New London, Texas

New London, Texas
City
New London, Texas
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Rusk
Area
• Total	8.6 sq mi (22.4 km2)
• Land	8.6 sq mi (22.4 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	551 ft (168 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	987
• Density	114.3/sq mi (44.1/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	75682
Area code(s)	903
FIPS code	48-51168
GNIS feature ID	1342494

New London is a city in Rusk County, Texas, United States. The population was 987 at the 2000 census.

On March 18, 1937, the London School Explosion killed in excess of three hundred people (most were children). This event led to the legal requirement in the United States that natural gas, which is normally odorless, be given an identifying smell.

File:New London, Texas Post Office.jpg

United States Post Office in New London, Texas

New London was originally known as just "London". However, as the US Post Office had already established a station at London, Texas in Kimble County, the town changed its name to "New London" in 1931.

Geography

New London is located at (32.256101, -94.931567).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.6 square miles (22 km²), of which, 8.6 square miles (22 km²) of it is land and 0.12% is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1970	899		—
1980	942		4.8%
1990	926		−1.7%
2000	987		6.6%
2010	998		1.1%
Est. 2014	999		0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 987 people, 352 households, and 268 families residing in the city. The population density was 114.3 people per square mile (44.1/km²). There were 388 housing units at an average density of 44.9/sq mi (17.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.59% White, 4.86% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 2.33% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.86% of the population.

There were 352 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,984, and the median income for a family was $36,979. Males had a median income of $27,981 versus $15,313 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,009. About 13.5% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The city of New London is served by the West Rusk Independent School District. A very small portion of the town is within the Overton ISD.

Notable people

• Dwayne Stovall, 1984 graduate of West Rusk High School; businessman in Cleveland, school board member, and Republican candidate for the United States Senate in the primary election scheduled for March 4, 2014.

In culture

The 2015 historical novel Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez depicts 1930s New London.

External links

• The Handbook of Texas Online article on New London, Texas
• New London's West Rusk Schools homepage
• Texas Bob's New London, Texas webpage
• William N. Grigg Jr.'s New London, Texas tragedy memorial
• Michael D. Ferguson 's New London Texas School Explosion webpage
• The London Museum of New London, TX webpage
• Pictorial history of New London, Texas