Walnut Springs, Texas

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Walnut Springs, Texas
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
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image_

mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Walnut Springs, Texas

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mapsize1 = 250px
map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Texas
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Bosque

government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
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established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 3.5
area_land_km2 = 3.5
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 1.3
area_land_sq_mi = 1.3
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 755
population_density_km2 = 218.7
population_density_sq_mi = 566.4

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 278
elevation_ft = 912
latd = 32 |latm = 3 |lats = 30 |latNS = N
longd = 97 |longm = 44 |longs = 57 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 76690
area_code = 254
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 48-76348GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1349451GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Walnut Springs is a city in Bosque County, Texas, United States. The population was 755 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Walnut Springs is located at coor dms|32|3|30|N|97|44|57|W|city (32.058353, -97.749190)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 755 people, 262 households, and 190 families residing in the city. The population density was 566.4 people per square mile (219.2/km²). There were 312 housing units at an average density of 234.1/sq mi (90.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.95% White, 1.32% Native American, 8.08% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.08% of the population.

There were 262 households out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.46.

In the city the population was spread out with 33.0% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 103.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,598, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $24,643 versus $14,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,332. About 19.7% of families and 30.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.7% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Walnut Springs is served by the Walnut Springs Independent School District.

Local item of interest: Walnut Springs, Texas, Mystery "Airport"

December 31, 2007 notes:

A few miles south of Walnut Springs, behind significant hills on the west side of the site, and dense foliage on the east side, lies what appears to be an abandoned airport. Terrain and foliage, plus relative distance from highway TX-144 on the west side, and highway TX-927 on the east side, prevent unrestricted viewing of the location.

The facility is not marked as abandoned (magenta circle with an "x" centered on the circle) on any VFR sectional, or, any other aerial navigation map, unlike other abandoned or closed airports across the world, and by ICAO convention (International Civil Aviation Organization).

However, online photography does show both "runways" on site (there is a large, main runway of about 6,000 feet in length, and a smaller, slightly fan-shaped surface of about 1,500 feet in length), marked with what appears to be FAA-standard yellow "x" markings, indicating the surfaces are abandoned runways, but are unusable, unsafe, or both.

The physical location is inside a rough triangle that is composed of the cities of Walnut Springs, Morgan, and Meridian. The latitude and longitude is N 32.02536, W -97.67854, respectively. The mystery airport is not the Diamond Seven Ranch private airstrip, located north-northwest of Morgan.

The site is easily found on all free mapping web sites. Microsoft TerraServer USA and Google Maps have the best photography of the location yet found. All roads leading to the location are closed with green-painted US Government gates, and "No Trespassing" signs abound. The described signage is true for the entrance from TX-927, and TX-144. January 1, 2008 Update:

Overnight research and correspondence has provided a potential explanation for this location's "mystery" airport.

Apparently, the site is a either a former, or still active, testing location for cross-section reflectivity of different types of ground- and aircraft-based radar. The relative proximity of the Ft. Worth, Texas, military/industrial manufacturing base may have a bearing on the facility. The facility is not a runway for aircraft, in the conventional sense.

Several similar locations can be found in California and Florida.

References

External links