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59-784: From its inception in December 1973 to 1983, the Institute was housed in the Centennial School Building in Alpine, Texas . The Alpine Independent School District generously leased the facility to CDRI at the rate of $ 1.00 per year. In 1983, Centennial School was sold and the CDRI moved to Honors Hall on the campus of Sul Ross State University. While headquartered on the Sul Ross State University campus,

118-531: A Superior Court and Sheriff (as an officer of the court ), both located in a designated "shire town". Bennington County, Vermont has two shire towns; the court for "North Shire" is in the shire town Manchester , and the Sheriff for the county and court for "South Shire" are in the shire town Bennington. In 2024, Connecticut , which had not defined their counties for anything but statistical, historical and weather warning purposes since 1960, along with ending

177-658: A Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, Texas' 19th governor and later president of the new land grant college which became Texas A&M , it is now a member of the Texas State University System . The 600-acre main campus on the lower slopes of Hancock Hill contains 20 or so buildings, most designed in Classical Revival style, and all faced with red brick and white trim. The hillside gives fine views of

236-405: A campsite for cattlemen tending their herds between 1878 and the spring of 1882, when a town of tents was created by railroad workers and their families. Because the section of the railroad was called Osborne, that was the name of the small community for a brief time. The railroad needed access to water from springs owned by brothers named Daniel and Thomas Murphy, so it entered into an agreement with

295-447: A committee appointed by CDRI's Board of Directors. CDRI operations are funded through admissions, programs, tax-deductible contributions, annual memberships, the proceeds from special events, and short and long-term investments. Clayton Williams , a founding member of CDRI has, along with others, generously donated meaningful resources to the institute. A significant bequest from the estate of renowned biologist Roger Conant in 2005, and

354-410: A county seat may be an independent city surrounded by, but not part of, the county of which it is the administrative center; for example, Fairfax City is both the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia and completely surrounded by Fairfax County, but the city is politically independent of the county. When the county seat is in the independent city, government offices such as the courthouse may be in

413-485: A family was $ 31,658. Males had a median income of $ 27,720 versus $ 19,575 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 13,587. About 15.5% of families and 20.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over. Sul Ross State University began as a teachers' college in 1920, with its original campus in Alpine. Named for Lawrence Sullivan Ross ,

472-447: A high of roughly 6,200 was reached by 1976. In 1990, the population was down to 5,637. In 2000, the population grew modestly to 5,786 and 5,905 by 2010. The Holland Hotel , built during a brief mercury mining boom, was designed by Henry Trost , a distinguished regional architect. Today, it helps to anchor a traditional downtown of early 20th-century buildings still occupied by family-owned retailers and restaurants. The town sits on

531-676: A high plateau, in the Chihuahua Desert , with the Davis Mountains to the north and the Chisos Mountains to the south. Outcrops of ancient volcanic rocks spread to the northwest. Other layers of rocks have been exposed over time as the mountains were forced up and then eroded. The high elevation cools the desert air in the evenings. Alpine is located on U.S. Route 90 , approximately 26 miles (42 km) east of Marfa and 31 miles west of Marathon . According to

590-463: A hotel and rooming house, a livery stable, a butcher shop, and a drugstore, which also housed the post office. Alpine grew very slowly until Sul Ross State Normal College (now Sul Ross State University ) was opened in 1920. The development of Big Bend National Park in the 1930s and '40s spurred further growth. The population was estimated at only 396 in 1904, but by 1927, it had risen to 3,000. The 1950 census reported Alpine's population at 5,256, and

649-647: A major field of research in Chinese historical geography, especially from the 1960s to the 1980s. There are 1,355 counties in Mainland China out of a total of 2,851 county-level divisions. In Taiwan , the first counties were first established in 1661 by the Kingdom of Tungning . The later ruler Qing empire inherited this type of administrative divisions. With the increase of Han Chinese population in Taiwan,

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708-590: A multi-featured Nature Center and Botanical Gardens, from which research is conducted and educational programs are delivered to students and adult visitors alike. With the construction of its new Visitor Center in January 1998, the CDRI moved operations from the Sul Ross campus to its permanent home near Fort Davis where it has been open to the public year-round ever since. In August 2015, the Visitor Center

