Town in Texas, United States
Van Horn
is a town in and the
seat
of
Culberson County, Texas
, United States.
[4]
According to the 2010 census, Van Horn had a population of 2,063,
[5]
down from 2,435 at the 2000 census. The
2020 census
results detailed a decline in population to 1,941. Van Horn's official newspaper is
The Van Horn Advocate
. The town is the westernmost
incorporated community
in the United States that uses the
Central Time Zone
, located on the same line of longitude as
Cheyenne, Wyoming
, and
Colorado Springs, Colorado
. Its earliest sunset in the beginning of December is the latest among incorporated towns in the United States, occurring no earlier than 5:56 pm.
[6]
History
[
edit
]
Anglo-Texan
[7]
settlement began in the late 1850s and early 1860s supportive of the
San Antonio-El Paso
Overland Mail
route.
[8]
Although U.S. Army Major
Jefferson Van Horne
is believed to have passed near the area in 1849 on his way to take command of what would later become
Fort Bliss
, the town is instead named for Lt. James Judson Van Horn who commanded an army garrison at the Van Horn Wells beginning in 1859. Lt. Van Horn's command was relatively short-lived, as the post was seized by
Confederate
forces in 1861 and Lt. Van Horn taken prisoner.
[9]
Settlement was further stimulated by the construction of the
Texas and Pacific Railway
in 1881.
[10]
[11]
[12]
The town has several buildings on the
National Register of Historic Places
including the
First Presbyterian Church
(now Primera Iglesia Bautista), built in 1901.
Geography
[
edit
]
Van Horn is located in southwestern Culberson County at
31°2′33″N
104°49′59″W
/
31.04250°N 104.83306°W
/
31.04250; -104.83306
(31.042489, ?104.832928).
[13]
Interstate 10
passes through the town, leading east 120 miles (190 km) to
Fort Stockton
and northwest 118 miles (190 km) to
El Paso
. Van Horn is the western terminus of
U.S. Route 90
; from Van Horn it leads southeast 73 miles (117 km) to
Marfa
.
Texas State Highway 54
leads north from Van Horn 65 miles (105 km) to
Pine Springs
and the
Guadalupe Mountains
.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km
2
), all land.
[5]
Threemile Peak, elevation 4,868 feet (1,484 m), rises to the northwest overlooking the town.
-
The old Eagle Field, before the 2014 construction of the new stadium, with Threemile Peak in the background
-
Threemile Peak, with a white "V" for Van Horn on it
Climate
[
edit
]
Climate data for Van Horn, 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)
|
80
(27)
|
88
(31)
|
94
(34)
|
100
(38)
|
105
(41)
|
112
(44)
|
108
(42)
|
108
(42)
|
104
(40)
|
98
(37)
|
87
(31)
|
82
(28)
|
112
(44)
|
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)
|
59.1
(15.1)
|
64.2
(17.9)
|
71.6
(22.0)
|
78.8
(26.0)
|
86.6
(30.3)
|
94.5
(34.7)
|
92.9
(33.8)
|
91.9
(33.3)
|
85.9
(29.9)
|
78.7
(25.9)
|
68.1
(20.1)
|
59.2
(15.1)
|
77.6
(25.3)
|
Daily mean °F (°C)
|
44.6
(7.0)
|
49.0
(9.4)
|
56.1
(13.4)
|
63.4
(17.4)
|
71.9
(22.2)
|
80.4
(26.9)
|
80.6
(27.0)
|
79.5
(26.4)
|
73.3
(22.9)
|
64.3
(17.9)
|
53.2
(11.8)
|
45.1
(7.3)
|
63.4
(17.4)
|
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)
|
30.0
(?1.1)
|
33.8
(1.0)
|
40.6
(4.8)
|
47.9
(8.8)
|
57.3
(14.1)
|
66.4
(19.1)
|
68.3
(20.2)
|
67.1
(19.5)
|
60.6
(15.9)
|
49.8
(9.9)
|
38.3
(3.5)
|
30.9
(?0.6)
|
49.2
(9.6)
|
Record low °F (°C)
|
?7
(?22)
|
?3
(?19)
|
9
(?13)
|
24
(?4)
|
31
(?1)
|
45
(7)
|
53
(12)
|
48
(9)
|
33
(1)
|
19
(?7)
|
10
(?12)
|
0
(?18)
|
?7
(?22)
|
Average
precipitation
inches (mm)
|
0.47
(12)
|
0.44
(11)
|
0.25
(6.4)
|
0.22
(5.6)
|
0.49
(12)
|
1.10
(28)
|
2.05
(52)
|
1.95
(50)
|
1.50
(38)
|
0.94
(24)
|
0.42
(11)
|
0.49
(12)
|
10.32
(262)
|
Average snowfall inches (cm)
|
0.7
(1.8)
|
0.6
(1.5)
|
0.2
(0.51)
|
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)
|
0.5
(1.3)
|
1.2
(3.0)
|
3.3
(8.4)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 0.01 in)
|
2.8
|
2.7
|
1.9
|
1.6
|
3.1
|
4.4
|
7.5
|
7.8
|
5.7
|
4.1
|
2.5
|
2.8
|
46.9
|
Average snowy days
(≥ 0.1 in)
|
0.4
|
0.2
|
0.1
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.2
|
0.5
|
1.4
|
Source:
NOAA
[14]
[15]
|
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1890
| 450
| | ?
