View source for Decatur, Texas

{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Decatur, Texas
| settlement_type          = [[City]]
| nickname                 = Little D
| image_skyline            = Decatur June 2018 03 (N Trinity Street).jpg
| imagesize                = 250px
| image_caption            = Downtown Decatur
| image_map                = TXMap-doton-Decatur.PNG
| mapsize                  = 250px
| map_caption              = Location of Decatur, Texas
| image_map1               = Wise County Decatur.svg
| mapsize1                 = 250px
| map_caption1             = 
<!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Texas]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Texas|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Wise County, Texas|Wise]]
<!-- Government -->
| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = 
| leader_title             = 
| leader_name              = 
| established_title        = 
| established_date         = 
<!-- Area -->
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_48.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi         = 8.78
| area_land_sq_mi          = 8.78
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of         = 2020
| population_footnotes     = <ref name="2008PopEst">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2008-04-48.csv |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707182750/http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2008-04-48.csv |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-07-07 |title=Table 4: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Texas, Listed Alphabetically: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008 |format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]] |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division |date=2009-07-01 |access-date=2010-05-04 }}</ref>
| population_total         = 6538
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
<!-- General information -->
| timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset               = -6
| timezone_DST             = CDT
| utc_offset_DST           = -5
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft             = 1004
| coordinates              = {{coord|33|13|40|N|97|35|04|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code              = 76234
| area_code                = [[Area code 940|940]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 48-19528<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 2410307<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2410307}}</ref>
| website                  = http://www.decaturtx.org/
| footnotes                = 
| area_total_km2           = 22.75
| area_land_km2            = 22.75
| area_water_km2           = 0.00
| population_density_km2   = auto
}}

'''Decatur''' is the [[county seat]] of [[Wise County, Texas]], United States.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=2011-06-07 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=2011-05-31 }}</ref> Its population was 6,538 in 2020.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:Decatur, TX City Hall IMG 6799.JPG|thumb|right| Decatur City Hall]]

==History==
Wise County was established in 1856, and Taylorsville (in honor of [[Zachary Taylor]]) was made the county seat.

Absalom Bishop, an early settler and member of the Texas Legislature, opposed naming the town after a [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig Party]] member, and in 1858, arranged to have the name changed to Decatur, in honor of naval hero [[Stephen Decatur]].

In 1857, a post office was opened, and the first school was established in 1857. In the early 1860s, [[Wise County Courthouse (Texas)|a courthouse]] was erected.<ref name="Barton">{{cite web | last = Barton | first = Jim Tom | title = Decatur, TX | work = Handbook of Texas Online | publisher = Texas State Historical Association | url = https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hgd03}}</ref>

===Civil War===

Early settlers to northern Texas came from a variety of eastern states, with about half coming from the "[[Deep South]]". Most of the rest came from the Upper South, and a number sympathized with the [[Union (American Civil War)|Unionist]] side at the outset of the Civil War. Cooke County and others voted against secession in this part of the state. Violence against Unionists by Confederate troops and militia was common, especially after the Confederate legislature passed an unpopular conscription law.

In October 1862, several Unionist sympathizers from Decatur were arrested by Confederate troops and taken to nearby [[Gainesville, Texas|Gainesville]], the Cooke County seat, for trial on charges of treason and insurrection. About 150–200 suspects were arrested by Confederate troops. A "Citizens Court" was pulled together by local colonels, although it had no standing in state law. It quickly convicted seven men, who were executed by hanging. Mob pressure against the court arose, and it turned over 14 suspects, who were lynched - and executed by hanging without any judicial process. Nineteen men who had been acquitted were returned to the court, and a new jury convicted them without any new evidence, sentencing them to death. They were also hanged. Another two men were shot trying to escape. In all,  42 men were killed in Gainesville in these actions.<ref name="exhibitLib"/><ref name="mccaslin">McCaslin, Richard B. ''Tainted Breeze: The Great Hanging at Gainesville, Texas 1862'', Louisiana State University Press, 1994</ref>

North Texas was in chaos, with dissenting citizens at risk from military forces. A few weeks later, more suspected Unionist supporters were hanged without trial in several North Texas communities. Five were lynched in Decatur, under the supervision of Confederate Capt. John Hale.<ref name="tsha">{{cite web|last=McCaslin|first=Richard B.|title=Great Hanging of Texas|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/jig01|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=11 August 2013}}</ref> The [[Great Hanging at Gainesville]] is believed to have been the largest single incident of [[vigilante]] violence in U.S. history.<ref name="exhibitLib">{{cite web | title = Under the Rebel Flag: Life in Texas During the Civil War | publisher = Texas State Library and Archives Commission | year = 2011 | url = https://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/civilwar/dissent.html}}</ref><ref name="mccaslin"/>

===After the Civil War===
By the late 1860s, several stores and a hotel had been established. In 1882, the [[Fort Worth and Denver Railway]] reached the town,<ref name="Barton"/> and Decatur was added to the [[Butterfield Overland Mail in Texas|Butterfield Overland]] mail route.

