[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E32]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO TUX AND BOOTS BALL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HENRY CUELLAR

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 31, 2006

  Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the sesquicentennial 
of Atascosa County, which is a county in the 28th district of Texas and 
was founded in 1856. This year marks the 150th anniversary of 
Atascosa's beginnings and we will kick off a year long celebration at 
the annual Tux and Boots Ball on Saturday, January 28th in Pleasanton, 
TX.
  Mr. Speaker, Atascosa County is south of San Antonio on the Rio 
Grande Plain region of south central Texas. The first census taken in 
Atascosa County was in 1860 and counted 1,578 people. Today, Atascosa 
County's population is at more than 43,000 residents.
  The earliest schools in Atascosa County were organized around the 
time of the Civil War. By 1914, there were thirty-seven schools in the 
county. By the 1940s the school districts had begun to consolidate. The 
total number of persons over the age of twenty-five who had completed 
four years of high school rose from 1,300 in 1950 to 2,083 in 1960. In 
addition, the number of residents with some college rose from 395 in 
1950 to 473 in 1960. By the year 2000, when the census counted 38,628 
people living in Atascosa County, over 65 percent of residents age 
twenty-five and older had four years of high school. Agriculture, 
government services, and some light manufacturing are key elements of 
the area's economy. The largest communities in the County are 
Jourdanton, the county seat, and Pleasanton the county's largest town. 
Other communities include Poteet, Lytle, Charlotte, Christine, Leming, 
McCoy, and Peggy. Some of the County's wonderful attractions include 
the Poteet Strawberry Festival, the Jourdanton Days Celebration, and 
the Cowboy Homecoming and Rodeo in Pleasanton. As we look back on the 
last 150 years with pride, we also look forward to a promising future 
for Atascosa.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to honor Atascosa County on their 150th 
anniversary and all of their accomplishments.

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