Rusk, Texas | |
|---|---|
 Confederate Monument at Cherokee County Courthouse in Rusk | |
| Motto: "The Heart of East Texas" | |
 Location of Rusk, Texas | |
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| Coordinates:31°47′44″N95°09′00″W / 31.79556°N 95.15000°W /31.79556; -95.15000 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Cherokee |
| Area | |
• Total | 7.26 sq mi (18.80 km2) |
| • Land | 7.23 sq mi (18.73 km2) |
| • Water | 0.027 sq mi (0.07 km2) |
| Elevation | 545 ft (166 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 5,285 |
| • Density | 774.6/sq mi (299.07/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 75785 |
| Area codes | 430,903 |
| FIPS code | 48-63848[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2411017[2] |
| Website | City website |
Rusk is a city in and thecounty seat ofCherokee County,Texas, United States.[4] At the2020 United States census, it had a population of 5,285.[5]
The town was established by an act of theTexas Legislature on April 11, 1846. It was named afterThomas Jefferson Rusk, signer of theTexas Declaration of Independence.[6] By 1850, Rusk reportedly had 355 residents. A post office was authorized on March 8, 1847.
The city of Rusk is no longerdry; a beer and wine local option election passed on May 9, 2009. Three years later, in 2012, another local option election was held, to consider liquor sales. It also passed.[7]
As of the2020 census, Rusk had a population of 5,285; the median age was 38.6 years, with 18.7% of residents under the age of 18 and 13.5% of residents who were 65 years of age or older.[9][10]
For every 100 females there were 162.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 187.3 males age 18 and over.[9]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[11]
There were 1,319 households in Rusk, of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.2% were married-couple households, 14.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[9]
There were 1,544 housing units, of which 14.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.7%.[9]
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White | 3,112 | 58.9% |
| Black or African American | 1,337 | 25.3% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 17 | 0.3% |
| Asian | 40 | 0.8% |
| Native Hawaiian andOther Pacific Islander | 5 | 0.1% |
| Some other race | 486 | 9.2% |
| Two or more races | 288 | 5.4% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 790 | 14.9% |
At the 2020 American Community Survey, the median household income increased to $48,235 with a mean income of $63,832.[12]
At the2010 U.S. census, there were 5,551 people, 1,306 households, and 867 families residing in the city.[3] The population density was 745.4 inhabitants per square mile (287.8/km2). There were 1,539 housing units at an average density of 225.6 per square mile (87.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 62.71%White, 30.01%African American, 0.18%Native American, 0.96%Asian, 5.15% fromother races, and 0.98% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 6.92% of the population.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,370, and the median income for a family was $33,952. Males had a median income of $24,271 versus $22,438 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $11,688. About 16.2% of families and 21.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.4% of those under age 18 and 21.0% of those age 65 or over.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.3 square miles (18.8 km2), of which 0.03 square miles (0.07 km2), or 0.37%, is water.[13]
Rusk is crossed by U.S. Routes69 and84. US 69 leads northwest 14 miles (23 km) toJacksonville, the largest city in Cherokee County, and southeast 43 miles (69 km) toLufkin, while US 84 leads east 30 miles (48 km) toMount Enterprise and west the same distance toPalestine. Rusk is approximately 160 miles (260 km) north ofHouston, 125 miles (201 km) southeast ofDallas, and 40 miles (64 km) south ofTyler.
Rusk is underlain byglauconite-rich sediments which, in most parts of town, have weathered to dark reddish brown fine sandy loam topsoil over dark red clay subsoil characteristic of the Nacogdoches soil series.[14]
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Rusk has ahumid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[15]
| Climate data for Rusk, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1942–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 83 (28) | 93 (34) | 94 (34) | 96 (36) | 99 (37) | 103 (39) | 107 (42) | 107 (42) | 110 (43) | 97 (36) | 89 (32) | 83 (28) | 110 (43) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 55.6 (13.1) | 59.5 (15.3) | 66.9 (19.4) | 74.0 (23.3) | 80.7 (27.1) | 87.1 (30.6) | 90.7 (32.6) | 91.7 (33.2) | 86.2 (30.1) | 76.4 (24.7) | 65.3 (18.5) | 57.5 (14.2) | 74.3 (23.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 46.4 (8.0) | 50.0 (10.0) | 57.1 (13.9) | 64.1 (17.8) | 71.8 (22.1) | 78.5 (25.8) | 81.4 (27.4) | 81.8 (27.7) | 76.5 (24.7) | 66.6 (19.2) | 56.1 (13.4) | 48.6 (9.2) | 64.9 (18.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 37.3 (2.9) | 40.5 (4.7) | 47.3 (8.5) | 54.3 (12.4) | 62.9 (17.2) | 69.9 (21.1) | 72.1 (22.3) | 71.9 (22.2) | 66.8 (19.3) | 56.8 (13.8) | 46.9 (8.3) | 39.8 (4.3) | 55.5 (13.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 0 (−18) | −3 (−19) | 13 (−11) | 23 (−5) | 38 (3) | 46 (8) | 56 (13) | 53 (12) | 40 (4) | 26 (−3) | 15 (−9) | −1 (−18) | −3 (−19) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 4.36 (111) | 4.26 (108) | 4.46 (113) | 4.04 (103) | 4.58 (116) | 4.51 (115) | 3.38 (86) | 3.35 (85) | 3.67 (93) | 4.65 (118) | 3.98 (101) | 4.88 (124) | 50.12 (1,273) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 8.6 | 9.6 | 8.7 | 7.5 | 7.8 | 7.2 | 6.3 | 6.5 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 7.9 | 9.4 | 93.1 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Source:NOAA[16][17] | |||||||||||||
Jim Hogg Park and Rusk State Park are in Rusk.
The longest footbridge in the nation (c. 1861) and the longestzip line in Texas are located in Rusk.[18]
TheTexas State Railroad operates between Rusk andPalestine.
The Heritage Center of Cherokee County & Cherokee Civic Theater are located in Rusk.
The city of Rusk and surrounding rural areas are served by theRusk Independent School District.
TheUnited States Postal Service operates the Rusk Post Office.[19]
TheTexas Department of State Health Services operates the Rusk State Hospital in Rusk.[20] At that site, theTexas Prison System previously operated the Rusk Penitentiary.[21]
Rusk has been home to three formergovernors,James Stephen Hogg,Thomas M. Campbell, andJohn B. Kendrick (Governor of Wyoming). Rusk has also been the home toJim Swink,Adrian Burk andJohnny Horton.
Anthony Denman, former Notre Dame All American, Most Valuable Player and former NFL player, is from Rusk. He was the first to hail from Rusk to play in the NFL.[22][23][24]
Cody Glenn, a former Nebraska standout and former NFL player, is from Rusk.[25][26]
MLB playerChris James was born in Rusk.
Municipalities and communities ofCherokee County, Texas,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDP | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
