The Zale Corporation (best known as Zales ) is an American jewelry retailer , incorporated in Delaware in 1993. The principal executive offices are located in Coppell, Texas .
48-551: The company began in 1924 in Wichita Falls, Texas , when the two Russian-Jewish immigrant brothers Morris (M. B.) Zale and William Zale (born Zalefsky), along with Ben Lipshy opened the first Zales Jewelers store (now a division in the multi-division company). As a marketing strategy, the Zale brothers instituted a credit plan whereby customers could pay "a penny down and a dollar a week", making jewelry and other merchandise affordable for
96-464: A Republican, had held the senate seat since 2001, until Pat Fallon won election in 2018. Wichita Falls is part of Texas's 13th congressional district for the U.S. House of Representatives. Ronny Jackson , a Republican, has held this seat since 2021. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice James V. Allred Unit is located in Wichita Falls, 4 mi (6.4 km) northwest of downtown. The prison
144-606: A U.S. record not topped by an individual tornado until the F5 Moore–Oklahoma City tornado of May 3, 1999. Wichita Falls is about 15 miles (24 km) south of the border with Oklahoma , 115 mi (185 km) northwest of Fort Worth , and 140 mi (230 km) southwest of Oklahoma City . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 70.71 square miles (183.1 km ), of which 0.02 square miles (0.052 km ) (0.03%)
192-629: A number of semiprofessional, developmental, and minor league sports teams, including the Wichita Falls Drillers (bankrupt 2002), a semipro football team that won numerous league titles and a national championship; the professional basketball team Wichita Falls Texans (relocated 1994, bankrupt 1996) of the Continental Basketball Association ; Wichita Falls Fever (bankrupt 1992) in the Lone Star Soccer Alliance ;
240-650: A project now underway to transform U.S. 277 into a continuous four-lane expressway between Wichita Falls and Abilene. The city operates a bus system, Falls Ride, which runs on an hourly schedule with seven routes (except on Sundays, when only one route is in operation). Greyhound Lines provides intercity bus service to other locations served by Greyhound via its new terminal at the Wichita Falls Travel Center located at Fourth and Scott in downtown. Skylark Van Service shuttles passengers to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on several runs during
288-467: A river walk that goes to a man-made waterfall feature in lieu of the original falls for which the city was named (the original falls, located in the river, were destroyed in a 19th-century flood; the new waterfall attraction, located in the park and discharging into the river, were built in response to numerous tourist requests to visit the "Wichita Falls"). It is one of 37 parks throughout the city. The parks range in size from small neighborhood facilities to
336-474: Is 117 °F (47 °C) on June 28, 1980. Snowfall is sporadic and averages 4.1 in (10 cm) per season, while rainfall is typically greatest in early summer. From 2010 through 2013, Wichita Falls, along with a large portion of the south-central US, experienced a persistent drought . In September 2011, Wichita Falls became the first Texas city to have 100 days of 100 °F (38 °C) or higher within one year. On every day from June 22 to August 12,
384-525: Is Darron Leiker. Wichita Falls is located in the 69th district of the Texas House of Representatives . Lanham Lyne , a Republican , represented the district from 2011 to 2013; he was the mayor of Wichita Falls from 2005 to 2010. When Lyne declined to seek a second term in 2012, voters chose another Republican, James Frank . Wichita Falls is located in the 30th district of the Texas Senate . Craig Estes ,
432-574: Is covered by water. Wichita Falls experiences a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfa ), featuring long, very hot and humid summers, and cool winters. The city has some of the highest summer daily maximum temperatures in the entire U.S. outside of the Desert Southwest . Temperatures have hit 100 °F (38 °C) as early as March 27 and as late as October 17, but more typically reach that level on 28 days annually, with 102 days of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher annually;
480-930: Is named for former Governor James V. Allred , a Democrat and a native of Bowie, Texas , who lived early in his career in Wichita Falls. The United States Postal Service operates the Wichita Falls Post Office, the Morningside Post Office, the Bridge Creek Post Office, and the Sheppard Air Force Base Post Office. Public primary and secondary education is covered by the following school districts: Wichita Falls Independent School District , City View Independent School District , Burkburnett Independent School District , and Iowa Park Consolidated Independent School District . Several private and parochial schools operate in
