Cleveland, Texas
| Cleveland | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| City of Cleveland | |
 |
|
| Nickname(s): C Town | |
 Location in the state of Texas |
|
 |
|
| Coordinates: 30°20′42″N 95°05′01″W / 30.34500°N 95.08361°WCoordinates: 30°20′42″N 95°05′01″W / 30.34500°N 95.08361°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Liberty |
| Incorporated | 1935 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.8 sq mi (12.5 km2) |
| • Land | 4.8 sq mi (12.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 150 ft (45.7 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 7,605 |
| • Density | 615.8/sq mi (238.9/km2) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 77327-77328 |
| Area code(s) | 281/346/713/832 |
| FIPS code | 48-15436 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1381199 |
| Website | Official website |
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area and Liberty County. The population was 7,954 at the 2010 census.
In 1854, a church and convent was built by Father Peter La Cour near the town's present site.
The town began forming in 1878 when Charles Lander Cleveland, a local judge, donated 63.6 acres (257,000 m2) of land to the Houston East & West Texas Railway (now part of the Union Pacific Railroad) for use as a stop, requesting that the town be named for him. Since 1900 Cleveland has served as the junction of this line and the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe (now the BNSF Railway). The town was not incorporated until 1935.
The forests around Cleveland, including Sam Houston National Forest, which is located just to its north, are a resort for many inhabitants of the Houston area, who come to camp, hike, hunt, and fish. Cleveland has several historic sites and public recreational facilities, including two parks. The Austin Memorial Library Center offers a wide range of services to the community, and the Texan Theater and the annual livestock show and rodeo, Dairy Days, provide entertainment. Commercially, Cleveland has been a shipping point for timber, lumber, and lumber byproducts since the 1870s. A large medical community, oil, gas, cattle, farm products, and sand and gravel are important to the town's economy. The general trend toward urbanization of the entire area is reflected by the fact that in 1965 Liberty County was added to the Houston Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of Cleveland grew from 1,200 in 1930 to 7,605 according to the census of 2000.
In 2011, 19 suspects were arrested for repeated gang rapes of an 11-year-old girl after identification from cell phone video they recorded of one incident. It was suspected that more may have been involved. The incident, which was reported in the national media, caused much consternation and division in the town. Relatives of the alleged child rapists and some other citizens were quoted in early media reports blaming the victim, and the victim's family was harassed, but the New York Times was also criticized for presenting the town's reaction with an overly negative slant. and the Times subsequently published a clarification.
Ultimately, 21 persons were charged in the case. Two suspects requested jury trials. They were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison (in one case) and 99 years in prison (in the other). Eleven pled guilty to sexual assault of a child and received 15-year sentences; one pled guilty to indecency with a child by exposure and received a seven-year sentence. The seven juveniles involved in the rapes all entered guilty pleas and received seven years of probation.
...
Wikipedia