Burke is a city in southwestern Angelina County, Texas, United States. The population was 691 at the 2020 census.
History
Burke was founded in 1881 when construction of the Houston, East and West Texas Railway reached the western edge of Bradley Prairie. The town was originally named Rhodes, for general store owner W. R. Rhodes and postmaster H. R. Rhodes, but circa 1885 it was renamed for Edmund L. Burke, a railroad employee who directed the railroad survey.
By 1885 Burke had three sawmills, three cotton gins, a church, and a school. In 1886, it received a post office, which remained there until 1955. By 1888, it had a larger school, three general stores, a drugstore, a sawmill, a dentist and watchmaker, and a Farmers' Alliance store. In 1897, Burke had an estimated population of 650. By 1904, Burke's population had declined to 161, due to the rise of Lufkin, eight miles north, as an industrial center for the county. However, by 1915 the population had risen to 200, and by 1925 it reached 300. The Burke Methodist Church was organized in 1899–1900, and the First Baptist Church of Burke in 1905.
Education was a priority at Burke. The first school, a one-room structure, was enlarged to three rooms within a few years. Voters approved a bond in 1910 to erect a brick schoolhouse for grades one through seven. The brick building was torn down in 1935 and replaced with a larger schoolhouse built with WPA funds. The Burke Independent School District consolidated with the Diboll schools in 1964.
Burke was incorporated as a city in 1966, and a municipal water system was constructed. Burke had a population of 322 in 1980 and 314 in 1990.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
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, Burke has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Burke had a population of 691. The median age was 35.5 years, 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18, and 18.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.4 males age 18 and over.
There were 251 households in Burke, of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.2% were married-couple households, 18.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census
! Race !! Percent
|-
| White || 77.4%
|-
| Black or African American || 2.7%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 0.4%
|-
| Asian || 1.0%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0.4%
|-
| Some other race || 8.4%
|-
| Two or more races || 9.6%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 24.2%
|}
2000 census
As of the census