Marble Falls, Texas Explained

Official Name:Marble Falls, Texas
Settlement Type:City
Nickname:Marble
Motto:"Lakeside Charm with Downtown Flair"
Mapsize:250px
Image Map1:Burnet County MarbleFalls.svg
Mapsize1:250px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Texas
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Burnet
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:39.26
Area Land Km2:37.59
Area Water Km2:1.67
Area Total Sq Mi:15.16
Area Land Sq Mi:14.51
Area Water Sq Mi:0.65
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:7037
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Density Sq Mi:auto
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation M:251
Elevation Ft:823
Coordinates:30.5667°N -115°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP Codes
Postal Code:78654, 78657
Area Code:830
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:48-46584[2]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1362162[3]

Marble Falls is a city in Burnet County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city population was 7,037. Lake Marble Falls is part of the Highland Lakes on the Colorado River, the largest chain of lakes in Texas.[4] Marble Falls was founded by Adam Rankin Johnson[5] in 1887, a former Indian fighter and Confederate general.

History

Marble Falls was founded in 1887 by Adam Rankin "Stovepipe" Johnson,[5] a former Indian fighter and Confederate general. Johnson had visited the natural marble falls during his pre-war days as a Burnet County surveyor, and wanted to build an industrial city powered by the Colorado River. Johnson facilitated the construction of a railroad to nearby Granite Mountain in 1884, and helped plat the Marble Falls townsite. The sale of lots began in 1887, and Johnson built a home, a college, and a factory near the falls. The town grew to a population of 1,800 within ten years.

In 1917, Marble Falls elected Ophelia Crosby "Birdie" Harwood as the first woman mayor in Texas, three years before women were allowed to vote.

When the Max Starcke Dam was completed in 1951, the marble falls which had given the town its name were submerged under the new Lake Marble Falls. The town's economy declined through the drought of the 1950s, and prospered as a tourism and retirement location, beginning in the 1970s. Beginning in the 1980s, Marble Falls has grown into the retail and entertainment center for the Highland Lakes area.[6]

Geography

Marble Falls is located on the banks of Lake Marble Falls. According to the Handbook of Texas website, the former falls were flooded by the lake, which was created by a shelf of limestone running diagonally across the Colorado River from northeast to southwest. The upper layer of limestone, brownish on the exterior but a deep blue inside, was so hard and cherty it was mistaken for marble. The falls were actually three distinct formations at the head of a canyon 1.25miles long, with a drop of some 50feet through the limestone strata. The natural lake and waterfall were covered when the Colorado River was dammed with the completion of Max Starcke Dam in 1951. Lake Marble Falls sits between Lake Lyndon B. Johnson to the north and Lake Travis to the south. The falls for which the city is named are now underwater but are revealed every few years when the lake is lowered.

Equally noteworthy is the huge igneous batholith called Granite Mountain looming on the town's western edge that secured Marble Falls' place in Texas history. The famed pink granite was used for the construction of the Texas State Capitol and other state government office buildings, and can also be found in the Galveston Seawall and Austin–Bergstrom International Airport.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.6sqkm, of which 30sqkm is land and 1.6sqkm, or 5.21%, is water.[7]

Demographics

2020 census

Marble Falls racial composition[8]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)!Race!Number!Percentage
White (NH)4,50564.02%
Black or African American (NH)1381.96%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)230.33%
Asian (NH)1612.29%
Pacific Islander (NH)10.01%
Some Other Race (NH)120.17%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)2924.15%
Hispanic or Latino1,90527.07%
Total7,037
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,037 people, 2,789 households, and 1,664 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,077 people, 2,486 households, and 1,542 families residing in the city. There were 28,235 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 83.1% White, 3.9% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 9.1% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.2% of the population.

There were 2,486 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38% were non-families. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.08.

Marble Falls, as of December 1, 2009, is the anchor of the Marble Falls, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area. The census bureau has defined this area as including all of Burnet County and has a total population of 42,896. The micropolitan area, due to close ties to nearby Austin, is a component of the Austin-Round Rock-Marble Falls, TX Consolidated Statistical Area.[9]

Education

Marble Falls Independent School District operates public schools, including Marble Falls High School.

Post-secondary institutions

Notable people

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. August 7, 2020.
  2. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. 2008-01-31.
  3. Web site: US Board on Geographic Names. 2008-01-31. United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25.
  4. Web site: Welcome to the City of Marble Falls . Ci.marble-falls.tx.us . 1907-05-18 . 2010-02-09 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100217074712/http://ci.marble-falls.tx.us/city_facts.html . 2010-02-17 .
  5. Web site: Marble Falls, TX . Smyrl . Vivian Elizabeth . June 15, 2010 . . April 28, 2020.
  6. Web site: Marble Falls community information and history . Marblefalls.info . 2010-02-09 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090321053531/http://www.marblefalls.info/community.html . 2009-03-21 .
  7. Web site: Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Marble Falls city, Texas . dead . https://archive.today/20200212200255/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US4846584 . February 12, 2020 . April 23, 2014 . U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder.
  8. Web site: Explore Census Data . 2022-05-20 . data.census.gov.
  9. Web site: Bulletin . obamawhitehouse.archives.gov . PDF.
  10. Web site: La Escalera Ranch - The Legacy - Gerald Lyda . Escalera.us . 2010-02-09 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091029155347/http://www.escalera.us/legacy.html . 2009-10-29 .