528-427: Is the western terminus for Interstate 44 . U.S. Highways leading to or through Wichita Falls include 287 , 277 , 281 , and 82 . State Highway 240 ends at Wichita Falls and State Highway 79 runs through it. Wichita Falls has one of the largest freeway mileages for a city of its size as a result of a 1954 bond issue approved by city and county voters to purchase rights-of-way for several expressway routes through
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#1732884280763576-685: The 2020 census , it had a population of 102,316, making it the 43rd-most populous city in Texas. The city was named, in 1876, for a waterfall on the Wichita River , which was destroyed due to flooding in 1886. The city is home to the Newby-McMahon Building (otherwise known as the " world's littlest skyscraper "), constructed downtown in 1919 and featured in Robert Ripley 's Ripley's Believe It or Not! . The Choctaw Native Americans settled
624-469: The Continental Oil Company (now ConocoPhillips ) until 1952 and Panhandle Oil Company (founded in Wichita Falls, sold to American Petrofina in 1965). Both firms continued to use a portion of their former refineries as gasoline/oil terminal facilities for many years. A devastating tornado hit the northern and northwestern portions of Wichita Falls, along with Sheppard Air Force Base during
672-876: The Texas Legislature issued a charter for WFISD. The city has a school for German children, Deutsche Schule Sheppard (DSS). Wichita Falls is home to Midwestern State University , an accredited four-year college in the Texas Tech University System and the only independent liberal arts college in Texas offering both bachelor's and master's degrees . Vernon College is the designated community college for all of Wichita County. A local branch nearby offers two-year degrees, certificate programs, and workforce development programs Wayland Baptist University , offering both bachelor's and master's degrees, has its main branch located in Plainview, Texas . Wichita Falls
720-793: The Wichita Falls Spudders baseball team (bankrupt 1957) in the Texas League ; the Wichita Falls Wildcats (bankrupt 2017) of the North American Hockey League , an American Tier II junior hockey league; and the Wichita Falls Roughnecks (bankrupt 2008) of the Texas Collegiate League . The Dallas Cowboys held training camp in Wichita Falls during the late 1990s. In 2015, it was acknowledged that
768-542: The 1979 tornado. An F4 tornado struck the heavily populated southern sections of Wichita Falls in the late afternoon on Tuesday, April 10, 1979 (known as "Terrible Tuesday"). It was part of an outbreak that produced 30 tornadoes around the region. Despite having nearly an hour's advance warning that severe weather was imminent, 42 people were killed (including 25 in vehicles) and 1,800 were injured because it arrived just as many people were driving home from work. It left 20,000 people homeless and caused $ 400 million in damage,
816-521: The 258 acres of Weeks Park featuring the Champions Course at Weeks Park, an 18-hole golf course. In addition, an off-leash dog park is within Lake Wichita Park and a skatepark adjacent to the city's softball complex. Also, unpaved trails for off-road biking and hiking are available. Wichita Falls is the home of the annual Hotter'N Hell Hundred , the largest single-day century bicycle ride in
864-563: The FW&;DC. This area is now referred to as the Depot Square Historic District , which has been declared a Texas Historic Landmark . The early history of Wichita Falls well into the 20th century also rests on the work of two entrepreneurs, Joseph A. Kemp and his brother-in-law, Frank Kell. Kemp and Kell were pioneers in food processing and retailing, flour milling, railroads, cattle, banking, and oil. Downtown Wichita Falls
912-667: The Interstate by some 100 miles (160 km) to Texas. This additional signage included the Red River Expressway in Burkburnett and the Central Freeway in Wichita Falls, to 8th Street (being concurrent with US 277/US 281/US 287). For many years, the freeway ended here, forcing traffic to exit onto the service roads . In the early 2000s, the Central Freeway was extended through the downtown area, connecting directly to
960-466: The Red River (opened 1964), and Interstate 44 from Old Iowa Park Road to U.S. 287/Spur 325 interchange on the city's north side along with Spur 325 from I-44/U.S. 287 to the main gate of Sheppard Air Force Base (both completed as a single project in 1960). However, cross-country traffic for many years had to contend with several ground-level intersections and traffic lights over Holliday and Broad Streets near
