[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 21 (Friday, February 17, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E182-E183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TRIBUTE TO THE SESQUICENTENNIAL OF ATASCOSA COUNTY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HENRY CUELLAR

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 16, 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 28, 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 37 schools in the county. By 
the 1940s the school districts had begun to consolidate. The total 
number of persons over the age of 25 who had completed 4 years of high 
school rose from 1,300 in

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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 25 and older had 4 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 Campbelton, 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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