Willis, Texas

Willis is located at 30°25′22″N 95°28′44″W (30.422640, -95.478829).[6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), all of it land.

Willis Cigar Factory. Texas Historic Marker, N. Bell St., Willis, TX

Before the founding of Willis, most residents in the area lived in a settlement known as Danville, formed four miles west of present-day New Waverly in the 1830s.[7] A few Danville residents in the 1850s settled south of Danville in what is now Willis.[8] Several of these early Danville residents were large slave plantation owners.[8] About 600 of the estimated 1,000 early Danville residents in the 1850s were slaves.[7] After the Civil War, many recently freed slaves lived in the Willis area, establishing Thomas Chapel United Methodist Church in 1867, the oldest church in Willis.[8]

In 1870, The Houston and Great Northern Railroad (now the Union Pacific Railroad) decided to build a railroad through Montgomery County. After residents of Danville refused to allow the railroad to be built through their town, Peter J. and Richard S. Willis donated a parcel of their landholdings in Montgomery County so that the railroad could travel through it, founding the town of Willis in the process.[7][8][9] Upon the railroad's completion in 1872, many residents of the surrounding communities of Danville, Old Waverly, and Montgomery moved to the new town of Willis.[9][8]

In 1874, a county election was held to determine whether the county seat of Montgomery County should be transferred from the town of Montgomery to Willis.[8][9] Although Willis received more votes (788 to 646), Willis did not receive the requisite two-thirds majority, so the county seat remained officially in Montgomery.[8] A protracted legal battle ended in 1878 when the Supreme Court of Texas ruled in favor of Montgomery.[8] With several county officials and Willis residents refusing to accept the results, another county seat election was held in 1880, with Montgomery winning the vote over Willis 1308 to 1243.[8] The dispute between the two towns finally ended in 1889, when Conroe was selected as the county seat.[8][10]

In the 1870s, the main occupations were farming, shipping, and the manufacture of lumber and agricultural products.[9] In 1891, local Willis residents start growing Cuban tobacco, turning Willis into a hub for the production of cigars and other tobacco products.[8][9] During the early years of the Great Depression, Willis suffered from falling demand in lumber products and a sharp decline in the demand for tobacco products.[9] The economy began to recover in 1931 during the Texas oil boom, when oil was discovered in the area.[9] In the 1930s and 40s, the development of U.S. Route 75 along with the recovery of the lumber industry during World War II fully revitalized the local economy.[9][8] In the mid to late 20th century through the present, agriculture and lumber remain vital components of the Willis economy, in addition to the retail, service, and manufacturing industries.[11][9]

As of the 2010 United States Census,[13] there were 5,662 people, 1,782 households, and 1,340 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 56.7% White, 18.2% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 20.1% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38.0% of the population.

There were 1,782 households, out of which 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 25.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.10 and the average family size was 3.55.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 33.3% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.

According to the 2015 American Community Survey, The median income for a household in the city was $36,640, and the median income for a family was $38,244. Males had a median income of $26,320 versus $18,036 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,122. About 15.6% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 42.6% of those age 65 or over.

• Tina Chandler, IFBB professional bodybuilder
• Michael Bishop, former professional football player[25]
• Cliff Young (1964–1993), professional baseball player[26]
• Jessie Hollins (1970–2009), professional baseball player[27]
• D.D. Terry, professional football player[28]
• Marcus Luttrell, Navy SEAL[29]

• City of Willis, Texas.
• Willis Independent School District.