In 1881, the Wise County Old Settlers Reunion held their first meeting. This has become an annual tradition in Decatur, and the reunion continues to take place during the last full week of July.

Decatur Baptist College (now [[Dallas Baptist University]]) was established in Decatur in 1898. It was the first two-year institution of higher education in Texas. In 1965, the college moved to Dallas to be in a larger population center. The former [[Administration Building, Decatur Baptist College|Administration Building]] then housed the Wise County Heritage Museum. The building was destroyed in a fire in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Austin |last=Jackson |date=2023-03-18 |title=Wise County Heritage Museum lost to blaze |url=https://www.wcmessenger.com/articles/wise-county-heritage-museum-lost-to-blaze/ |access-date=2023-03-18 |website=Wise County Messenger -}}</ref> It is one of five sites in Decatur listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Wise County, Texas|National Register of Historic Places]].

The [[Wise County Courthouse (Texas)|Wise County Courthouse]] was designed by [[James Riely Gordon]], the master architect of Texas courthouses. Completed in 1896, the building is an example of Gordon's Signature Plan. He used corner entrances (making for short halls) to draw in the breeze, which was pulled up through a central atrium like a chimney, providing excellent air circulation. The exterior is Texas red granite (like the Capitol) with terra cotta ornamentation. The almost pyramidal mass refers to 1,000-year-old churches in the south of [[France]]. The building has been praised, with its "sister" courthouse in Waxahachie, as "the zenith of Gordon's Richardsonian Romanesque work".<ref>{{cite book|last=Meister|first=Chris|title=James Riely Gordon: His Courthouses and Other Public Architecture|year=2011|publisher=Texas Tech University Press|place=Lubbock, TX|ISBN= 978-0-89672-691-8}}</ref> It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Another historic building found on the east side of the city is the [[Texas Tourist Camp]], dating back to 1927.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Details - Texas Tourist Camp Complex - Atlas Number 5497005275 - Atlas: Texas Historical Commission |url=https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/Details/5497005275 |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=atlas.thc.state.tx.us}}</ref>

In 1962, Eddie Wayne Hill, lead guitarist for [[Tommy & the Tom Toms]], and drummer Joel Colbert, were killed when their convertible collided head-on with a gravel truck on State Highway 114 south of Decatur. Country singer [[Charley Pride]] was more fortunate, surviving a mid-air crash with another plane over Decatur in 1980, though two people died in the crash.<ref>{{cite web | title = Charlie Pride Survives Midair Crash; 2 Die | publisher = Milwaukee Sentinel | date = August 7, 1980 | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lYBQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ChIEAAAAIBAJ&dq=decatur%20texas&pg=6482%2C1039905 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|8.5|sqmi|km2}}, all land.<ref>{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer Files 2016-Places-Texas|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer.html|website=US Census|access-date=7 January 2017}}</ref> The highest point of elevation in the county is the courthouse site. As with ancient hill towns in Europe, the frontier settlement was developed on high ground for defensive purposes, so European settlers could see and ward off attacks or raids, in this case by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]].

===Climate===
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the [[Köppen climate classification]], Decatur has a [[humid subtropical climate]], ''Cfa'' on climate maps.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=833214&cityname=Decatur,+Texas,+United+States+of+America&units=|title=Decatur, Texas Koppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=Weatherbase|accessdate=21 December 2022}}</ref>

