Canadian, Texas

Canadian is a city in and the county seat of Hemphill County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,233 at the 2000 census. It is named for the Canadian River, a tributary of the Arkansas River, which flows through the Texas Panhandle and much of Oklahoma.

Geography

Canadian is located at (35.910701, -100.383760).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,233 people, 869 households, and 625 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,731.0 people per square mile (668.3/km²). There were 1,047 housing units at an average density of 811.6/sq mi (313.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.94% White, 0.22% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 9.00% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.76% of the population.

There were 869 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,929, and the median income for a family was $38,676. Males had a median income of $30,240 versus $17,083 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,384. About 12.3% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Canadian is served by the Canadian Independent School District.

The Abrahams of Canadian

The Abraham family has been influential in Canadian for four generations. Tom Abraham (1910-2007), an immigrant from Lebanon, owned the Fair Department Store, a business in Canadian originally begun by his father. Abraham, a graduate of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, was cited for his patriotic spirit and his work in helping immigrants to become American citizens. A generous benefactor, Abraham was once referred to in the Amarillo Globe News as "Santa Claus in Canadian".

Malouf Abraham, Sr. (1915-1994), Tom Abraham's younger brother, was mayor of Canadian from 1953--1957, a nonpartisan position, and a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1965-1969. In time, all the Abrahams moved into the Republican Party, as it became the majority in the Panhandle. Malouf Abraham, who was born in Canadian, made a fortune in oil and natural gas properties and like his brother Tom was a generous philanthropist to various educational and civic causes in the Texas Panhandle region.

Malouf Abraham, Jr. (born 1939), is a retired allergist in Canadian who now is a major patron of the arts. There is a Malouf Abraham art endowment at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview. Abraham, Jr., is meanwhile building a 14,000-square-foot house and art museum in Canadian to be called "The Citadelle". He and his wife, the former Therese Browne of North Carolina, have three sons. One, Salem Andrew Abraham, is a large-scale futures trader based in Canadian. Two others are prosperous ranchers in Hemphill County.

References

External links

• Canadian's Homepage