|
---|
1900
| 30
| | ?93.3%
|
---|
1910
| 500
| | 1,566.7%
|
---|
1920
| 800
| | 60.0%
|
---|
1930
| 1,600
| | 100.0%
|
---|
1940
| 2,070
| | 29.4%
|
---|
1950
| 1,161
| | ?43.9%
|
---|
1960
| 1,953
| | 68.2%
|
---|
1970
| 2,889
| | 47.9%
|
---|
1980
| 2,772
| | ?4.0%
|
---|
1990
| 2,930
| | 5.7%
|
---|
2000
| 2,435
| | ?16.9%
|
---|
2010
| 2,063
| | ?15.3%
|
---|
2020
| 1,941
| | ?5.9%
|
---|
2020 census
[
edit
]
As of the
2020 United States census
, there were 1,941 people, 607 households, and 339 families residing in the town.
2000 census
[
edit
]
As of the
census
[2]
of 2000, 2,435 people, 834 households, and 652 families resided in the town. The population density was 846.9 inhabitants per square mile (327.0/km
2
). The 976 housing units averaged 339.5 per square mile (130.8/km
2
). The
racial makeup
of the town was 64.6% White, 0.7% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 31.5% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 78.6% of the population.
Government
[
edit
]
The
United States Postal Service
operates the Van Horn Post Office.
[20]
Education
[
edit
]
Van Horn is served by the
Culberson County-Allamoore Independent School District
and is home to the
Van Horn High School
Eagles.
Transportation
[
edit
]
Major highways
[
edit
]
Rail
[
edit
]
Space tourism
[
edit
]
In late 2006,
The Wall Street Journal
reported that
Jeff Bezos
, founder and CEO of
Amazon
, had acquired 290,000 acres (1,200 km
2
) of land 25 miles (40 km) north of Van Horn, including the
Figure 2 Ranch Airport
, to house his fledgling space tourism company,
Blue Origin
. A 2006 article on
Space.com
reported that Blue Origin was expected to start commercial operations as early as 2010, aiming for 52 launches per year from the Van Horn facility.
[21]
This spaceport is named
Corn Ranch
.
In early 2010, NASA awarded Blue Origin US$3.7 million to work on an advanced technology, which detaches a crew cabin from its launcher if the shuttle malfunctions.
[22]
An August 2016 update reported Blue Origin was still conducting test flights with plans to begin flying piloted tests in 2017 and paying customers in 2018.
[23]
[24]
Blue Origin's actual first human launch from, and return to, Van Horn occurred on the morning of
July 20, 2021
, with a crew of four people.
[25]
10,000-year clock
[
edit
]
In 2009, the
Van Horn Advocate
announced that the
Long Now Foundation
was starting geologic testing for an underground space to house a 10,000-year
Clock of the Long Now
, on the Bezos ranch, north of Van Horn.
[26]
Popular culture
[
edit
]
Van Horn provided the inspiration for the 2019 song "Van Horn" by alternative-rock band
Saint Motel
which was featured on their EP The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Part 1 after the band spent a night there on a recent tour.
[27]
Famed
football
coach
John Madden
put Chuy's Restaurant on the national map after a 1987 stop with his
Madden Cruiser
bus.
