Bruceville-Eddy, Texas

Bruceville-Eddy is a small city located in the U.S. state of Texas. It sits in two counties, McLennan and Falls, with most of it in McLennan County. The city is part of the larger Waco area.

In the year 2020, the city had a population of 1,413 people, according to the census. While the majority of Bruceville-Eddy lies in McLennan County, a small part of it extends into Falls County to the south.

Geography

Bruceville-Eddy is found in the southwestern part of McLennan County. It is close to Interstate 35, about 18 miles south of Waco and 16 miles north of Temple. You can get to the town from Exit 315 at the southern end and Exit 318 at the northern end. Texas State Highway 7 goes east from Exit 315 for 22 miles to reach Marlin.

The city covers an area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²), and it is all land with no water parts.

History

The city of Bruceville-Eddy started as two small towns called Bruceville and Eddy. Both became train stations on the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad in 1882.

Bruceville was named after Lucien N. Bruce, who gave land for the train station. Many of its people moved from a nearby town called Mastersville. By 1900, Bruceville had about 289 people and several shops. It had its own school and a bank for many years.

Eddy was first called "Marvin" but was renamed to honor a railroad leader named Everett B. Eddy. By the mid-1880s, Eddy had around 150 people, along with stores, churches, a school, and a mill for grinding grain. The town grew quickly and had about 700 people in the 1890s. A bank opened there in 1901.

In 1974, Bruceville and Eddy joined together to become the city of Bruceville-Eddy. The population was around 1,038 in 1980 and grew to about 1,490 by the year 2000.

Demographics

2020 census

In 2020, Bruceville-Eddy had a population of 1,413 people and 412 families. The average age was 42 years. About 22% of the residents were younger than 18, and 17% were 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 107 males.

All of the city's residents lived in rural areas. There were 529 households, with 32% having children under 18. About 51% were married couples living together, 20% had a male householder without a spouse, and 23% had a female householder without a spouse. Around 21% of households were made up of individuals, and 11% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

There were 578 housing units, with 8% being empty. Of the occupied units, 76% were owned by the people living there, and 24% were rented. The rate of empty owned homes was very low at 0.2%, while 11% of rented homes were empty.

2000 census

In 2000, Bruceville-Eddy had 1,490 people, 543 households, and 432 families. The population density was 461 people per square mile. The racial makeup was mostly White at 90%, with small percentages of African American, Native American, Asian, and other races. About 10% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

Of the households, 37% had children under 18. About 65% were married couples living together, 9% had a female householder without a husband, and 20% were not families. Around 18% of households were made up of individuals, and 9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.7, and the average family size was 3.1.

The median household income was $36,089, and the median family income was $39,766. Males earned more on average than females. About 9% of families and 12% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 17% of those under 18 and 10% of those 65 or older.

Education

The city of Bruceville-Eddy has its schools run by the Bruceville-Eddy Independent School District. Both McLennan County and Falls County are part of the area served by McLennan Community College.

Notable person

Tony Duran (1945–2011) was a musician who played in Frank Zappa’s band.