Overview
Midlothian is a city in northwest Ellis County, Texas, United States. As
of 2007, the city population is estimated at 13,750.
Geography
Midlothian is located at [show location on an interactive map] 32°28′49″N,
96°59′22″W (32.480169, -96.989350)GR1.
Adjacent cities are Cedar Hill to the north, Mansfield to the northwest,
Venus to the southwest, Waxahachie to the southeast, and Ovilla to the
northeast.
The City Limits of Midlothian covers approximately 48 square miles (120 km²)
and the extra-territorial jurisdiction another 33 square miles (85 km²).
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2007, there were 13,750 people, 3,650 households, and
3,011 families residing in the city. The population density was 76.6/km²
(198.4/mi²). There were 2,792 housing units at an average density of
28.6/km² (74.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.45% White, 2.91%
African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.01% Pacific
Islander, 3.94% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races. Hispanic
or Latino of any race were 13.11% of the population.
There were 3,650 households out of which 42.7% had children under the age of
18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a
female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families.
19.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone
living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.25.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.2% under the age of 18,
8.8% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who
were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100
females there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
were 97.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $49,464, and the median
income for a family was $55,055. Males had a median income of $37,151 versus
$27,209 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,329. About
4.4% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line,
including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Prior to 1929 and the Great Depression, a number of businesses flourished in
the city. The two largest business enterprises centered around cotton and
cattle-raising. The region was transformed in later years by the arrival of
the cement industry. Midlothian became a prime area for cement quarrying due
to the Austin Chalk Escarpment, a unique geological formation that runs
north-south through the City. Three of the top ten largest cement factories
in the United States operate in the city: Texas Industries ("TXI"), Holcim
and Ash Grove. Chaparral Steel, spun off from TXI, also runs a large steel
factory adjacent to TXI's cement plant. Due primarily to the air pollution
generated by these industries, the United States Environmental Protection
Agency concluded that Ellis County was in non-attainment of the Clean Air
Act. (The EPA also concluded that Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton
counties were also in non-attainment.)
A large industrial park, Railport, is located along U.S. 67 on the
southwestern side of the city. Railport is home to several distribution
facilities including Target, Toys R US, and Kehe Foods.
The north side of the city is also host to MidTexas International Center’s
Auto Park, a large automobile distribution and processing center.
Music
A large number of bands have come from Midlothian. A recent study showed
that in four years, more than 75 bands formed in the area. Due to a strict
school and conservative community, these bands are mostly of the rock genre.
Several bands have gone on to sign with major music labels such as Victory.
There are also a handful of indie styled bands, like that of "Hey
Hollywood", The District Grand and Thaxton. There are two primary venues for
music in Midlothian, The Lighthouse(R.I.P. 2007) and the Midlothian Bible
Church. Midlothian is also the home of Texas Country recording artist Tony
Pierce.
Education
The City of Midlothian is served by the Midlothian Independent School
District and Navarro College.