Lake Jackson is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States, within the Greater Houston metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,177.
In 1942 a portion of Lake Jackson was first developed as a company town for workers of the Dow Chemical Company; it developed 5,000 acres on the former Abner Jackson Plantation. An oxbow lake was also named after the planter, whose house was located at the lake. Minor ruins of the Lake Jackson Plantation can now be seen in a park at the site.
History
The city was built in the early 1940s as a planned community, designed by Alden B. Dow of Midland, Michigan for workers in support of a new plant of the Dow Chemical Company, which his father owned. The City of Lake Jackson was incorporated March 14, 1944, and voted for home rule ten years later in 1954.
Geography
The city of Lake Jackson is located in south-central Brazoria County, and is bordered to the east by the cities of Clute and Richwood, and to the southwest by the Brazos River. Texas State Highway 288, the Nolan Ryan Expressway, runs through the city, leading north to Angleton, the county seat, north to downtown Houston, and southeast to Freeport on the Gulf of Mexico.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Lake Jackson has a total area of , of which is land and , or 7.11%, is water.
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2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 28,177 people residing in Lake Jackson; the median age was 37.0 years, 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18, and 15.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.6 males age 18 and over.
Of the 10,830 households, 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 51.6% were married-couple households, 18.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present; about 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 18,788 || 66.7%
|-
| Black or African American || 1,618 || 5.7%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 221 || 0.8%
|-
| Asian || 925 || 3.3%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 11 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 2,677 || 9.5%
|-
| Two or more races || 3,937 || 14.0%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 8,024 || 28.5%
|}
2010 census
As of the census
The Dow Chemical Company and the Brazosport Independent School District are major employers of residents. Dow planned to develop this community in 1941 as a 5,000-acre residential area for workers at its Freeport plant. Lake Jackson is now home to other chemical and manufacturing facilities, along with many other types of businesses. In Lake Jackson's early days, Dow helped to create a booming economy. In 2014 it announced an expansion project that is estimated to bring nearly 2,000 employees to the area.
The unemployment rate in Lake Jackson, TX, is 8.40%, with job growth of 2.40%. Future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 36.40%. The income per capita is $30,625, which includes all adults and children. The median household income is $68,391. The sales tax rate in Lake Jackson, TX, is 8.25%.
Sales tax income represents a population of over 70,000 indicating the draw of the retail shopping from the area.
Arts and culture
The Lake Jackson Library is a part of the Brazoria County Library System.
Government
Lake Jackson is within Texas's 14th congressional district and is represented by Randy Weber.
Education
Public schools
The public schools in the city are operated by Brazosport Independent School District. Some parts of the city limits fall in the Angleton Independent School District and the Columbia-Brazoria Independent School District.
K–5 elementary schools within Lake Jackson include:
- O.M. Roberts Elementary
- A.P. Beutel Elementary (2007 National Blue Ribbon School)
- Bess Brannen Elementary
- T.W. Ogg Elementary
Residents are zoned to:
- Grady B. Rasco Middle School (5–6)
- Lake Jackson Intermediate School (7–8)
- Brazoswood High School (9–12, in Clute)
Private schools
Private schools within Lake Jackson include:
- Brazosport Christian School
- Our Lady Queen of Peace (of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston)
- Foundation Preparatory Academy
Colleges
Brazosport College is a public community college located in Lake Jackson, with the majority of the Lake Jackson city limits in the college's district. The Texas Legislature designated Brazosport ISD, Columbia-Brazoria ISD, and portions of Angleton ISD that by September 1, 1995, had not been annexed by Alvin Community College as in the Brazosport College zone.
It was recently upgraded to offer a baccalaureate degree in certain technical fields. It is also distinguished for its professional music hall, The Clarion.
Infrastructure
In September 2020, brain-eating amoeba were detected in the Lake Jackson drinking water supply, resulting in the death of a 6-year-old boy. Eleven samples were taken around the city, and of those, three returned a preliminary positive results: the hose bib at the victim's home, a hydrant at a dead end street, and a storage tank at the city splash pad. This resulted in Brazosport Water Authority issuing a do-not-use order on tap water in late September 2020.