Community Profile
The City of Gonzales, founded in 1825, is located 62 miles south of Austin, 70 miles east of San Antonio, and 60 miles north of Victoria. The City has a population of 7,202 and serves as the county seat of Gonzales County. Gonzales is a Home Rule Charter city and operates under the Council-Manager form of government. The elected body is made up of a Mayor elected at large and four Council members elected by district. Length of office for all Council members and Mayor are two-year staggered terms. The City Council appoints the City Manager, the City Attorney, and the Municipal Court Judge. All other employees work either directly or indirectly under the direction of the City Manager.
Today Gonzales aggressively seeks to broaden its economic base. Local leaders take part in specialized training in leadership and economic development. Seizing on its history, the City is a graduate city of the Main Street Program, which is designed to restore and revitalize the downtown business district.
The Tourism Committee, under the leadership of the Gonzales Chamber of Commerce, is actively involved in promoting the many historic sites, museums, and events that promote the ambiance of the town and encourages visiting the area.
Independence Park lies along the Guadalupe River among beautiful pecan shade trees. The park includes four covered pavilions, a nine-hole golf course, two little league baseball fields, a dual-court tennis facility, a basketball court, a four-field softball/baseball complex, a six-court volleyball complex, a 21-site R.V. park, and a 2.35 mile hike and bike trail.
The J. B. Wells, Jr. Park lies south of Independence Park across the Guadalupe River. The park includes a covered rodeo arena, large picnic pavilion, multi-purpose show barn, horse barn, hike and bike trails, and one hundred sixty R V hookups. Events held in the arena since its completion in August 2003 have been High School Rodeo, Cutting Horse, Roping, Concerts and many other events. Texas Youth Rodeo Association State Finals held their state finals in the park, as well as the Lone Star Youth and The Wrangler Junior High Rodeo Association. The J. B. Wells, Jr. Park enhances the area for out door recreation and many rodeo events.
The City of Gonzales Library is a public library with an inventory of 25,000 books, 1,600 videos, 700 books on tape, and 3,600 genealogy books. In 1998, the City of Gonzales and the Friends of the Library funded the automation of the card catalogue, except for the genealogy section. As part of the automation a network server and five (5) workstations were purchased to facilitate the utilization of the automation software via a Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Grant (TIF Grant). The public has access through a fractional T-1 and five computers. The City of Gonzales Public Library serves the local county as well as neighboring county patrons.
Gonzales County has long been a leader in agribusiness in Texas. During market fluctuations or weather cycles, Gonzales agribusiness has been a main stay for the community. Beef, poultry, and pecan production are the core agribusiness for our community. Other industries that have influenced the business environment of Gonzales include the oil industry, light manufacturing, and tourism.
Gonzales' economic diversity is reflected and strengthened by its cultural diversity. The ethnic and national groups blend in a friendly and industrious community with strong town values. As a reinforcement of this strength and variety, the Gonzales Independent School District has well-designed programs.
Gonzales has quality health care facilities with outstanding medical staff and equipment. The Gonzales Emergency Medical Service is staffed with certified personnel in emergency response and rescue/recovery. They maintain a very short response time to the city and the county serving 18,628 residents.
The central business district is comprised of buildings dating from the 1800's. A 'Pioneer Village' depicts life in the Gonzales Colony throughout the nineteenth century. An earthen fort, built during the American Civil War, still exists north of town. A pre-Civil War college is now used as a residence that will open by appointment to the public. Many other magnificent historic homes line the tree-shaded streets of the City.