767-418: A separate similar bequest by Kathryn J. Gloyd in 2010, helped fund a permanent endowment which is managed by a Board committee. 30°33′36″N 103°50′28″W  /  30.560°N 103.841°W  / 30.560; -103.841 Alpine, Texas Alpine ( / ˈ æ l p aɪ n / AL -pyne ) is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County , Texas , United States. The population

826-725: A used bookstore, Re-Reads. Big Bend Regional Medical Center is a 25-bed facility. Inpatient and outpatient services are provided. Alpine is home to the Alpine Cowboys independent baseball team. A member of the Pecos League , the Cowboys play their home games at Kokernot Field . Alpine is also home to the high school football team the Alpine Fightin Bucks. The Bucks are a class 3A Division I high school football team. The Brewster County Courthouse and Jail

885-571: Is a memorial funded by the Big Bend Veterans for Peace . Each gravestone serves as a memorial for each individual soldier from Texas killed during the invasion and occupation of Iraq of the early 21st century. Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering , usually late February, is a celebration of the oral tradition of working cowboys in poetry, song, and music. Trappings of Texas , in April, is an exhibit and sale of custom gear and Western art held at

944-459: Is a private, nonsectarian, nonprofit school which serves grades pre-K through sixth. Alpine Christian School is a nondenominational Christian school serving grades pre-K through 12. The Museum of the Big Bend on the Sul Ross campus uses exhibits of Native American artifacts, cultural history, geology, paleontology, and Western art to introduce the visitor to the Big Bend region. Subjects include

1003-600: Is home to the Alpine Fightin' Bucks and Lady Bucks. Sports include football, volleyball, cross-country, girls' basketball, boys' basketball, powerlifting, track and field, baseball, softball, golf, athletic training, and tennis. Alpine hosts the Big Bend Mountain Ramble, a "mile-high cross country meet, the highest race in Texas", as well as high-school and junior-high relays. Alpine Montessori School

1062-409: Is known as the seat of its county. Generally, the county legislature, county courthouse, sheriff's department headquarters, hall of records, jail and correctional facility are located in the county seat, though some functions (such as highway maintenance, which usually requires a large garage for vehicles, along with asphalt and salt storage facilities) may also be located or conducted in other parts of

1121-611: Is well-supported by the taxpayers of Brewster County and the City of Alpine. The community institution has a staff, with additional work done by volunteers. Special programs, like a science club and computer learning, are aimed at users from preschoolers and teens to parents and retirees. The Alpine Public Library opened a facility in February, 2012, offering computer use with free Wi-Fi and access to online data, as well as traditional books, magazines, and other periodicals, CDs and DVDs, and

1180-687: The McDonald Observatory , perched atop Mt Locke at 6,790 feet. Nearby Marathon has the Gage Hotel; the historic hotel Limpia of Fort Davis ; Marfa with the Chinati Foundation Museum of Minimalist Art; the ghost town of Terlingua and the golf resort of Lajitas ; and the River Road, FM 170, a 120-mile scenic route through the majestic Rio Grande Valley between Presidio and the Big Bend parks. Museum of

1239-564: The Republic of China took over. There are 13 county seats in Taiwan, which function as county-administered cities , urban townships , or rural townships . In most of the United States , a county is an administrative or political subdivision of a state that consists of a geographic area with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The city, town, or populated place that houses county government

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1298-683: The Skyline and there is a resort sale publication called The Lajitas Sun . An FCC report in 1985 stated that while there was readership in the county for the San Angelo Standard Times and the Odessa American , "The two papers seldom carry articles covering the Alpine area." Begun by volunteers in 1947, the Alpine Public Library remains an independent entity with its own board of directors, though it

1357-466: The United States . An equivalent term, shire town , is used in the U.S. state of Vermont and in several other English-speaking jurisdictions, such as Venezuela . In Canada , the provinces of Ontario , Quebec , New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island , and Nova Scotia have counties as an administrative division of government below the provincial level, and thus county seats. In the provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia

1416-572: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12.1 km ), all land. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Alpine has a semiarid climate , BSk on climate maps. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 6,035 people, 2,886 households, and 1,414 families residing in the city. As of the 2000 census , 5,786 people, 2,429 households, and 1,435 families resided in

