Avery

History

The town was established in the 1870s. Avery is located on U.S. Highway 82, sixteen miles southeast of Clarksville in eastern Red River County. When the Texas and Pacific railroad was being constructed through the county in the 1870s, the managers of the railroad planned a station at the site and named it Douglass. Settlement in the community was slow because the surrounding area was so sparsely populated. When a correspondent of the Clarksville Standard newspaper visited Douglass in early 1881, he found a collection of families living in tents. Later that year, when Isaac Bradford and his partner opened their general store, a post office was established there, and the name of the town was changed to Isaca. In 1902 the name was changed to Avery, in honor of Ed Avery, the first railway station agent. In 1884, the population was estimated at thirty, and by 1896 it had increased to forty-eight. By 1900 Avery had three churches, a school, and a population of 176. During the first decade of the twentieth century, cotton ginning was an important local industry. By 1914, the town had two banks; a weekly newspaper, the Avery News, published by H. H. Morgan; and a population estimated at 500. The population reached its highest point in the late 1920s with a reported 800 residents, before declining sharply to a low of 300 in the early 1930s. Avery was incorporated before the 1940 census, when it reported 477 residents. The population subsequently remained relatively stable. The 1980 census recorded 520 residents, and in 1986 nine businesses were reported. In 1990 the population was 430. By 2000, the population increased to 462.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (3.06%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• AVERY SECONDARY
  High · AVERY · 183 students · 9.6:1 ratio
• AVERY EL
  Elementary · AVERY · 152 students · 10.1:1 ratio