In 1873, the town developed as the International-Great Northern Railroad came through the area. Rockdale was named for a nearby rock that stood 12 feet high and had a circumference of 20 feet. Rockdale was incorporated in 1878.
Geography
Rockdale is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land.
As of the census of 2017, there were 5,605people, 2,088 households, and 1,395 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,343.3 people per square mile. There were 2,379 housing units at an average density of 759.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 70.69% White, 14.29% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 12.23% from other races, and 2.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.93% of the population. There were 2,077 households out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.14. In the city, the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,612, and the median income for a family was $39,491. Males had a median income of $30,758 versus $20,692 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,618. About 13.2% of families and 18.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Rockdale was the site of a large Alcoaaluminium smelting facility, which could produce 1.67 million pounds of aluminum per day. The Alcoa plant profoundly changed the city, as noted in a Saturday Evening Post article by Rockdale native George Sessions Perry. Within a few years of its arrival in 1952, Rockdale almost doubled in population, changing in character from a predominantly agricultural economy to one heavily driven by manufacturing jobs. Smelting operations were halted at the Alcoa plant in 2008. The Alcoa plant closed in February 2014 when production at the atomizer ceased. Rockdale is also the site of the Sandow Power Plant. The power facility is scheduled to close in early-2018 which will cost 450 jobs including the Three Oak Mine.
Author George Sessions Perry was born in Rockdale on May 5, 1910, and lived much of his life there. Mary Sue Whipp Hubbard, the third wife of L. Ron Hubbard, was a Rockdale native. Dan Kubiak, a native of Falls County, was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1969 to 1983 and again from 1991 until his death in 1998. He was a long-term Rockdale resident. Kubiak's younger brother, L. B. Kubiak, is a veterinarian in Austin and a Rockdale resident who from 1983 to 1991 held the same House seat as his brother. Former NFL linebacker Stan Blinka played for and graduated from Rockdale High School. Blinka was a NAIA All-American at Sam Houston State University. Former All-Pro NFL linebacker Lee Roy Caffey, who played on the legendary Green Bay Packers teams of the 1960s, was born in Rockdale and retired there after his professional career. Liz Galloway McQuitter was born in Rockdale and competed as a women's basketball player at the high school and collegiate levels. She played professional basketball in the Women's Professional Basketball League. The WBL was the first professional women's basketball league in the United States. She's held positions as head coach and assistant coach of women's basketball at the high school and collegiate levels. In April, 2015, she ended her career in athletics retiring as head coach of the Rockdale High School Lady Tigers. James Wright is an American retired professional basketball player. Wright graduated from Aycock High School in 1956. He played two seasons in the American Basketball Association in 1967–68 and 1968–69, winning the ABA Finals in 1968 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pipers. Blues guitarist Pee Wee Crayton was born in Rockdale. Former Texas A&M Director of Football Sports Performance Larry Jackson, who was a member of the Wrecking Crew from 1991–1994, is from Rockdale. He now serves as the head strength and conditioning coach for the Cleveland Browns. NASA astronaut Kenneth Cockrell graduated from Rockdale High School in 1968. Le'Raven Clark is an American football offensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He played college football at Texas Tech, and was drafted by the Colts in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft. Former track and field athleteGordon McKee competed for Rockdale High School, graduating in 1985. As an elite long jumper, he was 1990 USA Indoor Track & Field national champion. Track & Field News magazine ranked McKee 9th in the world in 1990 and again in 1992.
