Wink, Texas

How Wink is governed

Form of government not yet listed.

0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.

• Mayor

  Executive

  Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

  The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.

  • City Manager / Administrator

    Executive

    Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

    The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).

    • Police Chief

      Administration & departments

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      Leads the police department.

    • Fire Chief

      Administration & departments

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      Leads the fire and emergency services department.

    • Public Works Director

      Administration & departments

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.

    • Finance Director

      Administration & departments

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      The budget, taxes, and city accounts.

    • Planning & Zoning Director

      Administration & departments

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      Land use, zoning, building permits.

    • Parks & Recreation Director

      Administration & departments

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      Parks, programs, and public facilities.

• City Council

  Legislative

  Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

  The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.

  • City Clerk

    Administration & departments

    Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

    Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.

  • City Attorney

    Administration & departments

    Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

    The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.

  • Boards & Commissions

    Legislative

    Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

    Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.

• Municipal Court

  Judicial

  Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

  Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.

  • Municipal Judge

    Judicial

    Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

    Presides over the municipal court.

Looking for your county, state and federal representatives too? See who represents 79789 or everyone in Texas.

Population over time

From 940 in 2010 to 915 in 2020 (−2.7%).

History

Wink began in 1926, when oil was discovered in Hendrick oilfield in Winkler County. By mid-1927, the Wink Townsite Company was selling lots in Horse Wells pasture of the T. G. Hendrick Ranch. The oil boom brought new people to Wink, causing a shortage of housing. Newcomers set up tents and built makeshift houses. Wink was originally named Winkler, Texas, for the county. When a post office was requested, postal authorities notified the applicant that a post office bearing that name already was in operation. The citizens shortened the name to Wink and received a post office in 1927. In that year, the first public school was organized, and a temporary building was constructed. A Sunday school was started by November 1927, and the population of the town was reported at 3,500. By 1929, that number climbed to 6,000. The actual population could have been around 10,000 to 25,000 people.

The boom brought lawlessness to Wink, including bootlegging, prostitution, and gambling. Even the city government, which was organized on June 4, 1928, came under the control of a well-organized underworld. On October 16, 1928, District Judge Charles Klapproth declared the incorporation election void, and the city government was reorganized. In December 1928, the first municipal building, a jail, was constructed. In 1929, the Texas-New Mexico Railroad built its tracks from Wink Junction to Wink, connecting the town to Monahans and New Mexico.

In the 1930s, the boom declined; the population hovered under 4,000, and the number of businesses fluctuated between 50 and 180. By 1933, the town was legally incorporated. Five hospitals and 15 doctors served injured oilfield workers, expectant mothers, and epidemic victims. Throughout the 1940s, the population continued to decline from 1,945 to 1,521, and the number of businesses decreased from 130 to 40.

In December 1947, Winkler County State Bank opened in Wink. Wink entered the 1950s with a stable community, including a population just over 1,500. The number of businesses varied in the decade from 25 to 50. In 1958, the railroad from Wink Junction to Wink was abandoned. During the early 1960s, the population rose to over 1,800, but dipped to under 1,200. By 1968, the number of businesses varied between 55 and 20.

In July 1960, the federal government approved an application by Wink for more than a million dollars in urban-renewal funds to upgrade and rehabilitate 221 acres (89 ha) within the city limits of Wink. National attention focused on the small oil town, which used the money for paving and curb and gutter work.

The population continued to decline to under 1,200 in the 1970s and 1980s. In the late 1970s, the oil economy improved, but the number of businesses slipped to a low of five by the late 1980s. At the end of the 1980s, Wink operated on a limited budget, based on low tax rates. In 1990, Wink remained a small oil town with a population of 1,189. This had fallen to 919 by 2000, but the 2010 count indicated a slight rebound, with 940 citizens residing in Wink. By 2020, the population had fallen to 915.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Other cities in Texas

• Houston 2,304,580
• San Antonio 1,434,625
• Dallas 1,304,379
• Austin 961,855
• Fort Worth 918,915
• El Paso 678,815
• Arlington 394,266
• Corpus Christi 317,863

All Texas cities →