Wharton, Texas - wikipedia Wharton, Texas Wharton, Texas City Wharton entrance sign Location of Wharton, Texas Coordinates : 29 ° 19 ′ 1 '' N 96 ° 5 ′ 49 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 29.31694 ° N 96.09694 ° W ﻿ / 29.31694 ; - 96.09694 Coordinates : 29 ° 19 ′ 1 '' N 96 ° 5 ′ 49 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 29.31694 ° N 96.09694 ° W ﻿ / 29.31694 ; - 96.09694 Country United States State Texas County Wharton Area Total 7.2 sq mi ( 18.7 km ) Land 7.2 sq mi ( 18.7 km ) Water 0.0 sq mi ( 0.0 km ) Elevation 102 ft ( 31 m ) Population ( 2010 ) Total 8,832 Density 1,200 / sq mi ( 470 / km ) Time zone Central ( CST ) ( UTC - 6 ) Summer ( DST ) CDT ( UTC - 5 ) ZIP code 77488 Area code ( s ) 979 FIPS code 48 - 78136 GNIS feature ID 1371316 Website cityofwharton.com Wharton ( / ˈhwɔːrtən / HWOR - tən ) is a city in Wharton County, Texas, United States. This city is sixty miles southwest of Houston. The population was 8,832 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Wharton County and is located on the Colorado River of Texas just south of U.S. Highway 59 ( Future Interstate 69 ). Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Climate 2 Demographics 3 History 4 Government 5 Notable people 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Geography Wharton is located at 29 ° 19 ′ 1 '' N 96 ° 5 ′ 49 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 29.31694 ° N 96.09694 ° W ﻿ / 29.31694 ; - 96.09694 ( 29.316939, - 96.097065 ). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.2 square miles ( 18.8 km2 ), of which, 7.2 square miles ( 18.7 km2 ) of it is land and 0.14 % is water. U.S. Route 59 ( US 59 ) ( Future Interstate 69 ) ( Future I - 69 ) passes through the west side of Wharton. To the northeast on US 59 ( Future I - 69 ) is Rosenberg in Fort Bend County while El Campo in Wharton County is to the southwest. State Highway 60 ( SH 60 ) passes through Wharton, heading south to Bay City and north to East Bernard. FM 102 starts on SH 60 in Wharton and goes northwest to Eagle Lake in Colorado County. FM 1301 also begins at SH 60 in Wharton and goes southeast to Boling - Iago. The Colorado River flows toward Wharton from the northwest and after passing through the city, the river 's direction is more to the south. The Colorado River as it flows through Wharton Riverfront Park in Wharton Downtown Wharton across from the Wharton County Courthouse Restored Plaza Theater in Wharton Wharton County Historical Museum contains exhibits on Dan Rather and Medal of Honor winner Roy Benavidez as well as a collection of stuffed big - game animals. Tiger exhibit at Wharton County Historical Museum ( the tiger is the mascot of Wharton High School ) Administration building at Wharton County Junior College Climate The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Wharton has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated `` Cfa '' on climate maps. Demographics Historical population Census Pop. % ± 1910 1,505 -- 1920 2,346 55.9 % 1930 2,691 14.7 % 1940 4,386 63.0 % 1950 4,450 1.5 % 1960 5,734 28.9 % 1970 7,881 37.4 % 1980 9,033 14.6 % 9,011 − 0.2 % 2000 9,237 2.5 % 8,832 − 4.4 % Est. 2016 8,785 − 0.5 % U.S. Decennial Census As of the census of 2000, there were 9,237 people, 3,539 households, and 2,268 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,278.3 people per square mile ( 493.3 / km2 ). There were 4,000 housing units at an average density of 553.6 per square mile ( 213.6 / km2 ). The racial makeup of the city was 56.33 % White, 26.43 % African American, 0.41 % Native American, 0.71 % Asian, 0.16 % Pacific Islander, 14.18 % from other races, and 1.78 % from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31.08 % of the population. There were 3,539 households out of which 31.5 % had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2 % were married couples living together, 15.7 % had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9 % were non-families. 