About the Community of San Marcos
San Marcos is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area. The city is located on the Interstate 35 corridor—between Austin and San Antonio—and is the seat of Hays County.[3] The population was 44,894 in 2010 and was the fastest growing city in the U.S. from 2010-2012.
Founded on the banks of the San Marcos River, the area is considered to be among the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the Northern Hemisphere. San Marcos is home to Texas State University, and the Aquarena Center.
Background Information
In the 1960s, with the establishment of Aquarena Springs and Wonder World as attractions, the tourist industry became a growing part of the city’s economy. By the 1960s what was then named Southwest Texas State University had grown into an important regional institution, and when coupled with the creation of Gary Job Corps Training Center in 1965, education became the largest industry in San Marcos. The remarkable growth explosion of Austin further allowed San Marcos to prosper.
By 1973, San Marcos and Hays County were included by the U. S. Census Bureau in the Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area. By that year the city’s population had grown to 25,000 citizens, along with an additional Southwest Texas State University student body of 20,000.
By 1990, the city’s population had grown to 28,743, by 2000 it reached 34,733, and by 2010 it was 44,894. A report released by the U.S. Census Bureau in May, 2013 stated that San Marcos had the highest rate of growth among all U.S. cities and towns with at least 50,000 people. Its population rose 6.9 percent between 2011 and 2012. The university, now known as Texas State University, boasts a student body of 34,225.
Education in San Marcos
In addition to Texas State University and the San Marcos Baptist Academy, San Marcos is served by the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District. Gary Job Corps Center, the largest Job Corps center in the U.S., is located a few miles east of the center of town.
The Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State is one of the four extant body farms in the United States and the largest such forensics research facility in the world.
San Marcos is also home to Aquarena Center, the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, the San Marcos National Fish Hatchery and Aquatic Resource Center, the A. E. Wood Texas Fish Hatchery, the San Marcos Nature Center, the Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos. and the Indigenous Cultures Institute.
Demographics in San Marcos
As of the census of 2010, the population was 44,894 people in the city. In the year 2000 there were 34,733 people, 12,660 households, and 5,380 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,907.5 people per square mile, (736.4/km2) in 2000. There were 13,340 housing units at an average density of 732.6 per square mile (282.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 72.55% White, 5.53% African American, 0.65% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 17.03% from other races, and 2.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 36.50% of the population.
There were 12,660 households out of which 19.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.9% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 57.5% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 15.4% under the age of 18, 41.9% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 10.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,809, and the median income for a family was $37,113. Males had a median income of $25,400 versus $22,953 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,468. About 13.8% of families and 28.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.1% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
All information about San Marcos courtesy of Wikipedia.