This Week's Town: Graham, Texas

Graham, Texas, has a population of about 8500, as of the July 2008 report. Founded by the Graham  brothers, owners of the Texas Emigration and Land Company of Kentucky, the area contained 125,000 acres in Young County. it was the site of a busy salt works which the brothers purchased prior to 1900. The brothers donated land, churches, and other structures to the town and it is still a viable town. In 1917 oil was found near Graham and the population began to expand somewhat with the influx of oil money. The Leader, the town newspaper, is still in circulation today from a first printing in 1876. The Leader is now available online. The town has a cotton mill, a saw mill, a brick kiln, hotels and several stores. It might be a great town in which to develop a new enterprise or to install a manufacturing plant for either industrial or technological products.
For information on business and development in Graham,  the Chamber of Commerce is the best place to begin an inquiry.

A city overview gives the following information on Graham:

As of 2009, Graham's population is 8,518 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of -0.29 percent.
The median home cost in Graham is $52,840. Home appreciation the last year has been 1.20 percent.
Compared to the rest of the country, Graham's cost of living is 26.70% Lower than the U.S. average.
Graham public schools spend $5,173 per student. The average school expenditure in the U.S. is $6,058. There are about 16 students per teacher in Graham.
The unemployment rate in Graham is 5.50 percent(U.S. avg. is 8.50%). Recent job growth is Positive. Graham jobs have Increased by 4.60 percent.

Located on the edge of the Palo Pinto Mountains, the largest peak is Twin Mountains, overlooking the town.
There have been several notable people come from Graham, such as Rex Brown, bass player for the band Pantera, and also Robert McFarlane, who served as National Security Advisor to President Reagan.