History:
Old Winkler County Courthouse in Kermit, 1910
Kermit began as a supply center for the scattered ranches of the area. Kermit became the seat of Winkler County when the county was organized in 1910. The first public school and the post office opened the same year. The town's namesake, Kermit Roosevelt, once visited the T Bar Ranch in northern Winkler County to hunt antelope a few months before the town was named. In 1916 the county suffered a drought. Many homesteaders and ranchers were forced to leave. In 1924 only Ern Baird's family remained in the town. Only one student attended school in the county for five months of 1924. Only three houses and the courthouse were in use by 1926. On July 16, 1926, however, oil was discovered in Hendrick oilfield, near Kermit, and the town experienced a boom. In 1927 a population of 1,000 was reported; by 1929 that number increased to 1,500. On March 4, 1929, the Texas-New Mexico Railway reached the town.
The population declined drastically in the early 1930s, but both population and business figures rose at the end of the 1930s, when 2,700 residents and 180 businesses were listed. On February 15, 1938, residents voted to incorporate. During the 1940s the oil boom caused real estate prices to double. Housing was scarce, and some people lived in tents. A bank was opened by 1945. The grade school had to be enlarged, and a hospital was built. In the 1950s the town continued to grow; housing additions were built. By 1960 the city had a population of more than 6,000 and 215 businesses. Flooding became a problem because of the flat terrain. By the 1960s Kermit had a population of 10,465 people and had 260 businesses. New crown streets were constructed to solve the flooding problem, and more housing additions were built. The town moved the last working wooden derrick in the Permian Basin from Loving County to Pioneer Park in Kermit in 1966 as a symbol of the importance of the oil industry to the economy of Kermit and Winkler County. In the 1970s and 1980s the population of Kermit bounced between 8,500 and 6,912, and the number of businesses moved between 200 and 116. Improvements were made in city services, and more housing additions were built. The 1990 United States census set the population of Kermit at 6,875.
Geography:
Kermit is located at 31°51′21″N 103°5′39″W / 31.85583°N 103.09417°W / 31.85583; -103.09417 (31.855762, -103.094173).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), all of it land.
View of Kermit from the air.
Demographics:
At the 2000 census, there were 5,714 people, 2,097 households and 1,585 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,288.3 per square mile (882.5/km²). There were 2,592 housing units at an average density of 1,038.0/sq mi (400.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.65% White, 2.05% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 22.52% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 47.83% of the population.
There were 2,097 households of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.18.
Age distribution was 29.9% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median household income was $29,143, and the median family income was $31,690. Males had a median income of $29,596 versus $18,380 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,949. About 15.7% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.8% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education:
The City of Kermit is served by the Kermit Independent School District.
Notable persons born or living in Kermit:
William Frankfather - actor
Tryon D. Lewis - Texas state representative; former district court judge
Jay Thomas - Emmy winning actor, raised in New Orleans
Jim Sharp - Two (2) time PRCA World Champion Bull Rider
Trivia:
Kermit is the home town of NBC drama Heroes character Meredith Gordon as seen in the season one episode "The Fix".
Kermit is a popular destination for 4x4 enthusiasts due to its proximity to sand dunes and challenging off-road obstacles.
External links:
City of Kermit website
Winkler County website
Texas Escapes website
Kermit ISD website
Muppet wiki
Heroes wiki
Video by ConfederatePride0
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