Edna is a city in Jackson County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,499 at the 2010 census and 5,987 at the 2020 census. Edna is the county seat.
Edna is the gateway to Lake Texana, which covers the site of Texana, Texas. Edna has a hospital, convalescent home, library, museum, city park with swimming pool, three banks, two savings and loan associations, a country club with a nine-hole golf course, and Oak Creek Village, a retirement community. It is the center of a prosperous agricultural area with petroleum and natural gas production and has an active chamber of commerce, oilfield service industries, and two grain elevators.
History
Edna, the county seat of Jackson County, was established in 1882 when the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway line was built from Rosenberg to Victoria and bypassed Texana, then the county seat. Construction of the railroad began in September 1881. Edna was laid out on land owned by Mrs. Lucy Flournoy, who conveyed right-of-way and a half interest in the townsite to the railroad, which was promoted and built by Italian Count Joseph Telfener. The town was named for a daughter of the count. The NYT&M, nicknamed the "Macaroni", was constructed by Italian laborers, most of whom were brought from Lombardy by Telfener. After completion of the road, the majority of the crew remained in the area and established homes. The first train arrived on July 4, 1882; the first merchant was Gideon Egg, who moved his general merchandise store from Texana in 1882, and the first child born in the new community was Edna Louise Traylor.
In an election of January 22, 1883, residents voted to make Edna the county seat in place of Texana. The contract for a new courthouse was awarded on February 11, 1884. A post office opened in 1886. The first church congregations in Edna were the Methodist and Presbyterian, whose memberships moved from Texana almost intact. The latter brought their 1859 sanctuary with them overland. The building was also used by other denominations for worship services and is now the oldest public building remaining in the county. The Texana Presbyterian Church has been restored and serves in Edna as an area cultural center. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
The first newspaper in Edna was the Jackson County Progress. The newspaper plant, along with a large part of the business district, was destroyed in 1906 in the town's second disastrous fire. Succeeding the Progress was the Edna Herald, first published on November 22, 1906.
The 1954 Supreme Court case Hernandez v. Texas concerned the racial context of the jury selection for a trial that took place in Edna. The landmark decision of the case determined that Mexican Americans and all other racial groups in the United States had equal protection under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Geography
Edna is located west of the center of Jackson County, in the Gulf Coast region of Texas. The region is dominated by large live oak trees, heavily wooded areas, and lush farmland.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. The city is in the watershed of the Lavaca River, which flows southeast to the Gulf of Mexico at Lavaca Bay. Lake Texana, an impoundment on the Navidad River, a tributary of the Lavaca, is east of Edna.
U.S. Highway 59 (Future I-69) passes through the northwest side of the city, leading northeast to Houston and southwest to Victoria. Corpus Christi is southwest of Edna via Future I-69 and Interstate 37.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Edna has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,987 people, 1,968 households, and 1,372 families residing in the city.
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,899 people, 2,227 households, 1,523 families, residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,609 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 64.82% White, 13.65% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 17.48% from other races, and 2.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31.17% of the population.