{{Weather box   <!-- Infobox begins -->
| single line = Y
| location    = Decatur, Texas (1991–2020)
<!-- Average high temperatures -->
| Jan high F  =56.2
| Feb high F  =60.1
| Mar high F  =68.1
| Apr high F  =75.7
| May high F  =82.7
| Jun high F  =90.8
| Jul high F  =95.4
| Aug high F  =94.9
| Sep high F  =88.5
| Oct high F  =78.6
| Nov high F  =66.9
| Dec high F  =58.0
<!-- Mean daily temperature -->
| Jan mean F  =44.7
| Feb mean F  =48.3
| Mar mean F  =56.2
| Apr mean F  =64.1
| May mean F  =72.5
| Jun mean F  =80.6
| Jul mean F  =84.7
| Aug mean F  =84.1
| Sep mean F  =76.7
| Oct mean F  =66.2
| Nov mean F  =55.0
| Dec mean F  =46.6
<!-- Average low temperatures -->
| Jan low F  =33.2
| Feb low F  =36.4
| Mar low F  =44.3
| Apr low F  =52.5
| May low F  =62.2
| Jun low F  =70.4
| Jul low F  =74.1
| Aug low F  =73.2
| Sep low F  =64.9
| Oct low F  =53.7
| Nov low F  =43.0
| Dec low F  =35.1
<!-- Total precipitation, this should include rain and snow. -->
| precipitation colour    =  green
| Jan precipitation inch  =2.09
| Feb precipitation inch  =2.47
| Mar precipitation inch  =3.69
| Apr precipitation inch  =3.23
| May precipitation inch  =4.86
| Jun precipitation inch  =4.39
| Jul precipitation inch  =2.52
| Aug precipitation inch  =2.58
| Sep precipitation inch  =3.62
| Oct precipitation inch  =4.14
| Nov precipitation inch  =2.72
| Dec precipitation inch  =2.58
<!-- Snowfall -->
| Jan snow inch  =0.6
| Feb snow inch  =0.0
| Mar snow inch  =0.1
| Apr snow inch  =0.0
| May snow inch  =0.0
| Jun snow inch  =0.0
| Jul snow inch  =0.0
| Aug snow inch  =0.0
| Sep snow inch  =0.0
| Oct snow inch  =0.0
| Nov snow inch  =0.0
| Dec snow inch  =0.1
<!-- Mandatory fields, source -->
| source = NOAA<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/us-climate-normals/#dataset=normals-monthly&timeframe=30&station=USC00412334 |title=NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access |publisher=NOAA |access-date=2025-04-05 }}</ref>
}}<!-- Infobox ends -->

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1880 = 579
| 1890 = 1746
| 1900 = 1562
| 1910 = 1651
| 1920 = 2205
| 1930 = 2037
| 1940 = 2578
| 1950 = 2922
| 1960 = 3563
| 1970 = 3240
| 1980 = 4104
| 1990 = 4252
| 2000 = 5201
| 2010 = 6042
| 2020 = 6538
| estyear = 2023
| estimate = 8016
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=United States Census Bureau |title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2023 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=Census.gov |language=en}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Decatur racial composition as of 2020'''<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US4819528&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |access-date=2022-05-21 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref><br> (NH = Non-Hispanic){{efn|Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/en.html|title=Census.gov|website=Census.gov|accessdate=21 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About the Hispanic Population and its Origin |url=https://www.census.gov/topics/population/hispanic-origin/about.html |website=www.census.gov |access-date=18 May 2022}}</ref>}}
!Race
!Number
!Percentage
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] (NH)
|4,200
|64.24%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] (NH)
|61
|0.93%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] (NH)
|26
|0.4%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] (NH)
|79
|1.21%
|-
|Some Other Race (NH)
|14
|0.21%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed/Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|206
|3.15%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]
|1,952
|29.86%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''6,538'''
|
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 6,538 people, 2,507 households, and 1,753 families residing in the city.

==Economy==
In August 2008, [[Entegris]] acquired Poco Graphite, Inc. of Decatur, a supplier of specialized graphite and silicon carbide products for use in semiconductor, EDM, glass-bottling, biomedical, aerospace, and alternative-energy applications.

==Arts and culture==
Decatur has a public library.

The Service Broadcasting Tower Decatur,<ref>[http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0017569 Service Broadcasting Tower] retrieved May 19, 2007</ref><ref>[http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/AsrSearch/asrRegistration.jsp?regKey=603914 Antenna Structure Registration #1040339] retrieved May 19, 2007</ref> a guyed television antenna, belongs to world's tallest constructions, standing 609.3 feet (185.7&nbsp;m) above the terrain.{{Citation needed|date=May 2007}}

The [[Wise County Messenger]] has been printed in Decatur since 1880.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us - Wise County Messenger |url=https://www.wcmessenger.com/about-us/ |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=Wise County Messenger -}}</ref>

==Parks and recreation==
*Kenny Renshaw Park features soccer fields, softball fields, a playground, and a walking trail.
*[[Wagoner Branch]], [[Sweetwater Creek (Wise County, Texas)|Sweetwater Creek]], [[Walnut Creek (Wise County)|Walnut Creek]], [[Deep Creek (Trinity River tributary)|Deep Creek]] and [[Center Creek (Texas)|Center Creek]], natural creeks flowing through Decatur.

