Rockdale, Texas

City in Texas, United States

Rockdale, Texas

City

Rockdale City Hall

Motto:

"Great Things Happen Here"

Location of Rockdale, Texas

Coordinates: 30°39′17″N 97°0′27″W﻿ / ﻿30.65472°N 97.00750°W﻿ / 30.65472; -97.00750
Country| United States
State| Texas
County| Milam
Area

[1]

• Total

| 4.01 sq mi (10.39 km2)
• Land| 4.01 sq mi (10.39 km2)
• Water| 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation

[2]

| 466 ft (142 m)
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 5,323
• Density| 1,371.29/sq mi (529.42/km2)
Time zone| UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)| UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code|

76567

Area code| 512
FIPS code| 48-62672[3]
GNIS feature ID| 1366723[2]
Website| City of Rockdale, Texas
Rockdale welcome sign Chamber of Commerce building International-Great Northern Railroad Passenger Depot, now a museum U.S. 79 is the main street of Rockdale. Kay Theater

Rockdale is a city in Milam County, Texas, United States. Its population was 5,323 at the 2020 census. It is approximately 41 miles west of College Station.

## History

[edit]

Planta y perfil del reducto proyectado en las márgenes del río San Javier, en la provincia de Texas

As a passing point of the "Camino Real" and the establishment of three missions in the area, a wooden fort was established on the south bank of the San Xavier River, to protect those missions, circa 1751\. The fort was called San Francisco Xavier de Gigedo Presidio.[1][2]

* Planta y perfil del reducto proyectado en las márgenes del río San Javier, en la provincia de Texas

In 1873, the town developed as the International-Great Northern Railroad came through the area. Rockdale was named for a nearby rock that stood 12 feet high and had a circumference of 20 feet. Rockdale was incorporated in 1878. The rock's location was subsequently lost, and is believed to be north of the city limits.[4]

## Geography

[edit]

Rockdale is located at 30°39′17″N 97°0′27″W﻿ / ﻿30.65472°N 97.00750°W﻿ / 30.65472; -97.00750 (30.654674, –97.007439).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2), all land.

### Climate

[edit]

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Rockdale has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.[6]

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1880| 1,185| | —
1890| 1,505| | 27.0%
1900| 2,515| | 67.1%
1910| 2,073| | −17.6%
1920| 2,323| | 12.1%
1930| 2,204| | −5.1%
1940| 2,136| | −3.1%
1950| 2,321| | 8.7%
1960| 4,481| | 93.1%
1970| 4,655| | 3.9%
1980| 5,611| | 20.5%
1990| 5,235| | −6.7%
2000| 5,439| | 3.9%
2010| 5,595| | 2.9%
2020| 5,323| | −4.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
Rockdale racial composition as of 2020[8]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)[a] Race  | Number  | Percentage

|
|

White (NH)  | 2,794  | 52.49%
Black or African American (NH)  | 605  | 11.37%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)  | 16  | 0.3%
Asian (NH)  | 34  | 0.64%
Pacific Islander (NH)  | 3  | 0.06%
Some other race (NH)  | 29  | 0.54%
Multiracial (NH)  | 156  | 2.93%
Hispanic or Latino | 1,686  | 31.67%
Total | 5,323 |

As of the 2020 United States census, 5,323 people, 2,026 households, and 1,154 families resided in the city.

As of the 2000 census,[3] 5,595 people, 2,088 households, and 1,395 families were residing in the city. The population density was 1,343.3 inhabitants per square mile (518.7/km2). The 2,379 housing units averaged 759.2 per square mile (293.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 70.69% White, 14.29% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 12.23% from other races, and 2.02% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 21.93% of the population.

Of the 2,077 households, 33.1% had children under 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were not families. About 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.55, and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city, the age distribution was 28.5% under 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,612, and for a family was $39,491. Males had a median income of $30,758 versus $20,692 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,618. About 13.2% of families and 18.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

## Economy

[edit]

Rockdale was the site of a large Alcoa aluminium smelting facility, which could produce 1.67 million pounds of aluminum per day.[11] The Alcoa plant profoundly changed the city, as noted in a Saturday Evening Post article by Rockdale native George Sessions Perry. Within a few years of its arrival in 1952, Rockdale almost doubled in population, changing in character from a predominantly agricultural economy to one heavily driven by manufacturing jobs.[citation needed] Smelting operations were halted at the Alcoa plant in 2008.[12] The Alcoa plant closed in February 2014 when production at the atomizer ceased.[13]

Rockdale was also the site of the Sandow Power Plant,[14] which closed in 2018.[15][16]

Two cryptocurrency miners, Bitdeer, a division of Bitmain, and Riot Platforms, formerly known as Bioptix, occupy former Alcoa facilities less than half a mile apart in Rockdale, using electricity transmission lines built to connect smelters to the power plant.[16][17] As of 2023, the Riot Platforms facility was the most energy-intensive Bitcoin mining operation in the United States, consuming as much electricity as the nearest 300,000 homes and producing 1.92 million tons of carbon emissions per year.[18]

## Education

[edit]

The City of Rockdale is served by the Rockdale Independent School District.