31.8 % of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3 % had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.21. In the city, the population was spread out with 27.2 % under the age of 18, 11.1 % from 18 to 24, 25.3 % from 25 to 44, 20.3 % from 45 to 64, and 16.2 % who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,704, and the median income for a family was $34,543. Males had a median income of $30,423 versus $20,460 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,993. About 17.3 % of families and 22.2 % of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3 % of those under age 18 and 21.7 % of those age 65 or over. History The area now known as Wharton was part of the Caney Run mail route established by the Republic of Texas in 1838. The community was named after two leaders in the struggle for Texas independence, brothers John and William Wharton. The plantation community was first settled in 1846 by some of Stephen F. Austin 's original colonists, and a post office was established in 1847. The first lieutenant governor of Texas, Albert Horton, was an early settler. Land for the courthouse square was donated by William Kincheloe and surveyed by Virgil Stewart and William J.E. Heard. Early settlers came from Alabama, Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia, and Mississippi. Wharton 's economy is dependent on the county government. This photo shows the county courthouse from Fulton Street. Jewish immigrants, arriving as early as the 1850s, established additional businesses and began the Congregation Shearith Israel ( Texas ), the only synagogue in a three - county area. Other settlers in the community included Swiss, German, Mexican, and Czech immigrants and descendants of plantation slaves. Early crops included potatoes, cotton, corn, rice, and sugar cane, and commercial enterprises included cattle, molasses, and sugar. At different times the community had a cotton oil mill, a sugar cane factory, gristmills, cotton gins, a milk processing plant and dairy, an ice plant, and numerous other industries. Oil and sulfur production in the outlying areas contribute to the town 's economy. The population of Wharton was about 200 in the early 1880s. The New York, Texas and Mexican Railway was the first railroad to arrive at Wharton in 1881, followed by the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe in 1899. These two railroads brought a new influx of settlers, increasing the population to 1,689 in 1900 and 2,346 in 1920. In 1888 the first opera house opened. Confederate monument Wharton was incorporated in 1902, when most of the structures were of wood construction. A major fire on December 30 of that year destroyed a number of frame business buildings. Afterwards, businessmen and the city government were convinced to use brick construction with fire walls for all buildings within the city limits and to construct a water system with fire hydrants. A free library was established in 1902 by the New Century Club and adopted by the city in 1904. In 1935 the majority of the library inventory was given to the Wharton Public School. The first public park was dedicated in 1913, and the Wharton Chamber of Commerce organized in 1919. The city experienced its greatest growth during the 1930s, increasing from 2,261 in 1930 to 4,386 in 1940. Wharton Little Theatre was organized in 1932, and Wharton County Junior College was established in 1946. The town 's population reached 5,734 in 1960 and 7,881 in 1970. A community concert series was developed in the 1960s. By the 1980s Wharton had such diverse industries as Health - focus, the largest physical rehabilitation and therapy service in the nation ; M.I. Drilling Fluids, a subsidiary of Magcobar Division of Dresser Industries ; the Formosa Plastics Group, consisting of Nan Ya Plastics and J-M Manufacturing ; Coastal Warehouse Limited, serving the agricultural industry ; and Gulf Coast Medical Center and South Texas Medical clinics. The economy was also heavily