Nordheim, Texas
City in the United States in DeWitt County
About Nordheim
Nordheim is a city in DeWitt County, Texas, United States. The population was 336 at the 2020 census.
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How Nordheim is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Nordheim
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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Population over time
From 307 in 2010 to 336 in 2020 (+9.4%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 336 |
| 2010 | 307 |
History
Nordheim was founded in 1895 as a railway siding known as Weldon Switch along the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway. The area became a settlement primarily of German immigrants. H. Runge and Company—owning much of the surrounding area—along with other local figures laid out the townsite. In 1896, the community was renamed after Nordheim, Baden-Württemberg the German hometown of Runge’s president, William Frobese.
By the turn of the century, the town had developed essential services and infrastructure, including stores, a cotton gin, a school, a Lutheran church, and telephone and telegraph connections. The arrival of the Davy Crockett passenger train line in 1901 allowed for the construction of a town passenger depot. One year later, in 1902 a local newspaper named The Nordheim View was launched. A hotel and a bank soon followed, and Nordheim became a hub for shipping cotton, poultry, and other crops. Social life centered around German clubs and organizations such as the Schuetzen Verein shooting club and the Nordheim Brass Band. Beginning in 1906, Local poultry growers and cotton, truck-crop, and lumber shippers were garnering praise in the nearby town newspaper the Cuero Star, describing German farmers of Nordheim as a “better class”. Between 1902 and 1915 the community’s population climbed significantly—alongside eight saloons—prompting incorporation in 1917 when state law restricted unincorporated towns from licensing alcohol outlets. In 1922 Ku Klux Klan from nearby town Runge had threatened to violently protest the Nordheim Silver Jubilee, in reaction to the presence of alcohol and gambling. Nordheim locals had responded claiming they would be “ready to meet the challenge”, causing the Ku Klux Klan back down.
The Nordheim Independent School District formed in 1927 through the consolidation of rural schools—full accreditation followed by 1946. On May 6, 1930, a cyclone struck, killing and injuring several townspeople; emergency supplies arrived by air. Though the Great Depression and storm damage led to business closures and an exodus of residents, the 1934 discovery of oil and gas provided new employment. Through the mid-20th century, Nordheim slowly rebuilt its commercial base and residential neighborhoods. In 1952 the local paper relocated and became the DeWitt County View, printed in Yorktown.
In the decades that followed, the town’s population and number of businesses declined; its last cotton gin closed in 1970. Yet German cultural traditions endured: the Schuetzen Verein hall remained in use into the late 1980s, May Fest and Harvest Fest continued, and the brass band—long lauded as Texas’s oldest continuously active German ensemble—played until shortly after 1972. A museum honoring local history opened in the fire station in April 1986. The town also gained cinematic fame when Paris, Texas filmed scenes there in 1984.
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