Mertzon is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Irion County, Texas Irion County ( ) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,513. Its county seat is Mertzon. The county is named for Robert Anderson Irion, a secretary of state of the Rep ...

, United States. Its population was 781 according to the 2010 census. It is part of the

San Angelo, Texas San Angelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tom Green County, Texas, United States. Its location is in the Concho Valley, a region of West Texas between the Permian Basin to the northwest, Chihuahuan Desert to the southwest, Osage Plai ...

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 747 people, 356 households, and 264 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, 839 people, 315 households, and 239 families resided in the city. The population density was . There were 364 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 85.22% White, 0.60% African American, 0.36% Native American, 11.68% from other races, and 2.15% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 34.21% of the population. Of the 315 households, 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were not families. About 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.09. In the city, the population was distributed as 28.8% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,333, and for a family was $40,417. Males had a median income of $33,438 versus $17,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,795. About 8.9% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Mertzon is served by the Irion County Independent School District and home to the Irion County High School Hornets.

Notable people

Laura Bullion Laura Bullion (October 1876 – December 2, 1961) was an outlaw of the Old West. Most sources indicate Bullion was born in Knickerbocker, near Mertzon, in Irion County, Texas; the exact day of her birth is unclear. Data in the 1880 and 1900 fe ...

, female

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

outlaw, was born in KnickerbockerMagness, Perre, ''Cohort of Butch, Sundance 'retired' here'', Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Jan. 12, 1995, page EC2

References

{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Irion County, Texas County seats in Texas San Angelo, Texas metropolitan area