Distance in Miles from:
Austin 62 Chicago 1,156 Houston 134 Los Angeles 1,426 New York 1,597 San Antonio 69
Population
Year City County 1930 3,859 28,337 1940 4,722 26,075 1950 5,659 21,164 1960 5,829 17,845 1970 5,854 16,375 1980 7,152 16,883 1990 6,527 17,205 2000 7,202 18,628
Workforce
Wage Rates for Manufacturing Occupations:
Occupation/ Job Title Entry Average Drill or Punch Press $8.63 $13.10 Forklift Operator $8.00 $9.89 Machinist $10.42 $16.94 Production Assembler $8.01 $13.42 Secretary $8.62 $13.57 Shipping $8.36 $12.98 Tool & Die Maker $14.00 $22.00 Welder $10.42 $15.51
Employment in Gonzales County:
Labor Force 10.432 Unemployed 475 % Unemployed 4.6% Total Employed 9,957 * as of November 2008
Education
Public School Budget: $14,000,000.00 Average SAT Score: 951
Type of School # of Schools Enrollment Student/Teacher Ratio Elementary 3 1,352 16:1 Middle/Jr High 1 668 14:1 Senior High 1 657 13:1 Private 1 70 17:1
Area Universities and Colleges:
Austin Community College, Alamo Community College, Blinn College at Brenham, Blinn Jr. College at Schulenburg, Prairie View A & M University, Southwest Texas State University, Southwestern University, Texas Lutheran University, Trinity University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at San Antonio, Victoria Community College, Wharton County Junior College
Distance in Miles to:
Texas Lutheran College
32 miles
Southwest Texas State University
40 miles
Austin Colleges and University of Texas
62 miles
Victoria College Gonzales Campus Victoria College and University of Houston
65 miles
San Antonio Colleges and Universities
69 miles
State Industrial Job Training Available: Yes
Communications
Newspaper(s): The Gonzales Inquirer, The Gonzales Cannon Radio Stations: KCTI AM/FM Cable Television: Yes Number of Channels with Cable: 53
Incentives
Tax Abatement: Yes Enterprise Zone: Yes Industrial Foundation: Yes
Other Incentives: Public Protection Class (PCC) 6; County Revolving Fund, Land, Asst. in Funding & Job Training
Tax Structure
Ad Valorem Property Tax ($100 of Value):
City 0.2603 County 0.6450 School 1.1083 Hospital District 0.1975 Fire District 0.0240 EMS 0 .0660 County Underground Water Protection District 0.0114
General Obligation: $0.00 City Annual Taxable Retail Sales: $1,849,142 Aggregate Appraisal Value: $200,740,120.00 Bond Revenue: -0- Bonding Rating: AAA
Retail Sales Tax:
State City County 6.25% 1.50% 0.50%
Transit Time
Transit Time for Carload/ Truckload Lots to:
City Days by Motor Freight Days by Railroad Atlanta 3 6 Chicago 4 6 Denver 2 6 Kansas City 2 4 Los Angeles 4 7 New York 5 10 Phoenix 4 4 San Jose 5 9 Seattle 5 10 St. Louis 3 5
Transportation
Highways:
Federal: US-90, US-183 State: TX-97 Interstate: IH-10 Distance to Interstate: 14
Common Carriers:
Overnight Courier Service: 2 Highway Bus Service: None Interstate Carriers: 12 Intrastate Carriers: 2 Local Terminals: 1
Air Service:
Location: U.S. 183 North Runway Length: 3,200 Surface: Asphalt Lighting: Yes Instrument Landing System: No Taxi Available: No Car Rental: No Nearest Commercial Service: Austin/Bergstrom International
Airlines Serving: American, America West, Conquest, Continental, Delta, Southwest, TWA, United, US Air, Northwest
Railroads:
Served by: Union Pacif (main)/ Tx Gonzales Northern Railway Piggyback Ramp: No Interchange Point: Yes
Industrial Support Services
Service Distance Town Corrugated Containers 65 San Antonio Solid Waste Disposal 65 San Antonio Heavy Hardware Local Gonzales Heat Treating 17 Luling Electric Motor Repair Local Gonzales Materials Recycling Local Gonzales Tool & Die Maker 14 Shiner Welding Supplies Local Gonzales
Community Features
General
Government (type): Council/ Manager Planning Commission: No Zoning Regulations: Yes Local Insurance Key Rate: .22
Financial
Banks: 4 (Combined Assets: $1,770,000,000)
Government
Firemen Paid: 7 Firemen Volunteer: 35 Police Officers: 17 (Police Cars: 12)
Health Care
Clinics: 2 Dentists: 4 Doctors: 10 Hospitals: 1 (Beds: 42) Medical Staff: 24 Nursing Homes: 2 (Beds: 156) Ass't Living Centers 1
Emergency Medical Services
Emergency medical service is provided by six full time paid personnel and 21 volunteers. Three ambulances are equipped with basic life support units and medical intensive care capabilities. Rescue is undertaken by a rescue and recovery squad with an emergency rescue vehicle and 20 volunteers. The Gonzales E.M.S. unit is the designated training center for Gonzales County which provides public education, C.P.R. and EMS training.