1475-560: The geology of the Desert, CDRI installed a geological exhibit on the highest point of the Institute’s site, named Clayton's Overlook. The exhibit allows for the disassembly of the 360° panorama presented by its mountain top location into eight individual views and provides a focal point for their re-assembly and integration as a visual representation, study, and explanation of the geology which controls that panorama. The display first focuses on

1534-399: The 2,429 households, 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were not families. About 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size

1593-539: The Big Bend has displays, a children's corner, and a gift shop on the campus of Sul Ross State University, giving background information on sights in the Big Bend region. Turner Range and Animal Science Center hosts several rodeos and horse shows during the year at the covered S.A.L.E. Arena. The facility is near the main campus of Sul Ross. Blue Creek Trail follows a hiking path, mostly along dry stream channels, passing towering rocks of vivid earth tones. Arlington Southwest Cemetery , located 4 miles east of Alpine,

1652-624: The Crossen Trachyte , a major mapping unit in the south of the range, and the Star Mountain Formation, another mapping unit but in the north of the range, can be seen. This is the only location in the whole of the range where their contact can be mapped. The Crossen extends to Crossen Mesa, 64 km to the south; the Star Mountain 50 km to the north. As seen from the pavilion, it is dramatically exposed in

1711-517: The Eastern Han dynasty , the number of counties increased to above 1,000. About 1400 existed when the Sui dynasty abolished the commandery level (郡 jùn), which was the level just above counties, and demoted some commanderies to counties. In Imperial China, the county was a significant administrative unit because it marked the lowest level of the imperial bureaucratic structure; in other words, it

1770-712: The Institute conducted its activities from Honors Hall (1983-1991), and later from the Barton Warnock Science Building (1991-1997). CDRI publishes a monthly newsletter which is distributed by e-mail, The Desert Newsflash which is distributed to nearly 5,000 recipients who sign up. Several years ago, CDRI staff helped write a weekly radio program, " Nature Notes ", which aired on KRTS , the National Public Radio affiliate in Marfa, Texas . To extend its goal of research and education to

1829-577: The Kokernot Lodge outdoor amphitheater. Fourth of July/Fiestas Barrios , July 4, parade, food, music, fireworks Viva Big Bend music festival, in July, more than 50 bands play at venues from Marathon to Marfa, Fort Davis to Alpine. County seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government , or capital city of a county or civil parish . The term is in use in five countries: Canada , China , Hungary , Romania , and

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1888-923: The Lobos, and play in the American Southwest Conference . Sul Ross was the founding home of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association in 1949. The Sul Ross Rodeo Club competes in 10 NIRA rodeos each year. The NIRA rodeo hosted in Alpine is a big event for the school and the community. Brewster County is within the Odessa College District for community college. Alpine Independent School District serves more than 1,000 local students attending Alpine Elementary School, Alpine Middle School, and Alpine High School, in classes from Pre-K, Kindergarten, and first through 12th grades. On

1947-477: The Murphys to change the name of the section and settlement to Murphyville in exchange for a contract to use the spring. In November 1883, the Murphys registered a plat for the town of Murphyville with the county clerk of Presidio County . The town's name was changed to Alpine on February 3, 1888, following a petition by its residents. At this time, a description of the town mentioned a dozen houses, three saloons,

2006-544: The Museum of the Big Bend. Big Bend Gem and Mineral Show , in April, is held at the Civic Center. Cinco de Mayo includes a parade, enchilada dinner, music and dancing, car show, and Grand Mercado at Kokernot Field. Alpine Cowboys professional baseball games take place at historic Kokernot Field. Theater of the Big Bend , for over 50 years, this local theater troupe has performed various plays and musicals at

2065-712: The Texas Education Agency report card for 2013–2014, the high school, with 277 students in grades 9–12, reached "Met Standard" overall, while receiving Distinction designations in mathematics, social studies, top 25% closing performance gaps, and postsecondary readiness. Notably, average class sizes in Alpine High are only about two-thirds the state average. The Middle School, with 309 students in grades 5–8, also reached "Met Standard", while receiving Distinction designations in mathematics and social Studies. School colors are purple and old gold. The high school

2124-947: The United States, followed by Towson , the county seat of Baltimore County, Maryland . Likewise, some county seats may not be incorporated in their own right, but are located within incorporated municipalities. For example, Cape May Court House, New Jersey , though unincorporated, is a section of Middle Township , an incorporated municipality. In some states, often those that were among the original Thirteen Colonies , county seats include or formerly included "Court House" as part of their name, such as Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia . Most counties have only one county seat. However, some counties in Alabama , Arkansas , Georgia , Iowa , Kentucky , Massachusetts , Mississippi , Missouri , New Hampshire , New York , and Vermont have two or more county seats, usually located on opposite sides of

