Palmer is located in northeastern Ellis County at . Interstate 45 passes through the east side of the town, with access from Exits 258 through 260; I-45 leads north to downtown Dallas and south to Ennis. Waxahachie, the county seat, is to the west. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and, or 1.04%, is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,776 people, 556 households, and 454 families residing in the town. The population density was 627.7 people per square mile. There were 591 housing units at an average density of 209.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 86.70% White, 1.80% African American, 0.85% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 8.68% from other races, and 1.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.32% of the population. There were 556 households out of which 44.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couplesliving together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.19 and the average family size was 3.55. In the town, the population was spread out with 31.5% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,729, and the median income for a family was $44,922. Males had a median income of $29,695 versus $23,300 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,483. About 6.7% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
Culture
Portions of Tender Mercies, a 1983 film about a country western singer, were filmed in Palmer, although the majority was filmed in Waxahachie. In both towns, director Bruce Beresford deliberately filmed more barren and isolated locations that more closely resembled the West Texas area. The Texas town portrayed in Tender Mercies is never specifically identified.
Education
Palmer has three schools: Palmer High, Middle, and Elementary School. Palmer built the current elementary school in 2015, leaving the old school for gym and cafeteria use. Palmer Elementary has over 350 students ranging from pre-K to 3rd grade. The junior high and middle school were combined a few years earlier to become the Palmer Middle School, housing 4th grade through 8th grade, with around 350 students. Palmer High School is the second newest building and serves over 300 students between 9th and 12th grade. Palmer High School and Palmer Middle School have athletics ranging from 7th to 12th grade. Sports include track and field, basketball, football, baseball, softball, volleyball, cross country, and golf. Extracurricular activities include band, National Honor Society, and many more clubs.
