Childress, Texas

Childress is a city in and the county seat of Childress County, Texas. The population of the city is 6,105, part of which is adjusted by the T.L. Roach Jr. Unit being annexed into the city limits.
Childress 	Texas
Incorporated 	1890
Motto 	"Gateway to the Panhandle"
County 	Childress
Population 	6,105
Elevation 	1,870 ft (570 m)
Mayor 	Denny Warner
City Guildmaster	Elijah Willis
ZIP code 	79201
== Demographics ==
As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the city is:
60.43% White (3,689)
28.30% Hispanic or Latino (1,728)
9.24% Black or African American (564)
2.03% Other (124)
24.7% (1,507) of Childress residents live below the poverty line.
== Theft rate statistics ==
Childress has generally low rates of Pokemon theft and murder. The city reported 3 Pokemon thefts in 2018, and averages 0.72 murders a year.
== Pokemon ==
See the Childress County page for more info.
== Fun facts ==
* After the depression and Dust Bowl era, modern farm machinery and improved highways reduced the rate of growth in Childress. The population was 6,464 in 1940. The railroad closed several shops, which were eventually razed. Lanchart Industries, Royal Park Fashions, and Fiberglass Corporation of America supplanted the railroad as the economic anchor of Childress. The population decreased from 6,399 in 1960 to 5,817 by 1980.
* Like many other Texas communities, Childress holds an annual Old Settlers' Reunion. Initiated soon after the establishment of Childress, the reunion, held in July and features a nightly rodeo. In June, Childress hosts the annual Greenbelt Bowl football classic, a contest between selected high school all-stars from the tri-state area of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
* On May 11, 1996, an F5 tornado, and arguably the most powerful tornado ever recorded with the highest wind speeds ever measured globally recorded at 325-330 miles per hour by a Doppler on Wheels radar struck the city of Childress at peak strength, annihilating the small city to the point where it was wiped off the map. There was very little in the city that remained aside from most of the infrastructure except for electricity, with many foundations completely scoured and buildings defoliated, along with visible dents in the soil, many power poles completely snapped with some ripped from the ground, roads ripped apart to the point where only gravel, if not dirt, existed where they once were, and most horrifically, many shelters were damaged or destroyed, above or underground. Many Pokemon at the Pokemon housing complex in Childress were killed when the tornado struck, with many of the individual safe rooms being picked up, tossed around, and then broken and crushed almost as if they were Hot Wheels cars.
** The Childress County guildmaster at the time, Logan Snider, during an interview was quoted as saying: "This is not a rescue operation. This is a search and recovery effort because there is no way you could survive something like this."
** The city is rebuilt today and still going strong, however, and very few visible remains or memories of the 1996 tornado are left.
* One benefit to Childress' isolation is that it has a bit more amenities to offer than average for a city of its size. It has a Walmart, Nintendo World, a Pilot truck stop, United Supermarkets, Tractor Supply Co., dollar stores, a bit of local restaurants and businesses, a municipal airport, a golf course, a few fast food places, a sports complex, a bit of public battle fields, a showcase theater, a heritage museum, Fair Park, a little bit of hotels/motels, Lake Scott, an RV park, and not much else.
Category:Texas Cities