Recreation
Bed & Breakfast: 3 Conference Facility: 1 (Largest Meeting Room: 500) Golf Courses: 1 Disc Golf 1 Hotels & Motels: 4 (Total Rooms: 140) Parks: 5 Restaurants: 20 Swimming Pools: 1 Tennis Courts: 5
Worship
Catholic: 2 Protestant: 15
Climate
Annual Average Temperature: 67 Monthly Average High Temperature: 92 Monthly Average Low Temperature: 41 Annual Average Precipitation: 32.7 inches Annual Average Snowfall: 0 inches Elevation: 292 feet Growing Season: 276 Days
Utilities
Electricity
City of Gonzales (distributor) GVEC (distributor) LCRA (wholesaler)
Water
Water Supplied by: City of Gonzales & Gonzales County Water Supply Corp. . Source of City Water: Surface Capacity of Water Plant: 4.5 MGD Average Consumption: 2.1 MGD Peak Consumption: 4.6 MGD Storage Capacity: 5.2 MG
Sewage Treatment
Type of Treatment: Primary - Activated Capacity: 1.5 MGD Current usage: 1.1 MGD
Natural Gas
Gas: Texas Gas Service . LPG: Valero
Telephone
Local Internet Provider Services Available: Yes
Name of System(s): Verizon and GVTC
Digital Switching: Yes ISDN: Yes Special Features: Call forwarding, Call waiting, 3 way calling, speed dialing
Economic Resources
Agricultural Products:
Cactus, Cattle, Corn, Eggs, Grain, Hay, Hens, Hogs, Mushrooms, Pecans, Turkeys
Minerals Produced:
Clay, Gas, Gravel, Oil, Sand
Tourism:
Historical Tours, Lakes, Living History Center, Museums, Ranch, Rivers, State park, Walking Tour
Major Area Employers
| Firm Name | Product | # of Employees | Union |
| Buddy's Natural Chickens | Chicken Processing | 100 | No |
| Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. | Milling & Hatchery | 140 | No |
| City of Gonzales | Government | 87 | No |
| Gonzales County | Government | 112 | No |
| Gonzales ISD | School District | 425 | No |
| Gonzales Healthcare System | Health Care | 250 | No |
| Gonzales Mfg. Co. | Duct & Boiler Manfacturer | 44 | No |
| Guadalupe Valley Elec. Coop. | Utility Cooperative | 135 | No |
| Holmes Foods | Chicken Processing | 390 | No |
| J-B Foods | Retail Grocery | 360 | No |
| Johnson Oil co. | Oil & Gas Business | 112 | No |
| Kactus Korral Inc. | Trucking | 75 | No |
| Kent Foods, Inc. | Milling & Hatchery | 25 | No |
| Kitchen Pride Mushroom Farm | Mushrooms | 60 | No |
| Purina Mills, Inc. | Feed & Seed | 45 | No |
| Southern Clay Products | Mineral Quarry | 160 | No |
| Tyson Hatchery & Mill | Milling & Hatchery | 100 | No |
| Wal-Mart | Retail Store | 99 | No |
