Golden, Texas
Unincorporated community in Wood County · Not an incorporated municipality
About Golden
Golden is an unincorporated community in Wood County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 156 in 2000.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Golden is governed
Golden appears to be an unincorporated community or a census-designated place, so it may have no city government of its own — services usually come from Wood County and its elected officials. The chart below is a generic template; readers can correct it if Golden does have local officials.
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0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Golden
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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History
The Golden area was settled initially as early as 1865. The community wasn't formally formed until the late 1870s when a sawmill was constructed by C.W. Tucker. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad was built through Golden in 1881 on its Greenville to Mineola line. The town was named after railway construction engineer John Golden. The railroad tie-cutting industry added to the local agrarian economy. By 1885, Golden had a post office, and the community had a population of 100 by 1890. That year, it had three churches and several businesses, including a shingle mill, a cotton gin, two sawmills, a vineyard, and a nursery. The population grew to 300 six years later. A bank opened in the city in 1907. The community had a population zenith of 650 in 1914 and boasted a telephone connection, and the Golden Rule, a community newspaper. By 1925, the population had dwindled to 400. The bank closed in 1931. The population continued to fall throughout the middle of the 20th century. In 1965, the railroad abandoned its line through Golden. The community thrived on growing watermelons and truck farming. The population from the 1960s through 2000 was reported as 156. There were four businesses and three churches in Golden in 1988. The number of businesses grew to 21 in 2000.
On October 24, 2010, an EF0 tornado struck Golden, uprooting some trees.
Two other newspapers that served the community were the Wood County Monitor and Mineola Monitor.
The Reneau building in the community was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
Sweet Potato Festival
Every fourth Saturday in October since 1982, the town hosts a Sweet Potato Festival. This celebration has been featured twice on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.