==Education==
The City of Decatur is served by the [[Decatur Independent School District]] (DISD), the largest district in Wise County. Decatur ISD is centered in Decatur and has six campuses: [[Decatur High School (Texas)|Decatur High School]], McCarroll Middle School, Carson Elementary School, Rann Elementary School, and Young Elementary. During the 2010–2011 school year, Decatur ISD had 3,011 students enrolled.<ref>{{cite web | title = Decatur Isd | publisher = U.S. Department of Education | url = http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=1&details=1&InstName=decatur&State=48&DistrictType=1&DistrictType=2&DistrictType=3&DistrictType=4&DistrictType=5&DistrictType=6&DistrictType=7&NumOfStudentsRange=more&NumOfSchoolsRange=more&ID2=4816500}}</ref>

[[Weatherford College]] has a branch campus in Decatur.

==Infrastructure==
===Highways===
*{{jct|state=TX|US|380}}
*{{jct|state=TX|US|287}}
*{{jct|state=TX|FM|51}}
*{{jct|state=TX|FM|730}}

===Airport===
*[[Decatur Municipal Airport]] is a city-owned public-use airport located 2 miles north of the central business district.
*[[Bishop Airport (Decatur, Texas)|Bishop Airport]] is a privately owned public-use airport located 6 miles east of the central business district of Decatur.

===Emergency services===
Lifeteam 68, of the [[Texas LifeStar|Air Evac Lifeteam]] air ambulance company, is based at Medical City Decatur Hospital in Decatur.<ref>{{cite web | title=Air Evac Lifeteam | website=air-evac.com | date=1998-12-12 | url=http://www.air-evac.com/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212203903/http://www.air-evac.com/ | archive-date=2015-02-12 | url-status=dead | access-date=2022-12-21}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
* [[Trevor Brazile]], world-champion rodeo cowboy
* [[Roy Cooper (rodeo cowboy)|Roy Cooper]], and Tuf Cooper: father/son world-champion rodeo cowboys
* [[Bryce Elder]], starting pitcher for the [[Atlanta Braves]]
* [[John E. Hatley]], former Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army; convicted of murdering four Iraqi detainees
* [[Mike Lee (bull rider)|Mike Lee]], world champion bull rider
* [[José Vitor Leme]], world champion bull rider
* [[James Maness]], professional football player
* [[Joseph Fort Newton]], minister, author
* [[Tom Pickett (outlaw)|Tom Pickett]], 19th-century cowboy, lawman, outlaw
* [[William Raborn]], Director of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]]
* [[Texas Ruby]], country music singer
* [[Phil Ryan (sheriff)|Phil Ryan]], Texas Ranger, three-term Wise County sheriff
* [[Samuel M. Sampler]], recipient of the [[Medal of Honor]] for his actions during [[World War I]]
* [[Belle Hunt Shortridge]] (1858–1893), author
* [[Tommy Tatum]], professional baseball player
* [[João Ricardo Vieira]], professional bull rider
* [[Guinn Williams]], [[U.S. Representative]] from Texas
* [[Guinn "Big Boy" Williams]], Western movie star

==In popular culture==
*"Eighter from Decatur" is a slang phrase used by [[craps]] shooters who want to roll an eight, as well as the title of a song (minus the "e" in eighter) by Western Swing legend [[Bob Wills]]. In 1949, Decatur mayor Syl Hardwick added the phrase to two signs welcoming tourists to the town.<ref>{{cite web | title = Mayor Makes his Point: 'Eighter from Decatur' Signs to Greet Tourists | publisher = Miami News | date = July 19, 1949 | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EZ0yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PukFAAAAIBAJ&dq=decatur%20texas&pg=4073%2C3837490 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{notelist}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
*[http://www.decaturtx.org/ City of Decatur] – Official Website
*[http://www.decaturtx.com/ Decatur Chamber of Commerce]

{{Wise County, Texas}}

{{Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex}}
{{Texas}}
{{Texas county seats}}
{{Butterfield6}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Decatur, Texas|*]]
[[Category:Cities in Texas]]
[[Category:County seats in Texas]]
[[Category:Cities in Wise County, Texas]]
[[Category:Butterfield Overland Mail in Texas]]
[[Category:Stagecoach stops in the United States]]
[[Category:Cities in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex]]
[[Category:Butterfield Overland Mail stations]]