| Crane, Texas | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Texas |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Crane |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 2.68 |
| Area Land Km2: | 2.68 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.03 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.03 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 3478 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation M: | 785 |
| Elevation Ft: | 2575 |
| Coordinates: | 31.3931°N -102.3508°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 79731 |
| Area Code: | 432 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 48-17516[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1355307[3] |
Crane is a city in and the county seat of Crane County, Texas, United States.[4] Its population was 3,478 as of 2020. An oil boomtown since the 1920s, Crane is still in the center of a prominent oil-producing region. It is the only significant town in sparsely populated Crane County, and contains the only post office in the county.
While the post office dates from 1908, the discovery of oil in 1926 in the Permian Basin brought in enough fortune-seekers to populate a town. Streets are named for the children of O.C. Kinnison, the realtor who drew up the town map. By 1930, Crane was a full-fledged boomtown, with churches and private businesses operating next to the more nefarious elements of frontier life. As in other oil boomtowns, development of services lagged behind temporary dwellings for the workers, although paved roads and other basic infrastructure were added following incorporation in the early 1930s.
Peak population as reported by the U.S. Census was in 1960 at 3,796, and it has declined slightly since, although the town remains the center for serving the oil fields in Crane County.[5]
The Museum of the Desert Southwest, the area's museum of local history, is operated by the Crane County Historical Commission.[6]
Crane is located in eastern Crane County at (31.392949, –102.350751).[7] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7km2, all land.[8]
The main highway through Crane is U.S. Route 385, which leads north to Odessa and south to McCamey.
As is typical for the region, Crane has a hot semiarid climate (Köppen BSh) with hot to sweltering summers with occasional thunderstorms and pleasant, dry winters with cold to freezing mornings.
| White (NH) | 960 | 27.6% | |
| Black or African American (NH) | 68 | 1.96% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 12 | 0.35% | |
| Asian (NH) | 14 | 0.4% | |
| Some other race (NH) | 1 | 0.03% | |
| Mixed/multi-racial (NH) | 56 | 1.61% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,367 | 68.06% | |
| Total | 3,478 |
As of the census of 2000, 3,191 people, 1,096 households, and 865 families resided in the city. The population density was 3129.7sp=usNaNsp=us. The 1,278 housing units averaged 1,253.5 per square mile (483.8/km). The racial makeup of the city was 28.11% White, 3.01% African American, 0.97% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 19.43% from other races, and 2.70% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos were 45.41% of the population.
Of the 1,096 households, 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were not families. About 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.35.
In the city, the population was distributed as 32.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,774, and for a family was $36,386. Males had a median income of $32,250 versus $18,086 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,776. About 13.0% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.
The city is served by the Crane Independent School District and is home to the Crane High School Golden Cranes.