| Official Name: | Waxahachie, Texas |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Nickname: | The Crape Myrtle Capital of Texas[1] |
| Mapsize: | 220px |
| Image Map1: | Ellis County Waxahachie.svg |
| Mapsize1: | 220px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Texas |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Ellis |
| Government Type: | Council-manager |
| Leader Title: | City Council |
| Leader Name: | Mayor Billie Wallace Mayor Pro Tem Chris Wright Patrick Souter Travis Smith Tres Atkins [2] |
| Leader Title1: | City Manager |
| Leader Name1: | Michael Scott |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1850 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
| Area Total Km2: | 131.40 |
| Area Land Km2: | 128.21 |
| Area Water Km2: | 3.19 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 50.73 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 49.50 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 1.23 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 41140 |
| Population Est: | 43368 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Density Km2: | 296.31 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 767.43 |
| Population Demonym: | Waxahachian[4] |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | −6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −5 |
| Elevation M: | 170 |
| Elevation Ft: | 558 |
| Coordinates: | 32.3997°N -96.8472°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP Codes |
| Postal Code: | 75165, 75167, 75168 |
| Area Code: | 214, 469, 945, 972 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 48-76816[5] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1349560[6] |
| Pop Est Footnotes: | [7] |
Waxahachie is the county seat of Ellis County, Texas, United States. Its population was 41,140 in 2020. The city was founded in 1850, and incorporated in 1871. Much of the employment is provided by a number of industries and by educational institutions, including primary and secondary schools, a community college and a private university. In the mid-1980s, the city became a filming location for a number of movies and occasional episodes of television series.
Some sources state that the name means "cow" or "buffalo" in an unspecified Native American language. One possible Native American origin is the Alabama language, originally spoken in the area of Alabama around Waxahatchee Creek by the Alabama-Coushatta people, who had migrated by the 1850s to eastern Texas. In the Alabama language, waakasi hachi means "calf's tail" (the Alabama word waaka being a loan from Spanish vaca).[8]
A Waxahatchee Creek near present-day Shelby, Alabama, suggests that Waxahachie shares the same name etymology. Many place names in Texas and Oklahoma have their origins in the Southeastern United States, largely due to forced removal of various southeastern Indian tribes. The area in central Alabama that includes Waxahatchee Creek was for hundreds of years the home of the Upper Creek moiety of the Muscogee Creek Nation. Again, this would suggest a Muscogee Creek-language origin of Waxahachie. "Waxahachie", therefore, may be an anglicized pronunciation of the Muscogee compound word wakvhvce from the Muscogee words wakv (meaning "cow" derived from the Spanish vaca) and the Muscogee word hvcce (meaning "river" or "creek").[9]
Waxahachie was founded in August 1850 as the seat of the newly established Ellis County on a tract of land donated by early settler Emory W. Rogers, a native of Lawrence County, Alabama, who migrated to Texas in 1839.[10] [11] It was incorporated on April 28, 1871, and in 1875, the state legislature granted investors the right to operate a rail line from Waxahachie Tap Railroad to Garrett, Texas, which greatly increased the population of Waxahachie.[10]
From 1902 to 1942, Waxahachie was the second home of Trinity University, which was a Presbyterian-affiliated institution founded in 1869. Then-Trinity's main administration and classroom building is today the Farmer Administration Building of Southwestern Assemblies of God University. Trinity's present-day location is San Antonio.
The town is the namesake of the former United States Naval Ship Waxahachie (YTB-814).
In 1988, the area around Waxahachie was chosen as the site for the Superconducting Super Collider, which was to be the world's largest and most energetic particle accelerator, with a planned ring circumference of 87.1km (54.1miles). Seventeen shafts were sunk and 23.5km (14.6miles) of tunnel were bored[12] before the project was cancelled by Congress in 1993.
In 2020, County Judge Todd Little came into the national spotlight when the county's only elected African American, Constable Curtis Polk, Jr., protested having his office located in the basement of the courthouse next to a segregation-era sign that read "Negroes".[13] [14] [15] The controversy was resolved amicably when Little worked with Polk to relocate him to another office.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Waxahachie has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.[16]
| White (NH) | 22,174 | 53.9% | |
| Black or African American (NH) | 5,861 | 14.25% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 153 | 0.37% | |
| Asian (NH) | 353 | 0.86% | |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 52 | 0.13% | |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 314 | 0.76% | |
| Multiracial (NH) | 1,558 | 3.79% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 10,675 | 25.95% | |
| Total | 41,140 |
Employment opportunities in the city are highly oriented toward industry. Owens Corning, Georgia-Pacific, International Paper, James Hardie Industries, Berry Global, Americase, Cardinal Glass, Magnablend, and Dart Container are located within a few miles of each other. Nonindustrial employers include Baylor Scott & White Health, Waxahachie Independent School District, Walgreen Distribution Center, Walmart, HEB Grocery, Navarro College, and Southwestern Assemblies of God University.[18]
The Scarborough Renaissance Festival (also called Scarborough Faire), a Renaissance fair theme park, is located southwest of the town. It opens annually during April and May, and has been in operation since 1981.[19] The city's annual Gingerbread Trail Festival features tours of many of the Gingerbread homes.[20]
Bethlehem Revisited, a re-enactment of the birth of Jesus, occurs behind Central Presbyterian Church in early December.[21]
The Texas Country Reporter Festival (hosted by Bob Phillips) features artists, craftsmen, music, and food from all over the Lone Star State – much of it featured on the TV show over the years.[22]
Waxahachie is locally known for its elaborate Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse.[23] The town also features many examples of Victorian architecture and Gingerbread-style homes, several of which have been converted into bed and breakfast inns. The Ellis County Art Association hosts ART on the Square (Cultural Attractions- Events and Facilities; 113 West Franklin Street).
