Alvarado, Texas


Alvarado is the oldest city in Johnson County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,739 in 2020.
The community's first sheriff, A. H. Onstoott, is credited with naming Alvarado for Alvarado, Veracruz, Mexico, where he fought in a battle during the Mexican–American War.
WWW cityofalvarado.org

Geography

Alvarado is located in eastern Johnson County at the intersection of US Highway 67 and Interstate 35W. The city is south of the center of Fort Worth and southwest of Dallas.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Alvarado has a total area of, of which are land and, or 15.35%, are water. The water area comprises Alvarado Park Lake, a reservoir on Turkey Creek southwest of the city. Alvarado is drained by the North Fork of Chambers Creek, a southeast-flowing stream that is part of the Trinity River watershed.
Alvarado's nearest neighboring communities are Venus to the east, Keene to the west, Burleson Texas and Mansfield Texas to the north, and Grandview, Texas and Cleburne, Texas to the south.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Alvarado has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Alvarado had a population of 4,739, 1,603 households, and 1,184 families residing in the city. The median age was 33.6 years. 28.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.9 males age 18 and over.
96.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.8% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,603 households in Alvarado, of which 42.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.2% were married-couple households, 14.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,747 housing units, of which 8.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 64.2% were owner-occupied and 35.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.9%.
RacePercent
White67.1%
Black or African American5.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native1.1%
Asian0.8%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander0.1%
Some other race9.4%
Two or more races15.9%
Hispanic or Latino 27.2%

RaceNumberPercentage
White 2,87560.67%
Black or African American 2565.4%
Native American or Alaska Native 220.46%
Asian 350.74%
Pacific Islander 30.06%
Some Other Race 130.27%
Mixed/Multi-Racial 2485.23%
Hispanic or Latino1,28727.16%
Total4,739

Economy

Alvarado is a rural community with an economy that has been primarily agricultural with only a modest retail and industrial base. In recent years the trend has been away from agriculture and toward more urban development. In 2007 Sabre Tubular Structures built a new facility located on on the eastern side of town. Sabre has over 200 employees at this facility. The city received a 2008 grant of $750,000 from the Texas Department of Agriculture for infrastructure improvements related to Sabre.
Louis Vuitton operates a factory for leather goods outside of Alvarado.

Barnett Shale

In the latter part of the 2000s, development of natural gas wells in the Barnett Shale were a source of prosperity for the city and many property owners benefited from drilling activity, pipeline construction and royalty payments. As natural gas prices fell in 2009, drilling activity and royalty payments declined rapidly.

Recreation

  • Alvarado Park Lake is located on the west side of the city, three miles west of I-35W.
  • Alvarado Parkway Park

Government

The city uses a council-manager government, with a mayor and six city council members representing three wards, one being the mayor pro tempore.
The city's 2009–10 general fund budget was $3.9 million.

Education

The city is served by the Alvarado Independent School District.
The Texas Education Code specifies that Johnson County is in the Hill College service area. There are no colleges or universities in Alvarado, although residents pay a Hill College maintenance tax and residents receive in-district student rates.

Notable people