2183-693: The area's Indian tribes, the Buffalo soldiers, the mining era, the stagecoach, the railroad, and the history of Big Bend National Park. The overview includes historic photographs and short videos. The building was constructed in 1937 with local stone. Funding came from the Texas Centennial Commission and the Works Progress Administration, a federal make-work program during the Depression. In 1985 KVLF-AM ,

2242-555: The center bay contains a doorway at ground level, set in a thin, barely protruding pavilion. The second-story windows are slightly taller than the first-floor openings, a trick of the eye making the two-and-a-half-story building seem even taller. The walls are topped by a pressed-tin entablature composed of a frieze and cornice. The mansard roof is marked by steeply hipped pyramidal towers with pressed-tin cresting. The interior retains exemplary pressed-tin ceilings and some original woodwork. A wooden staircase with Eastlake-type details rises to

2301-415: The city. The population density was 1,416.5 inhabitants per square mile (546.9/km ). The 2,852 housing units averaged 698.2 per square mile (269.9/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 79.19% White, 1.33% African American, 0.81% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 15.45% from other races, and 2.70% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 50.31% of the population. Of

2360-492: The cliffs of Star Mountain, 27 km away. Each of the panels found on Clayton's Overlook are also displayed in the Powell Visitor Center's lobby, to be studied before or after experiencing them at the summit, or to be enjoyed by those who are unable to see them outdoors. In two distinct but connected transactions, 1978 and 1984, CDRI purchased the 507-acre (2.05 km) tract. This site has been developed as

2419-418: The county, especially if it is geographically large. A county seat is usually an incorporated municipality . The exceptions include the county seats of counties that have no incorporated municipalities within their borders, such as Arlington County, Virginia , where the county seat is the entire county. Ellicott City , the county seat of Howard County, Maryland , is the largest unincorporated county seat in

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2478-420: The county. Examples include Harrison County, Mississippi , which has both Biloxi and Gulfport as county seats, and Hinds County, Mississippi , which has both Raymond and the state capital of Jackson . The practice of multiple county seat towns dates from the days when travel was difficult. There have been few efforts to eliminate the two-seat arrangement, since a county seat is a source of civic pride for

2537-470: The domes is on a fault located along its north edge (trap door laccolith?). The thrust of the display relates the view of the domes from the pavilion to the view presented in maps and cross sections, as well as the view presented by satellite images. Other displays at the pavilion take advantage of broader views of the Davis Mountains. For example, in the core of another of these domes, the contact of

2596-613: The general courtroom on the second floor. The adjoining Brewster County Jail is distinguished by a crenelated brick parapet wall, suggesting "a fortress-like impregnability". Alpine makes a central base for exploring area attractions: the Big Bend National Park , Big Bend Ranch State Park , Fort Davis National Historic Site , Davis Mountains State Park with its Indian Lodge, the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens , and

2655-401: The immediate area, where three igneous cored domes (diameters: 3 – 4 km) and other associated intrusions, including the igneous stock on which the pavilion itself sits, are well exposed. These domes are thought to be cored by laccoliths . The topography of the domes is variable, as is the degree of exposure of the actual intrusions; in fact, the only exposure of the intrusion coring one of

2714-625: The independent city under an agreement, such as in Albemarle , or may in be enclaves of the county surrounded by the independent city, such as in Fairfax . Others, such as Prince William , have the courthouse in an enclave surrounded by the independent city and have the county government, the Board of Supervisors, in a different part of the county, far from the county seat. The following counties have their county seat in an independent city: Bedford

2773-551: The number of counties also grew by time. By the end of Qing era, there were 11 counties in Taiwan. Protestant missionaries in China first romanized the term as hien . When Taiwan became a Japanese colony in 1895, the hierarchy of divisions also incorporated into the Japanese system in the period when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. By September 1945, Taiwan was divided into 8 prefectures ( 州 and 廳 ), which remained after

