Hallettsville is a city in Lavaca County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,731 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lavaca County. Hallettsville also has a sizable German-Texan population, as the town founders were mainly German and Czech immigrants.
History
Hallettsville is named after an early founding family that colonized this area. John Hallett had received a land grant from Stephen F. Austin in 1831, and after his death in 1836, his wife, Margaret Hallett, donated the land for the town's location.
A few of the early settlers of the Hallettsville area include Collatinus Ballard, M. B. Bennett, A. W. Hicks, David Ives, Ira McDaniel, and William Smeathers.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. It is also located midway between the major cities of Houston and San Antonio.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Hallettsville has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, 2,731 people, 1,092 households, and 551 families resided in the city, and the median age was 40.8 years.
24.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.2 males age 18 and over.
There were 1,092 households in Hallettsville, of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.5% were married-couple households, 17.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 1,843 || 67.5%
|-
| Black or African American || 447 || 16.4%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 4 || 0.1%
|-
| Asian || 30 || 1.1%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 118 || 4.3%
|-
| Two or more races || 289 || 10.6%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 517 || 18.9%
|}
2000 census
As of the census It also hosts the annual Kolache Fest the last weekend in September
Hallettsville is the founding home of the Texas and National High School Rodeo with one of the founders Alton Allen inventing the present Calf Roping Barrier, also known as “The Hallettsville Barrier”.
The Friench Simpson Memorial Library has served the residents of Hallettsville and Lavaca County for over 70 years. The modern library houses over 20,000 volumes and is a major source of local history and genealogy research for the area. Public-access computers with Internet connections are available for use at the library. [http://hallettsvillelibrary.org]
Education
thumb|Hallettsville High School
Public education in the city of Hallettsville is provided by the Hallettsville Independent School District. Sacred Heart Catholic School, a private prekindergarten–grade 12 campus, is also located in the city.
Media
- Hallettsville Tribune-Herald
Notable people
- Logan Ondrusek, Major League Baseball pitcher
- Andy Rice, American college and professional football player
- Cole Wick, American college and professional football player
- Jonathan Brooks, Professional Football Player for the Carolina Panthers graduated from Halletsville High School
- Joseph S. Stiborik, radar operator on the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945
In popular culture
Although the actual town involved in the real story of the "Chicken Ranch" is located a few miles north of Hallettsville on Highway 77, film makers chose the town's historic Lavaca County Courthouse square to serve as backdrop for the city scenes in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the 1982 musical starring Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton.
Hallettsville is also the featured location in the 2009 horror film titled Hallettsville, which stars Gary Busey and Derek Lee Nixon.
The town is mentioned in the Robert Earl Keen song "Armadillo Jackel" as the place where they pay $2.50 for dead armadillos.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! once called Hallettsville the "13 City" because in 1913 it had 13 letters in the name, a population of 1300, 13 churches, 13 newspapers, and even 13 saloons.
The town is also visited by Antoine de Maximy for the French TV show J'irais dormir chez vous (in English I'll Come Sleep in Your House), during his journey in the United States.