## Media

[edit]

* The Rockdale Reporter
* KRXT radio

## Notable people

[edit]

* Stan Blinka, a former NFL linebacker for the New York Jets, played for Rockdale High School.[19]
* Lee Roy Caffey, an NFL linebacker, was born in Rockdale and retired there.
* Le'Raven Clark, an NFL player with the Philadelphia Eagles, is from Rockdale
* Kenneth Cockrell, a NASA astronaut, graduated from Rockdale High School in 1968.[20]
* Pee Wee Crayton, blues guitarist, was born in Rockdale.
* Mary Sue Whipp Hubbard, the third wife of L. Ron Hubbard, was a Rockdale native.
* Dan Kubiak served several terms in the Texas House of Representatives while living in Rockdale.[21] His younger brother, L. B. Kubiak, also a Rockdale resident, held the same House seat from 1983 to 1991.[22]
* Billy Ray Locklin, a former AFL and Canadian Football League defensive back, played for Aycock High School in Rockdale.[19][23]
* Gordon McKee, a former track-and-field athlete, competed for Rockdale High School.
* Liz Galloway McQuitter, born in Rockdale, played professional basketball in the Women's Professional Basketball League, coached women's college basketball, and retired as head coach of the Rockdale High School Lady Tigers.[24]
* George Sessions Perry, an author, was born in Rockdale, lived much of his life there and set some of his books either in Rockdale or in fictional towns based on Rockdale. He wrote an article about Alcoa coming to Rockdale in the Saturday Evening Post titled "The Town Where It Rains Money".
* Sam Williams, a former NFL defensive back, played for Rockdale High School.[19]
* Leroy Wright, a former American Basketball Association player and coach, played basketball and football at Aycock High School in Rockdale.[23]
* Joseph S. Stiborik was the radar operator on the Enola Gay.[25]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rockdale, Texas
3. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. ^ "Rockdale, Tx". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
6. ^ "Rockdale, Texas Köppen Climate Classification". Weatherbase. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
7. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
8. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
9. ^ https://www.census.gov/ [not specific enough to verify]
10. ^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
11. ^ "Alcoa -- United States". www.alcoa.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
12. ^ "Alcoa stops aluminum production at Texas smelter". Reuters. September 30, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
13. ^ "Rockdale Operations atomizer now closed". RockdaleReporter.com. March 20, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
14. ^ "Sandow Power Plant". Luminant. May 13, 2011. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017.
15. ^ Mosier, Jeff (October 13, 2017). "Texas' largest power generator speeds up coal's decline with closure of two more plants". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
16. ^ a b Mershon, Matthew (May 12, 2021). "Rural Texas community tapping old power plant infrastructure to generate new jobs". Spectrum News 1.
17. ^ Sigalos, MacKenzie (November 3, 2021) [October 31, 2021]. "Two of the biggest bitcoin mining companies in the world are battling it out in a Texas town of 5,600 people". CNBC. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
18. ^ Dance, Gabriel J. X.; Wallace, Tim; Levitt, Zach (April 10, 2023). "The Real-World Costs of the Digital Race for Bitcoin". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
19. ^ a b c Waits, Tim (May 3, 2009). "From humble roots to the NFL". Temple Daily Telegram. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
20. ^ "Biographical Data: Kenneth D. Cockrell" (PDF). NASA. January 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
21. ^ "Dan Kubiak". Legislative Reference Library of Texas. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
22. ^ "L.B. Kubiak". Legislative Reference Library of Texas. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
23. ^ a b "Rockdale TX Sports Hall of Honor". 2007. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
24. ^ "McQuitter calls it quits \date=April 9, 2015". Rockdale Reporter. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016.
25. ^ "Joseph S. Stiborik". Atomic Heritage Foundation.

1. ^ 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.[9][10]

## External links

[edit]

* City of Rockdale official website
* The Rockdale Reporter

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Milam County, Texas, United States

County seat: Cameron

Cities|

* Cameron
* Milano
* Rockdale
* Thorndale‡

Milam County map

Town|

* Buckholts

CDPs|

* Ben Arnold
* Burlington
* Gause
* Praesel

Other
communities|

* Baileyville
* Belmena
* Branchville
* Clarkson
* Corinth
* Cross Roads
* Davilla
* Detmold
* Elevation
* Elm Ridge
* Forest Grove
* Hanover
* Hoyte
* Jones Prairie
* Liberty
* Liberty Hill
* Marak
* Marlow
* Maysfield
* Minerva
* Pettibone
* San Gabriel
* Sharp
* Silver City
* Val Verde
* Yarrellton

Ghost towns|

* Ad Hall
* Briary
* Bowers
* Bryant Station
* Bushdale
* Conoley
* Curry
* Duncan
* Nashville
* New Clarkson
* Nile
* North Elm
* Pleasant Hill
* Salem
* Salty
* Sandow
* Sipe Springs
* South Elm
* Tracy

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* Texas portal
* United States portal

Authority control databases: Geographic |

* MusicBrainz area

|

*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
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