dependent on the presence of the county government. In the 1980s Academy Award -- winning screenwriter Horton Foote, a descendant of Lieutenant Governor Horton, lived in Wharton. The Wharton County Historical Museum features exhibits on Dan Rather and Medal of Honor recipient Roy Benavidez as well as a wildlife collection. The Wharton population was stable at the end of the twentieth century : 9,033 in 1980, 9,011 in 1990, and 9,237 in 2000. The 2010 census reported a decrease to 8,832. Government US Post Office at 141 E. Milam Street City hall at 120 E. Caney Street District Court Building at 100 S. Fulton Street with New First National Bank at left Notable people Bert Adams, baseball player Jesse McI. Carter, United States Army Major General in World War I Larry Dale, blues singer and guitarist William Daniel, former member of Louisiana House of Representatives from Baton Rouge ; born in Wharton in 1955 Horton Foote, playwright Van G. Garrett, poet Go Man Go, racehorse in American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame Albert Clinton Horton, first Lieutenant Governor of Texas Jim Kearney, QB, Prairie View A&M, Pro Football, NFL Kansas City Chiefs Lamar Lathon, former professional football player Debra Medina, candidate for the Texas Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2010 Leroy Mitchell, former professional football player, American Football League Dan Rather, former CBS television journalist Memo Rodriguez, professional footballer for Houston Dynamo Heath Sherman, former professional football player Phil Stephenson, member of the Texas House of Representatives since 2013 ; Certified Public Accountant in Wharton David McCann `` Mac '' Sweeney, former U.S. Representative from Texas ( 1985 -- 1989 ) Billy Waddy, NFL wide receiver Nikki Araguz, transgender widow of Thomas Trevino Araguz III See also Texas portal National Register of Historic Places listings in Wharton County, Texas References ^ Jump up to : `` American FactFinder ''. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008 - 01 - 31. Jump up ^ `` US Board on Geographic Names ''. United States Geological Survey. 2007 - 10 - 25. Retrieved 2008 - 01 - 31. Jump up ^ `` Find a County ''. National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011 - 06 - 07. Jump up ^ `` US Gazetteer files : 2010, 2000, and 1990 ''. United States Census Bureau. 2011 - 02 - 12. Retrieved 2011 - 04 - 23. Jump up ^ Google ( June 16, 2013 ). `` Wharton, Texas '' ( Map ). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 16, 2013. Jump up ^ Climate Summary for Wharton, Texas Jump up ^ `` Population and Housing Unit Estimates ''. Retrieved June 9, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Census of Population and Housing ''. Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015. Jump up ^ Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities, `` Wharton, Texas '' Jump up ^ `` BUSINESS BLOCK IS DESTROYED BY FIRE ''. The Daily Express, San Antonio, Texas. December 31, 1902. Retrieved 10 November 2012. Jump up ^ U.S. Census External links City of Wharton Municipalities and communities of Wharton County, Texas, United States County seat : Wharton Cities East Bernard El Campo Wharton CDPs Boling - Iago ( Boling, Iago ) Hungerford Louise Other unincorporated communities Bonus Burr Danevang Dinsmore Egypt Elm Grove Glen Flora Hahn Hillje Jones Creek Lane City Lissie Mackay Magnet Newgulf New Taiton Pierce Sand Ridge Spanish Camp Ghost towns Don - Tol Dorman Nedra Nottawa Peach Creek Plainview Preston Round Mott Sandies Taiton Waterville State of Texas Austin ( capital ) Topics Architecture Climate Cuisine Geography Government Healthcare History Languages Law Literature Media Newspapers Radio TV National Historic Landmarks Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks National Register of Historic Places Sites Sports Symbols Texans Tourist attractions Transportation Seal of Texas Society Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Gambling