Ballinger, Texas

Ballinger is a city in Runnels County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,619 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Runnels County. Downtown Ballinger features historic 1800s buildings with shops and restaurants.

History
Ballinger was founded in 1886. It was established when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built a railway west from Brownwood. Runnels City, the original county seat, campaigned for selection as the new railroad terminal, but the future site of Ballinger, five miles to the south, offered a better water supply.

The 1.7-square-mile area was laid out in large lots, with a courthouse square and public park set aside for future use. Santa Fe officials offered free property to anyone who would move a home from Runnels City to Ballinger and to any church that would erect a building.

The town was named in honor of William Pitt Ballinger, a Galveston attorney and stockholder of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe.

Ballinger was incorporated in 1892.

In 1911, Ballinger opened the Ballinger Carnegie Library, built with funds donated by Andrew Carnegie. By 1975, the building was in disrepair. The Ballinger Bicentennial Committee organized a renovation effort, and the library was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography
Ballinger is located at 31.73333°N, -99.95°W (31.7409, –99.9538). It is located in the transition zone from the Edwards Plateau to the Texas Southern Plains region of West Texas.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.7 km2, of which 0.005 sqkm, or 0.06%, is covered by water.

Ballinger is about 70 mi south of Abilene.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Ballinger has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,619 people, 1,449 households, and 860 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, 4,243 people, 1,578 households, and 1,093 families resided the city. The population density was 1,266.7 PD/sqmi. The 1,879 housing units averaged 560.9 per square mile (216.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 79.68% White, 2.14% African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 14.52% from other races, and 2.50% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 31.28% of the population.

Of 1,578 households, 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were not families. About 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and family size was 3.10.

In the city, the population was distributed as 26.9% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,129, and for a family was $31,393. Males had a median income of $24,207 versus $18,951 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,917. About 14.3% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 25.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The city is served by the Ballinger Independent School District and is home to the Ballinger High School Bearcats.

Notable people

 * David W. Guion, a widely performed classical composer and arranger of American folk music
 * Hal Underwood, a professional golfer, won the European Tour

Sports
Ballinger was home of the minor league baseball team the Ballinger Cats from the 1920s to its disbandment in the late 1950s. They were affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds from 1947 to 1950, as well with the bygone St. Louis Browns in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Notable Areas

 * The Olde Park Hotel is reported as haunted. According to one of the previous owners, Jeanette Findlay has identified 30 beings present in the hotel. The hotel's reputation has resulted in it appearing in paranormal television programming. As recent as 2019, it was visited by paranormal investigator and actor Chad Lindberg. The hotel is to be featured in the Travel Channel television show Fright Club, hosted by Jack Osbourne.

The natural park area is a former nine-hole golf course converted to a natural area with nature trails, ponds, hall creek and is adjacent to the Interurban Trail to the west and the Lakeview Trail to the east. A Master Plan for this area of the park was adopted in 2015.
 * The Ballinger Park is a 55 acre Park on the north and east shores of Lake Ballinger. This park houses a multipurpose sport complex, the Mickey Corso Community Clubhouse, a 42 acre natural park area and a boat launch. The sports complex consists of a full length multipurpose sports field used for baseball, softball and soccer. The playground amenities include two play structures and picnic tables.