El Lago is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,090 at the 2020 census.
El Lago has particular historical significance, as it sits on the site of one of the main hide-outs for the French pirate and privateer Jean Lafitte.
History
The city of El Lago was established in 1961 and over the years has been home to at least 47 astronauts, including Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon; Buzz Aldrin, the lunar module pilot on the 1969 Apollo 11 mission and the second person to walk on the Moon; Jim Lovell, the command module pilot of Apollo 8 (making him one of the first three humans to fly to the Moon) and commander of the Apollo 13 mission; Story Musgrave, veteran of six Space Shuttle flights on five different orbiters; and Peggy Whitson, who in 2017 became the first female astronaut to command the International Space Station. Many houses in the neighborhood were custom built specifically for the astronauts and their families. The local elementary school is named for Ed White, who was the first American to walk in space, and there are two parks named for astronauts. There's the Neil Armstrong Park and McNair Memorial Park, named for astronaut Ronald McNair, who was killed when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. There is a pavilion named for Dr. Ellen Ochoa, a former astronaut and director of Johnson Space Center. In addition, the city's logo features a Space Shuttle.
Geography
thumb|left|Map of El Lago
El Lago is located at (29.572147, –95.043680).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 8.45%, is water.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+El Lago city, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|2,812
|2,294
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,236
|91.45%
|84.77%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |72.36%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|24
|44
|style='background: #ffffe6; |73
|0.78%
|1.63%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.36%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|6
|5
|style='background: #ffffe6; |13
|0.20%
|0.18%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.42%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|43
|41
|style='background: #ffffe6; |54
|1.40%
|1.52%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.75%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|2
|5
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.07%
|0.18%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|1
|14
|style='background: #ffffe6; |29
|0.03%
|0.52%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.94%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|32
|34
|style='background: #ffffe6; |156
|1.04%
|1.26%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.05%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|155
|269
|style='background: #ffffe6; |529
|5.04%
|9.94%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |17.12%
|-
|Total
|3,075
|2,706
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,090
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, El Lago had a population of 3,090, a median age of 42.3 years, 22.1% of residents under the age of 18, and 18.3% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.8 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,275 households in El Lago, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.1% were married-couple households, 20.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 2,406 || 77.9%
|-
| Black or African American || 83 || 2.7%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 16 || 0.5%
|-
| Asian || 55 || 1.8%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 167 || 5.4%
|-
| Two or more races || 363 || 11.7%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 529 || 17.1%
|}
2000 census
As of the census
The Lakeview Police Department serves El Lago and Taylor Lake Village. In 1986 the two cities decided to merge their police departments. The merger was finished in January 1987. The administration is in El Lago.
The Seabrook Volunteer Fire Department provides fire services.
Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated Strawberry Health Center in Pasadena for ZIP code 77586. The nearest public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.
Education
Pupils in El Lago attend schools in Clear Creek Independent School District. The community is within the Board of Trustees District 1,
The City of El Lago has two elementary school within the city boundaries; Ed White Elementary School. Other zoned schools include Seabrook Intermediate School (Seabrook), and Clear Falls High School (League City).
Residents were previously zoned to Clear Lake High School in Clear Lake City, Houston.
Bay Area Charter Elementary School is a state charter school located in El Lago.
The portion of Clear Creek ISD in Harris County (and therefore El Lago) is assigned to San Jacinto College.
Parks
Harris County Precinct 2 operates the Bay Area Community Center at 5002 NASA Road 1 in nearby Pasadena. <!--Even though the page says that the center is in Seabrook, use Google Earth with the city limit tool and/or Yahoo! Maps - it is NOT in Seabrook. It is in Pasadena-->
See also
- List of municipalities in Texas
Notes
References
External links
- City of El Lago official website