Parks in Waxahachie include Spring Park, Getzendaner Memorial Park, Richards Park, Chapman Park, and Brown-Singleton Park.[24] Getzendaner Park features the historic Chautauqua Auditorium, built in 1902. Lake Waxahachie features a range of camping and fishing areas.[25]
The city of Waxahachie is a voluntary member of the North Central Texas Council of Governments association, the purpose of which is to coordinate individual and collective local governments and facilitate regional solutions, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and enable joint decisions.
Waxahachie is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Brian Birdwell, District 22, and in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican Brian Harrison, District 10.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Waxahachie District Parole Office in Sherman.[26]
At the federal level, the two U.S. senators from Texas are Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz; since 2003, Waxahachie has been part of Texas's 6th congressional district, which is currently represented by Republican Jake Ellzey.
The United States Postal Service operates the Waxahachie Post Office.[27]
Waxahachie is served by the Waxahachie Independent School District (WISD), which currently has eight elementary campuses, three middle-school campuses, and two high schools. WISD aims to offer all of its students a well-rounded education and offers advanced-placement and dual-credit courses, and varied career and technology courses.
Waxahachie High School, classified as 6A, offers a range of extracurricular activities to its students, including football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball, golf, tennis, concert and marching band, drama, choir, drill team, and dozens of academic teams and clubs. The football program made the playoffs every year from 1989 to 2010.Waxahachie Global High School, an ECHS T-STEM school emphasizing instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in a small-learning-community environment, opened on August 27, 2007.
In addition to the district schools, Life School, a public charter-school system, operates a 7–12 grade campus.[28] On April 15, 2014, Life School broke ground on a new high school in Waxahachie, planned to accommodate about 1,000 9th–12th graders.[29]
The several private schools include Waxahachie Preparatory Academy (K-12), First Christian Day School (through 8th grade),[30] and St. Joseph Catholic School (through 8th grade).
Two postsecondary educational institutions have campuses in the city of Waxahachie: Navarro College, a community college based in Corsicana, Texas, and Nelson University, a private, four-year university affiliated with the Assemblies of God, which offers accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees.
The first newspaper in Waxahachie, the now-defunct Waxahachie Argus, was established in 1870. The Waxahachie Daily Light has served the town since 1891.[31] Additionally, 47 radio stations are within close listening range of Waxahachie.[32] KBEC radio has served the community and surrounding area since 1955.[33]
Both Altus Emergency Center and Baylor Scott & White Health at Waxahachie provide emergency services locally, as does Ennis Regional Medical Center, about 14 miles away in Ennis.[24] Between 2003 and 2010, Waxahachie's healthcare industry added 555 jobs, making it the city's fourth-largest employment sector.[34]
In the mid-1980s, Waxahachie became a filming location for the movie industry.
The majority of Tender Mercies, a 1983 film about a country western singer, was filmed in Waxahachie. Director Bruce Beresford deliberately avoided the city's picturesque elements and Victorian architecture, and instead filmed more rural locations that more closely resembled the West Texas area. The Texas town portrayed in Tender Mercies is never specifically identified. Tender Mercies starred Robert Duvall, who won the 1983 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the film.
The 1984 film Places in the Heart starring Sally Field was also filmed in Waxahachie. Unlike Tender Mercies, it was filmed deliberately in the town square and used the Victorian and plantation homes still intact in the area. Field won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1985 for her role in the film.
The 1985 film The Trip to Bountiful starring Geraldine Page was also filmed in Waxahachie. Page won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1986 for her role in Bountiful.
Other movies made in or around Waxahachie are:
Additionally, the long-running television series Walker, Texas Ranger, starring Chuck Norris, was filmed in Waxahachie on occasion. Some scenes in Prison Break were filmed in Waxahachie. Scenes from Bonnie and Clyde (1967) were also shot here.[48]
In 2018, an animated short film from Crypt TV titled Dark Vessel featured the town as its 1977-based setting.[49]
In 2021, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall and Jack Ingram released a song named for the city on their acoustic album The Marfa Tapes. It was later recorded again with full production for inclusion on Lambert's solo album Palomino in 2022.[50]
Sabinas in Coahuila, Mexico, has been proposed as Waxahachie's sister city. Sabinas is located about south of Eagle Pass, Texas.[51]