Texas Almanac 2012–2013

Preface

Preface W ith the publication of the 66th edition of the Texas Almanac, there are many people to thank for various aspects of this work. We first want to thank Willie Nelson for his kindness in allowing us to use his likeness on the cover. Our friend Carl Cornelius, mayor of Carl’s Corner and friend of Willie’s, served as a go-between, arranging the permission for us to use Willie’s image on the cover. We thank both Willie and Carl for their enthusiasm for this project. We also thank artist Lamberto Alvarez for creating the extraordinary painting of Willie Nelson and then donating the image for use on the cover and in marketing materials. (See “About the Cover,” below.) Since converting the Almanac to a four-color book with the 2006–2007 edition, there has been much emphasis on running as many photographs from around the state as we can fit. Associate Editor Robert Plocheck has taken many beautiful photos on his frequent travels to all corners of Texas. We also are indebted to many others who have contributed photos. We thank Dr. Ron Billings of the Texas Forest Service for the many photos he has allowed us to use from his travels to Texas State Forests, as well as to many cities, towns, and rural settings across Texas. We appreciate the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the generous use of their beautiful photos of our wonderful state parks. These gorgeous photos offer inspiration to visit as many of our treasured state parks as possible. Many thanks to the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve for submitting several photos of lovely scenes along the Texas Gulf Coast, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for some incredible shots of wildlife, and the USDA for several great photos used in the Agriculture section. Each edition of the Almanac includes a wealth of updated facts, figures, and articles. We have hundreds of sources who submit updated information for each edition, including state agencies, county and city officials, and business representatives. As always, we are very appreciative of the time it takes them to prepare and submit their updated information. One of the surveys we send out every two years goes to the 1,215 mayors of Texas, seeking the names of newly elected mayors and the city managers. The surveys are mailed in May after the mayoral elections and then come flooding back in during the next few weeks for input in the Local Government section. It’s a big job, and since I have been editor, beginning with the 2004–2005 edition , I have had help from my daughter, Veronica Alvarez, with inputting all of those names. Once again, with this edition, she spent much time opening and sorting surveys, and updating names. I thank her very much for her time and accuracy in this incredibly detailed project. We hope all Texas Almanac readers will also visit our newly redesigned website at www.TexasAlmanac.com. The website includes the Almanac’s Searchable Texas Town Database,© new County and Town data pages, articles from past Almanacs, and links to all Texas Almanacs from 1857 through 2004–2005: www.TexasAlmanac.com/archive. The Almanac Archive will soon contain all other editions, as well. Lastly, thank you to all of the Almanac readers who have purchased this edition. We appreciate you and hope you enjoy the new Texas Almanac. Lamberto Alvarez photo Elizabeth Cruce Alvarez Editor, 2011 About the Cover T he painting gracing the cover of this edition of the Texas Almanac was created by artist Lamberto Alvarez of Southlake, Texas. Lamberto, in addition to being my husband, is an artist and illustrator who has spent his life creating beautiful and meaningful works of art for publications, businesses, and private art lovers. His start as an artist and photographer in the newspaper industry gave him a sense of the newsworthiness of people and events. His evolution into the world of fine art took him into the realm of portrait painting, abstracts, landscapes, and experimentation with a wide variety of media, including concrete. The combination of his news background and fine art instincts are what led Lamberto to create the painting of Willie Nelson that is on the cover. When he met Willie for the first time at Carl’s Corner in Hill County, Lamberto was taking photographs and sensed the historic nature of the event where Willie was opening Willie’s Place at Carl’s Corner, an entertainment business...