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THORNDALE,
TEXAS
Milam County, Central
Texas S
30°36'45"N 97°12'16"W (30.612549, -97.204523)
Highway 79 and FM 486
26 Miles SW of Cameron the county
seat
12 Miles W of Rockdale
14 Miles E of Taylor
40 Miles NE of Austin
ZIP code 76577
Area code 512
Population: 1,302 Est. (2019)
1,336 (2010) 1,278 (2000) 1,092 (1990)
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Hotel Here › Rockdale
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History in
a Pecan Shell
The
name supposedly was given to the town by an employee of the International-Great
Northern Railroad around 1878. The man was either impressed by the
spiny vegetation or was making a joke at the town's expense. Either
way, the town was actually born three miles west of its present main
street.
Thorndale had a hotel and other essential businesses, but with the
arrival of the railroad most of the businesses noved to be near the
tracks. Thorndale had a population of 130 in 1884.
Thorndale was a shipping point for area farmers and by 1903 sixty-six
students were being taught by two teachers in one building. The Thorndale
Independent School District was formed in 1913.
The town incorporated in 1929 when 1,500 people called Thorndale home.
After the Great Depression it had declined to an estimated 1,000,
but it hadn’t yet bottomed out. In 1952 it was down to 851 but with
the opening of an aluminum plant in nearby Sandow,
Texas, it started growing, reaching 1,338 Thorndalites in 1988.
The 2000 census reported 1,278 people. |
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
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landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
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