In Plainview, everything has to do with agriculture. The number of banks located here mostly fulfill farm loans. Approximately eighty percent of the bank's business has to do with agriculture alone. Upon asking Mr. Turner what was grown here, he quickly replied, "Cotton is king." Hale county is one of the top five counties in the US for cotton production. (The beef business is very big here, second only to cotton.)
He offered that although the town itself is relatively small, it has a university. He followed this information with another surprising fact - Texas Tech was offered to Plainview first! Plainview turned down the opportunity. Wayland Baptist University, however, is located here. The land for this university was donated by one founding father. The university has a lot of influence on the city.
Mr. Turner also informed me that the town had been dry for over 100 years. Approximately four years ago the referendum passed that allowed the town to become wet - and even then there were only forty two votes between staying dry and becoming wet. What a close vote! Instead of causing controversy, with such a large divided stance on the matter, the town's citizens rallied together to make the best of it. They accepted it and no real grudges were held. Strong community ties in a town like this enable this to be possible.
Another interesting fact I learned of was the that the town was currently changing demographically. There is a certain flavor to the community that ties into its demographics. Mr. Turner informed me that the town was approximately fifty four percent hispanic and thirteen percent african american - the rest being predominantly white/non-Hispanic people. A lot of the families in the area have had relatives that have been living in Plainview for well over one hundred years! Everyone in the town is very friendly and accepting.
(If you are interested in other demogratic information, please click on this link : http://www.city-data.com/city/Plainview-Texas.html)
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