[28]
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
Threemile Mountain (on the left), looking northwest (USGS photo by George B. Richardson, 1913)
-
Similar view of Threemile Mountain (left) and
Beach Mountains
(right) in 2008
-
Culberson County Hospital and Van Horn Rural Health Clinic (2013)
-
12,800 acre Sierra Diablo Ranch north of Van Horn
See also
[
edit
]
Explanatory notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
[18]
[19]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
August 7,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"U.S. Census website"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
January 31,
2008
.
- ^
"US Board on Geographic Names"
.
United States Geological Survey
. October 25, 2007
. Retrieved
January 31,
2008
.
- ^
"Find a County"
. National Association of Counties
. Retrieved
June 7,
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Van Horn Town, Texas"
. U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from
the original
on February 13, 2020
. Retrieved
August 6,
2015
.
- ^
"Sunrise and sunset times in Town of van Horn, December 2023"
.
- ^
"Anglo-American Colonization"
.
The Handbook of Texas Online
.
- ^
"San Antonio-El Paso Mail"
.
The Handbook of Texas Online
.
For more on the establishment of this route, see
United States Army, Corps of Topographical Engineers; Eggleston Johnston, Joseph; Bryan, Francis T.; Marcy, Randolph Barnes; Smith, William F.; Michler, N. H.; French, S. G.; Whiting, W. H. C.; Simpson, James H. (1850).
Reports of the Secretary of War: with Reconnaissances of Routes from San Antonio to El Paso
. Washington, DC: Union Office
. Retrieved
May 22,
2009
.
- ^
Regarding prisoner exchanges including Lt. Van Horn see January 26, 1862, correspondence from J. P. Benjamin to Major General Benjamin Huger in
United States War Department (1891).
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (Volume III)
. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. p. 782 (and others)
. Retrieved
May 21,
2009
.
- ^
"Van Horn, Texas"
.
The Handbook of Texas Online
.
- ^
"Van Horne, Jefferson"
.
The Handbook of Texas Online
.
- ^
Cullum, George Washington; Holden, Edward Singleton (1891).
Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.: From Its Establishment, in 1802, to 1890; with the Early History of the United States Military Academy
. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Company. p. 400
. Retrieved
May 21,
2009
.
- ^
"US Gazetteer Files: 2010, 2000, and 1990"
.
United States Census Bureau
. February 12, 2011
. Retrieved
April 23,
2011
.
- ^
"NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data"
. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Retrieved
January 1,
2024
.
- ^
"Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020"
. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Retrieved
January 1,
2024
.
- ^
"Census of Population and Housing"
. Census.gov
. Retrieved
June 4,
2015
.
- ^
"Explore Census Data"
.
data.census.gov
. Retrieved
May 19,
2022
.
- ^
https://www.census.gov/
[
not specific enough to verify
]
- ^
"About the Hispanic Population and its Origin"
.
www.census.gov
. Retrieved
May 18,
2022
.
- ^
"
Post Office Location - VAN HORN
Archived
2012-05-13 at the
Wayback Machine
."
United States Postal Service
. Retrieved on January 6, 2010.
- ^
David, Leonard (July 5, 2006).
"Tourism Update: Jeff Bezos? Spaceship Plans Revealed"
.
Space.com
. Retrieved
May 15,
2008
.
- ^
Gomez Licon, Adriana (March 14, 2010).
"Van Horn Spaceport Gets NASA Backing"
.
El Paso Times
. Retrieved
March 17,
2010
.
- ^
McCormick, Rich (March 9, 2016).
"Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Plans to Start Taking Tourists into Space in 2018"
.
The Verge
. Retrieved
November 16,
2022
.
- ^
Cofield, Calla (July 20, 2016).
"Blue Origin's Crew Capsule Aced Parachute-Failure Test, Jeff Bezos Says"
.
Space.com
. Retrieved
November 16,
2022
.
- ^
Wattles, Jackie; Sangal, Aditi; Macaya, Melissa; Mahtani, Melissa; Wagner, Meg; Vogt, Adrienne (July 20, 2021).
"Jeff Bezos Goes to Space"
.
CNN
. Retrieved
July 20,
2021
.
- ^
"Clock Project to Begin Near Van Horn, Texas"
.
LongNow.org
. Retrieved
January 17,
2010
.
- ^
"Saint Motel Break Down 'The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Part 1': Exclusive"
.
Billboard
. Retrieved
December 15,
2019
.
- ^
"The Van Horn restaurant John Madden turned into a national favorite"
.
YourBasin
. November 7, 2021
. Retrieved
December 29,
2021
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for
Van Horn
.
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