Politics Regions Ark ‐ La ‐ Tex Big Bend Blackland Prairies Brazos Valley Central Texas Coastal Bend Concho Valley Cross Timbers Deep East Texas East Texas Edwards Plateau Golden Triangle Hill Country Llano Estacado Northeast Texas North Texas Osage Plains Panhandle Permian Basin Piney Woods Rio Grande Valley Southeast Texas South Plains South Texas Texoma Trans - Pecos West Texas Metropolitan areas Abilene Amarillo Austin -- Round Rock Beaumont -- Port Arthur Brownsville -- Harlingen College Station -- Bryan Corpus Christi Dallas -- Fort Worth -- Arlington El Paso Houston -- The Woodlands -- Sugar Land Killeen -- Temple Laredo Longview Lubbock McAllen -- Edinburg -- Mission Midland Odessa San Angelo San Antonio -- New Braunfels Sherman -- Denison Texarkana Tyler Victoria Waco Wichita Falls Counties See : List of counties in Texas County seats of Texas Abilene Albany Alice Alpine Amarillo Anahuac Anderson Andrews Angleton Anson Archer City Aspermont Athens Austin Baird Ballinger Bandera Bastrop Bay City Beaumont Beeville Bellville Belton Benjamin Big Lake Big Spring Boerne Bonham Boston Brackettville Brady Breckenridge Brenham Brownfield Brownsville Brownwood Bryan Burnet Caldwell Cameron Canadian Canton Canyon Carrizo Springs Carthage Center Centerville Channing Childress Clarendon Clarksville Claude Cleburne Coldspring Coleman Colorado City Columbus Comanche Conroe Cooper Corpus Christi Corsicana Cotulla Crane Crockett Crosbyton Crowell Crystal City Cuero Daingerfield Dalhart Dallas Decatur Del Rio Denton Dickens Dimmitt Dumas Eagle Pass Eastland Edinburg El Paso Eldorado Emory Fairfield Falfurrias Farwell Floresville Floydada Fort Davis Fort Stockton Fort Worth Franklin Fredericksburg Gail Gainesville Galveston Garden City Gatesville George West Georgetown Giddings Gilmer Glen Rose Goldthwaite Goliad Gonzales Graham Granbury Greenville Groesbeck Groveton Guthrie Hallettsville Hamilton Haskell Hebbronville Hemphill Hempstead Henderson Henrietta Hereford Hillsboro Hondo Houston Huntsville Jacksboro Jasper Jayton Jefferson Johnson City Jourdanton Junction Karnes City Kaufman Kermit Kerrville Kingsville Kountze La Grange Lamesa Lampasas Laredo Leakey Levelland Liberty Linden Lipscomb Littlefield Livingston Llano Lockhart Longview Lubbock Lufkin Madisonville Marfa Marlin Marshall Mason Matador McKinney Memphis Menard Mentone Meridian Mertzon Miami Midland Monahans Montague Morton Mount Pleasant Mount Vernon Muleshoe Nacogdoches New Braunfels Newton Odessa Orange Ozona Paducah Paint Rock Palestine Palo Pinto Pampa Panhandle Paris Pearsall Pecos Perryton Pittsburg Plains Plainview Port Lavaca Post Q Quanah Quitman Rankin Raymondville Refugio Richmond Rio Grande City Robert Lee Roby Rockport Rocksprings Rockwall Rusk San Angelo San Antonio San Augustine San Diego San Marcos San Saba Sanderson Sarita Seguin Seminole Seymour Sherman Sierra Blanca Silverton Sinton Snyder Sonora Spearman Stanton Stephenville Sterling City Stinnett Stratford Sulphur Springs Sweetwater Tahoka Throckmorton Tilden Tulia Tyler U Uvalde V Van Horn Vega Vernon Victoria Waco Waxahachie Weatherford Wellington Wharton Wheeler Wichita Falls Woodville Z Zapata Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wharton,_Texas&oldid=814065817 '' Categories : Cities in Wharton County, Texas Cities in Texas County seats in Texas Populated places established in 1846 1846 establishments in Texas Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages تۆرکجه Bân - lâm - gú Català Cebuano Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français Gaeilge Hrvatski Italiano Kreyòl ayisyen Malagasy Nederlands Norsk Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча Polski Português Русский Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Svenska Tiếng Việt Volapük Winaray Edit links This page was last edited on 6 December 2017, at 18 : 31. 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Question: how far is wharton texas from houston texas
Answer: sixty miles