Vidor, Texas
City in the United States in Orange County
About Vidor
Vidor ( VY-dər) is a city in western Orange County, Texas, United States. A city of Southeast Texas, it lies at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Farm to Market Road 105, 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Beaumont and Rose City. The town is mainly a bedroom community for the nearby refining complexes in Beaumont and Port Arthur and is part of the Beaumont-Port Arthur metropolitan statistical area. Its population was 9,789 at the 2020 census.
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How Vidor is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Vidor
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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- Website
- cityofvidor.com
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Population over time
From 10,000 in 2000 to 9,789 in 2020 (−2.1%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 9,789 |
| 2010 | 10,579 |
| 2000 | 10,000 |
History
The area was heavily logged after the construction of the Texarkana and Fort Smith Railway that was later part of a line that ran from Kansas City to Port Arthur, Texas. The city was named after lumberman Charles Shelton Vidor, owner of the Miller-Vidor Lumber Company and father of director King Vidor. By 1909, the Vidor community had a post office, and four years later, a company tram road was built. Almost all Vidor residents worked for the company. In 1924, the Miller-Vidor Lumber Company moved to Lakeview, just north of Vidor, in search of virgin timber. A small settlement remained, and the Miller-Vidor subdivision was laid out in 1929. Vidor was incorporated in 1960.
Historically, Vidor has been described as a sundown town, a term used to describe racially homogeneous communities, specifically all-white towns, that have shown hostility to people of other races after sunset. Vidor's segregated public-housing practices were formally abolished in 1993 after U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice issued an order to desegregate 36 counties in Texas, which included public housing in Vidor. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) responded by hosting rallies in support of an all-white Vidor, though some citizens protested the anti-black coalition; church leaders held a well-attended prayer rally in opposition to the KKK hatred. After four black families moved into the complex, the residents suffered racial threats, including a bomb threat to the complex. All nine black residents eventually moved out under this pressure. One of the residents, Bill Simpson, was interviewed about his negative experiences while living there. "I've had people who drive by and tell me they're going home to get a rope and come back and hang me. . . ."
In 2005, 2008, and 2017, Vidor and surrounding areas suffered extensive damage from Hurricanes Rita, Ike, and Harvey, respectively. A mandatory evacuation was imposed upon its residents for about two weeks.
During the George Floyd protests of 2020, Black Lives Matter held a rally in Vidor that was attended by a diverse crowd of 150–200 people.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.