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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud residents of Wichita Falls are gathering in |
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Austin on March 5, 2025, to celebrate Wichita Falls Day at the State |
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Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, Wichita Falls, situated in southeast Wichita |
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County, was founded after the arrival of the Fort Worth and Denver |
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City Railroad on September 26, 1882; the railroad allowed local |
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farmers and ranchers to transport crops and livestock to distant |
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markets, facilitating the growth of the area's agricultural |
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economy; Wichita Falls was named the county seat in November 1883, |
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and it was officially incorporated on July 29, 1889; and |
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WHEREAS, By 1910, additional railroad lines had been built |
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that reinforced the city's status as a shipping junction for |
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farmers and ranchers; wheat later supplanted corn as the primary |
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cash crop grown in the area, and in 1918, the discovery of oil |
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sparked a wave of exploration throughout North Texas; in 1933, the |
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growth of the community necessitated the creation of a manmade |
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lake, Lake Wichita, to supply its water; during World War I, Wichita |
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Falls welcomed the arrival of an Army Air Corps training facility |
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known as Call Field, which preceded the opening of Sheppard Field, |
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now Sheppard Air Force Base, in 1941; and |
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WHEREAS, By the mid-20th century, manufacturing had become an |
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increasingly important industry, earning Wichita Falls the |
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nickname "Factory City"; in 1979, the city was struck by a tornado |
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that destroyed a large portion of its southwestern area, but it |
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rebounded in the years that followed and was recognized nationally |
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for its rapid recovery; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, Wichita Falls is home to more than 100,000 |
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residents, representing the overwhelming majority of Wichita |
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County's population; the city is located within two hours of two |
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metropolitan areas, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Oklahoma |
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City, and it offers a family-friendly environment with an expansive |
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parks system and a wide range of amenities such as museums, |
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community theaters, golf courses, and family entertainment |
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centers; and |
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WHEREAS, The community's educational institutions include |
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the Wichita Falls Independent School District, Midwestern State |
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University, and Vernon College, and it is home to a number of |
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state-of-the-art medical facilities that make it a regional |
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destination for health care; the city continues to enjoy a strong |
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manufacturing base that supplies products for numerous industries; |
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moreover, the community benefits from the efforts of the Wichita |
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Falls Chamber of Commerce, which has worked diligently to promote |
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its economic development since 1901; and |
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WHEREAS, Wichita Falls has earned a well-deserved reputation |
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as an outstanding place to live and work, and its citizens may take |
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justifiable pride in the unique contributions that their community |
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has made to the story of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 89th Texas Legislature |
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hereby recognize March 5, 2025, as Wichita Falls Day at the State |
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Capitol and extend a warm welcome to the visiting delegation. |