Eagle Lake is a city in southeastern Colorado County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,442 at the 2020 census. It is home to a golf course, the largest private lake in Texas, and the Eagle Lake Regional Airport, which serves light aircraft.

The lake, along with adjacent rice paddies, attracts a large variety of migratory birds. The city is known as the "Goose-hunting Capital of the World" and also borders a wildlife preserve.

History

The first newspaper in Eagle Lake was established by Joseph J. Mansfield in 1888.

Geography

Eagle Lake is located in eastern Colorado County at .

U.S. Route 90 Alternate (US 90 Alt.) travels through Eagle Lake, leading east to Houston and west to Hallettsville. Eagle Lake is southeast of Columbus, the Colorado County seat.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Eagle Lake has a total area of , of which , or 0.19%, is covered by water.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Eagle Lake had a population of 3,442. The median age was 37.4 years. 27.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.7 males age 18 and over.

There were 1,258 households in Eagle Lake, of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.0% were married-couple households, 19.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

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| White || 1,203 || 35.0%

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| Black or African American || 728 || 21.2%

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| American Indian and Alaska Native || 26 || 0.8%

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| Asian || 8 || 0.2%

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| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%

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| Some other race || 923 || 26.8%

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| Two or more races || 554 || 16.1%

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| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 2,017 || 58.6%

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2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, 3,664 people, 1,296 households, and 935 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 1,500 housing units averaged 550.5/sq&nbsp;mi (212.9/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the city was 52.78% White, 23.39% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 20.47% from other races, and 2.67% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 44.21% of the population. It replaced the existing library, which was housed in a small portion of the Community Center.

The designated community college for Rice CISD is Wharton County Junior College.

The Winterman Estate is now owned by Trenton Kelley.

Notable people

  • Howie Fitzgerald (1902–1959), professional baseball player
  • Ryan Trahan (born 1998), YouTube creator and entrepreneur

Media

The city is served by a weekly newspaper, the Colorado County Citizen.

See also

  • Continental Express Flight 2574

References

  • City of Eagle Lake official website
  • Eagle Lake Headlight Online