Sweetwater is a municipality in and the county seat of Nolan County, Texas, United States. It is 123 miles southeast of Lubbock and 40 miles west of Abilene. Its population was 10,622 at the 2020 census.
Sweetwater received a U.S. post office in 1879. The Texas and Pacific Railway arrived on March 12, 1881, beginning Sweetwater's long history as a railroad town. To encourage the railroads, Sweetwater increased its water supply by building City Lake in 1898 (now called Newman Park), and three further lakes thereafter. Construction began on the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway in 1903. By 1912 the Santa Fe Railway was serving Sweetwater via its new Coleman Cutoff and completing a connection with the T&P nearby at "Tecific" junction. Businesses and homes were built along the rail lines. Texas and Pacific Railway passenger service was discontinued in 1969.
Gulf Refinery operated from 1929 to 1954, and at one time the town was a large telegraph center. The International Harvester Company operated a factory on W. Third Street in Sweetwater from 1920 to 1950. Gypsum plants, apparel manufacturers, cement plants, cotton compresses, a cottonseed oil mill, and packing companies were among the nearly 250 businesses operating there from the 1970s. Many still operate today. Sweetwater remains a production hub for such commodities as cotton, oil, and cattle. The population of Sweetwater has remained steady between 11,000 and 13,000 since 1940.
At Sweetwater during World War II, one class of British RAF pilots was trained before the airfield was converted for training American women pilots. The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) were trained under the direction of famed aviator Jacqueline Cochran at Sweetwater's Avenger Field. These WASPs were the first women to fly American military aircraft. The military airstrip was closed at the end of the war.
Pilots flying over Sweetwater can still land at Avenger Field – the Sweetwater Airport (SWW). The National WASP WWII Museum is located at Avenger Field. The WASP women were not recognized for having served in the armed forces until 1977, after U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona and Colonel Bruce Arnold, late son of General Hap Arnold, gained their official recognition as military veterans. In 1970, the field was developed for Texas State Technical College in Sweetwater.
Sweetwater is also home to the Pioneer Museum, with display rooms depicting the lives of early settlers. It has extensive photograph files, farm and ranch exhibits, Indian artifacts, and WASP exhibits.
The local newspaper, Sweetwater Reporter, was founded in 1911. The newspaper, first established in 1881, was called the Sweetwater Advance. It was later published as the Nolan County Review, and became the Daily Reporter in 1911. An historic, early 20th-century, stage theater has been renovated and is in full use. The Municipal Auditorium, where Elvis Presley performed twice in 1955, continues to feature live acts. Sweetwater's Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital was founded in 1976.
Sports include access to a large public swimming pool and an 18-hole golf course (opened 1958). Public fishing and recreational facilities are located at Lake Sweetwater.
First Baptist Church had one of the earliest congregations in Sweetwater, and it continues to thrive.
Parts of the south side of Sweetwater were devastated by an estimated EF3 tornado that swept through town early in the morning of April 19, 1986.
upright|thumb|Wind turbine near Sweetwater, Texas
Sweetwater is the center of the leading wind power generation region of the Western Hemisphere. It is sometimes <!-- really? incorrectly --> called the "Wind Turbine Capital of Texas". The largest wind farm in Texas is Roscoe Wind Farm. In 2009 about 1,330 direct wind-related jobs were created in Nolan County alone, where the industry generated almost $18,000,000 in annual landowner royalties and over $12,000,000 in annual local school taxes (2007).
Special events include the world's largest rattlesnake round-up, held annually since 1958 by the Sweetwater Jaycees on the second weekend in March. It is held along with a gun and coin show hosted by the Sweetwater Rifle and Pistol Club, which was founded in the 1940s.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2020, the city had a total land area of , all land.
Sweetwater is the center of the Western Hemisphere's leading wind power generation region and West Texas has more than 4,000 megawatts of operational wind energy. Nolan County alone would currently rank as the eighth-largest "nation" in terms of wind energy generation - with more than 1,500 MW installed.
Climate
The climate type in the Sweetwater area occurs primarily on the periphery of the true deserts in low-latitude semiarid steppe regions. The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is BSk (tropical and subtropical steppe climate).
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Sweetwater had a population of 10,622 people, 4,199 households, and 2,464 families.
There were 4,199 households in Sweetwater, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.9% were married-couple households, 21.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)
!Race
!Number
!Percentage
|-
|White (NH)
|5,158
|48.56%
|-
|Black or African American (NH)
|592
|5.57%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)
|24
|0.23%
|-
|Asian (NH)
|93
|0.88%
|-
|Pacific Islander (NH)
|2
|0.02%
|-
|Some other race (NH)
|22
|0.21%
|-
|Mixed/multiracial (NH)
|320
|3.01%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino
|4,411
|41.53%
|-
|Total
|10,622
|
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 6,908 || 65.0%
|-
| Black or African American || 674 || 6.3%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 68 || 0.6%
|-
| Asian || 94 || 0.9%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 5 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 1,266 || 11.9%
|-
| Two or more races || 1,607 || 15.1%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 4,411 || 41.5%
|}
2000 census
As of the census Also in 2007, TSTC constructed a demonstration 2 MW 60 Hz DeWind D8.2 prototype wind turbine for student training.
Notable people
- Joe Banyard, former NFL player for the Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, and Buffalo Bills
- Sammy Baugh, Hall of Fame NFL and TCU football player
- Doyle Brunson, the poker legend called "Texas Dolly"
- Frank Hamer, a Texas Ranger who, along with his brother Gus, had a pistol fight in Sweetwater with Gee McMeans
- John Layfield, retired professional wrestler
- Blackjack Mulligan, retired professional wrestler
- Jack Roberts (1910-1988) was a United States federal judge of U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
- Tex Robertson, University of Texas swimming coach, was born in Sweetwater.
- Zollie Coffer Steakley, Jr., Texas Secretary of State and Texas Supreme Court, practiced law in Sweetwater during the 1930s.
- Clyde "Bulldog" Turner, a graduate of Sweetwater High School, is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- James White, high-school cross-country coach at McFarland High School.
- Barry Windham is a retired professional wrestler.
- Bobby Witcher, amateur herpetologist best known carefree handling of venomous snakes, born in Sweetwater
Recreation
- Newman Field, ballpark
References
External links
- Sweetwater TX at the Handbook of Texas Online
- showing construction of a DeWind turbine for Texas State Technical College in Sweetwater
- Elvis Presley two performances in Sweetwater 1954-55