History and Culture
The site was first settled by the Burke, Carroll, and Heffernan families in the 1830s; it was first named "Maryville", then renamed "Beeville" after Bernard Bee, who served as Secretary of State and Secretary of War for the Republic of Texas. It was then called "Beeville-on-the-Poesta", with a nearby community "Beeville-on-the-Medio" seven miles to the west. In 1859 Beeville's first post office opened.
In 1880 the population was about 300 people. In 1886 the first railroad came to town, and the population exceeded 1,000 by the end of the decade.
Beeville was incorporated as a town in 1890, but the incorporation was dissolved the following year. In 1900 the population was 2,311. Beeville was reincorporated as a town in 1908.
In 1920 the population was 3,062. The town streets were paved in 1921. The Texas oil boom bought new residents to town, and in 1930 the population was 4,806.
There were 9,348 people in Beeville according to the 1950 census.
The United States Navy operated the Beeville Naval Air Station, which trained Navy airplane pilots during World War II from 1943 through 1946. The base was reopened in 1952, continuing in operation through 1992.
The baseball player Eddie Taubensee is from Beeville.
Geography
Beeville is located at 28°24'20" North, 97°45'3" West (28.405498, -97.750757)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.8 km² (6.1 mi²). 15.8 km² (6.1 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 13,129 people, 4,697 households, and 3,287 families residing in the city. The population density is 829.6/km² (2,149.7/mi²). There are 5,539 housing units at an average density of 350.0/km² (906.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 72.08% White, 2.87% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 20.63% from other races, and 3.09% from two or more races. 67.67% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 4,697 households out of which 39.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% are married couples living together, 19.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% are non-families. 26.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.73 and the average family size is 3.30.
In the city the population is spread out with 31.1% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $25,475, and the median income for a family is $27,794. Males have a median income of $26,761 versus $20,411 for females. The per capita income for the city is $11,027. 30.3% of the population and 26.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 40.8% are under the age of 18 and 24.4% are 65 or older.