Umbarger, Texas
Unincorporated community in Randall County · Not an incorporated municipality
About Umbarger
Umbarger ( UM-bar-gər) is a census-designated place in Randall County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Umbarger had a population of 123. The community is part of the Amarillo, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Umbarger is governed
Umbarger 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 Randall County and its elected officials. The chart below is a generic template; readers can correct it if Umbarger does have local officials.
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0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Umbarger
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 origins of the community date back to the mid-1890s. In 1895, rancher S.G. Umbarger leased the site from the Houston and Great Northern Railroad survey lands. He purchased it two years later and established several businesses that catered to area settlers and travelers. The Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway established a switch near Umbarger's ranch in 1898. Although Umbarger sold his ranch and moved to nearby Canyon in 1900, the settlement retained its name.
As more land was made available to homesteaders, the community slowly began to grow. In 1902, a group of German Catholics from the Schulenburg area in south central Texas settled in Umbarger. The migration was pioneered by Pius Friemel. A general store that housed a post office opened soon after, followed by the creation of a public school district in 1904. Around the same time a Catholic missionary, Father Joseph Reisdorff, worked to attract other German families to the community. In 1908, both he and John Hutson, an Englishman who had speculated in land holdings around Umbarger, filed separate plans of settlement. The subsequent friction led to the building of two separate Catholic churches. Swiss immigrants settled in Umbarger from 1911 to the late 1920s. By that time, the business district was centered in Reisdorff's portion of Umbarger on the north side of the railroad tracks. Under the leadership of Father John J. Dolje, St. Mary's Church was moved to its present-day location.
Eighty people lived in Umbarger in 1930. The population grew to 150 by 1940. Umbarger's public school district consolidated with Canyon's in 1964. Its location near Amarillo and Canyon as well as its proximity to Buffalo Lake have contributed to the survival and growth of the community. Although it remains unincorporated, Umbarger is home to over 300 residents, several businesses, and a functioning post office (zip code: 79091).
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.