Bristol, Texas

Bristol is a census-designated place in Ellis County, Texas, United States. The population was 668 at the 2010 census.[3]

Bristol, Texas
census-designated place
Nickname(s):  The Bluebonnet Capitol of Texas! (Shared name with Ennis, Texas.
Bristol
Coordinates: 32°27′18″N 96°34′02″W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Ellis
Area [1]
• Total	5.88 sq mi (15.2 km^2)
• Land	5.78 sq mi (15.0 km^2)
• Water	0.10 sq mi (0.3 km^2)
Elevation	486 ft (148 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	668
• Density	110/sq mi (44/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (Central)
ZIP code	75119
Area code(s)	972
GNIS feature ID	2586912[2]

Geography

Bristol is located along Farm to Market Road 660 in northeastern Ellis County, approximately six miles northeast of Palmer and eighteen miles northeast of Waxahachie.[4] It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.88 square miles (15.2 km²), of which 5.78 square miles (15.0 km²) is land and 0.10 square miles (0.26 km²) is water. From highway 660 it connects Bristol to Palmer, and Union Hill Rd connects Bristol to Ennis.[5]

History

Settlement of the area dates back to the 1840s by Joshua Brock. The community was first called Brockville and a post office operated under that name from 1854 to 1869. The name Brockville was due to Joshua Brock who was the town's first postmaster general. Later, the community was unofficially known as Heelstring.[4]

Years later, Captain Steven Mills came to the area and opened a store. Having done business in Bristol, England, he named the store Bristol and the community eventually adopted the name.[6] By 1890, Bristol had grown into a farming community of approximately 200 residents. The population peaked at around 300 in the early 1930s and declined thereafter. The community continues to serve as a supply and service center for area farmers and local beef ranches.[6]

In 2010, Bristol was defined as a census-designated place (CDP) by the U.S. Census Bureau. The boundaries include the original community of Bristol and surrounding areas.

Demographics

At the 2010 United States Census[7] there were 668 people, 239 households, and 188 families residing in the CDP. The racial makeup of the city was 91.2% White (81.4% Non-Hispanic White), 0.4% Native American, 2.8% African American, 0.1% Asian, 4.8% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.8% of the population.

Education

The Ennis Independent School District, Ferris Independent School District, and Palmer Independent School District each serve portions of the Bristol area.

Cemeteries

The small town has two cemeteries, the largest of the two is Bristol Baptist Cemetery ran by Bristol Baptist Church. The smallest of the two is Union Hill Cemetery. It served as a burial spot for Union soldiers during the Civil War. It had not been a burial area for many years until a veteran was buried there in 2007. It left a 50-year gap from when the last stone was laid for the Hogg Family in the 1950s.

References

-The History of Ellis County (Pub. 1970 on the postmaster edit.)

1. U.S. Census Archived 2012-01-24 at WebCite
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bristol, Texas
3. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Bristol CDP, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
4. "Bristol, Texas". The Handbook of Texas online. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
5. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Bristol CDP, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
6. "Bristol". Ellis County TXGenWeb. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
7. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved January 9, 2016.