2832-481: The only radio station licensed in Brewster County, was in Alpine. An individual quoted in a Federal Communications Commission report stated that in daylight hours it was possible to get radio from Fort Stockton . The local daily paper is The Alpine Avalanche which has local news stories and advertisements, and it has almost no coverage of news outside of the area. Additionally Sul Ross students publish

2891-777: The state's area, has no borough government or borough seat. One borough, the Lake and Peninsula Borough , has its borough seat located in another borough, namely King Salmon in Bristol Bay Borough . In Louisiana , which is divided into parishes rather than counties, county seats are referred to as "parish seats". In New England , counties have served mainly as dividing lines for the states' judicial systems. Rhode Island has no county level of government and thus no county seats, and Massachusetts has dissolved many but not all of its county governments. In Vermont , Massachusetts , and Maine county government consists only of

2950-723: The term "shire town" is used in place of county seat. County seats in China are the administrative centers of the counties in the People's Republic of China . Xian have existed since the Warring States period and were set up nationwide by the Qin dynasty . The number of counties in China proper gradually increased from dynasty to dynasty. As Qin Shi Huang reorganized the counties after his unification, there were about 1,000. Under

3009-773: The town below and the surrounding mountain ranges. The Bar-SR-Bar brand of the college is whitewashed on stones high above. In 1981, students placed a desk on Hancock Hill and today visitors are invited to hike up to "sign the register". About 2,000 students attend here, many living in Lobo Village, which boasts 250 new apartment-style residence units. Both bachelor's and master's programs are available in fields such as biology, behavioral and social sciences, business administration, computer science and mathematics, education, geology, law enforcement, and vocational nursing. Sul Ross ranked number four in affordability among public universities according to U.S. News & World Report . It

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3068-416: The towns involved, along with providing employment opportunities. There are 33 counties with multiple county seats in 11 states: Alaska is divided into boroughs rather than counties; the county seat in these case is referred to as the "borough seat"; this includes six consolidated city-borough governments (one of which is styled as a "municipality"). The Unorganized Borough, Alaska , which covers 49% of

3127-544: The use of county seats in particular, will fully transition with the permission of the United States Census Bureau to a system of councils of government for the purposes of boundary definition and as county equivalents. Two counties in South Dakota , Oglala Lakota and Todd , have their county seat and government services centered in a neighboring county. Their county-level services are provided by Fall River County and Tripp County , respectively. In Virginia ,

3186-399: Was 3.04. In the city, the population was distributed as 24.3% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 23,979, and for

3245-431: Was 6,035 at the 2020 census . The town has an elevation of 4,462 feet (1,360 m), and the surrounding mountain peaks are over 1 mile (1.6 km) above sea level. A university, hospital, library, and retail make Alpine the center of the sprawling 12,000 square miles (3,108,000 ha) but wide open Big Bend area (combined population 12,500) including Brewster, Presidio , and Jeff Davis counties. The area had been

3304-518: Was built in 1887–1888 by Tom Lovett, a local contractor, who apparently designed the buildings, as well. Open to visitors, historic photographs are displayed in the great hall. The red brick courthouse is an example of the American Second Empire Style. The rectangular mass has five bays of paired round-arch window openings on the longer north and south facades. The shorter east and west facades have three bays. On three facades,

3363-603: Was dedicated as the Powell Visitor Center, in honor of a co-founder, Dr. Mike Powell, recognized botanist and Director of the SRSU Herbarium. Dr. Powell and his wife Shirley are still active with CDRI. Another co-founder, Dr. James Scudday has been recognized by CDRI by the forming and funding of an undergraduate scholarship fund for graduate science students, named the Scudday Scholarship Fund. Nominated students are selected and awarded scholarships by

3422-449: Was included in "The Nation's 30 Most Attractive Yet Affordable Campuses", published by AffordableSchools.net, based on its combined qualities of affordability and the beauty of the campus and surrounding area. Intercollegiate sports include men's and women's basketball, cross country, track and field, and tennis, along with men's baseball and women's softball, men's football and women's soccer, and women's volleyball. The teams are known as

3481-583: Was the lowest level that the government reached. Government below the county level was often undertaken through informal non-bureaucratic means, varying between dynasties. The head of a county was the magistrate , who oversaw both the day-to-day operations of the county as well as civil and criminal cases. The current number of counties mostly resembled that of the later years of the Qing dynasty . Changes of location and names of counties in Chinese history have been

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