According to the 2010 census, the total population was 552, with 280 males and 272 females. Of this population 25.9% was under the age of 18 and 12.9% was 65 years or older. The median age was 38.3 years. 83.7% of individuals identified themselves as White, 11.6% claimed "Some Other Race", 3.6% identified two or more races, while the remainder were American Indian, Black or Asian. Persons who claimed to be Hispanic were 31.0% of the population.[25]
Damon is unincorporated, but has one "Damon City Limit" sign heading south on State Highway 36 from FM 1462, which usually only incorporated communities have.[citation needed]
Damon residents are served by theDamon Independent School District[26] (K-8).[27]
High school student attendNeedville High School, which is part of theNeedville Independent School District. Damon ISD signed a contract with Needville ISD in 1949 so Damon ISD residents could go to school at Needville High.[28]
The designated community college for Damon ISD isBrazosport College.[29]
Media related toDamon, Texas at Wikimedia Commons
Municipalities and communities ofBrazoria County, Texas,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Villages | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