1008-477: The Red River Expressway in Burkburnett . I-44 begins near exit 1 in Wichita Falls concurrent with US 277 , US 281 , and US 287 . US 281 and US 287 continue to the south while US 277 leaves the concurrency at exit 1, which also provides access to US 82 . I-44 heads north through Wichita Falls to an interchange with US 287 and Spur 325 . US 287 leaves
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#17328842807631056-413: The U.S. state of Texas is an Interstate Highway that has a short, but regionally important, 15.398-mile (24.781 km) stretch connecting Wichita Falls with Oklahoma . Its entire length runs concurrently with U.S. Highway 277 (US 277) and US 281 . I-44 provides access to downtown Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base . I-44 is known as the Central Freeway in Wichita Falls and
1104-666: The United States and one of the largest races in the world. The race started as a way for the city to celebrate its centennial in 1982. The race takes place over a weekend in August, and multiple events are hosted for people to participate. In 2014, the Wichita Falls Nighthawks , an indoor football team, joined the Indoor Football League but suspended operations after the 2017 season. The city has also been home to
1152-539: The United States; the market also has an average of 120,200 radio listeners ages 12 and over, making it the 250th-largest radio market in the nation. KERA-TV out of Dallas – Fort Worth serves as the default PBS member station for Wichita Falls via a translator station on UHF channel 44. Lucy Park is a 170-acre (69 ha) park with a log cabin, duck pond, swimming pool, playground, frisbee golf course, and picnic areas. It has multiple paved walkways suitable for walking, running, biking, or rollerskating, including
1200-642: The Wichita River runs through the area and a waterfall was in the river's course in 1876. Just 10 years later in 1886, a flood destroyed the original waterfall on the Wichita River for which the city was named. After nearly 100 years of visitors wanting to visit the no longer existing falls, the city built an artificial waterfall beside the river in Lucy Park. The recreated falls are 54 ft (16 m) high and recirculate at 3,500 gallons per minute. They are visible to south-bound traffic on Interstate 44 . On
1248-448: The afternoon of April 3, 1964 (later referred to as "Black Friday"). As the first violent tornado on record to hit the Wichita Falls area, it left seven dead and more than 100 injured. Additionally, the tornado caused roughly $ 15 million in property damage with about 225 homes destroyed and another 250 damaged. It was rated F5, the highest rating on the Fujita scale , but it is overshadowed by
1296-471: The area in the early 1800s from their native Mississippi area once Americans displaced them after the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek . The treaty was signed and proclaimed in 1830–1831. As late as 1841, a large Indian settlement was present in the area that is now the city of Wichita Falls. American settlers arrived in the 1860s, mainly as cattle ranchers. The city was named Wichita Falls on September 27, 1876, as
1344-516: The average window for the latter mark is April 9–October 10. However, 59 to 60 nights of freezing lows occur, and an average of 4.8 days where the high does not rise above freezing. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 42.0 °F (5.6 °C) in January to 84.4 °F (29.1 °C) in July. The record low temperature is −12 °F (−24 °C) on January 4, 1947. The highest recorded temperature
1392-488: The average working American. The success of this credit policy led to the company expanding to a total of 12 stores in Oklahoma and Texas by 1941. Zales Jewelers moved its headquarters from Wichita Falls to Dallas in 1946. In 1998, online shopping was opened at www.zales.com. In 1957, Zales Jewelers opened its first store in a shopping center—a major shift from operating only in downtown locations. The same year, Zales announced
1440-615: The city and county, the first of which was opened in the year 1958 as an alignment of U.S. 287 from Eighth Street at Broad and Holliday Streets northwestward across the Wichita River and bisecting Lucy and Scotland Parks to the Old Iowa Park Road, the original U.S. 287 alignment. That was followed by other expressway links including U.S. 82–287 east to Henrietta (completed in the year 1968), U.S. 281 south toward Jacksboro (completed 1969), U.S. 287 northwest to Iowa Park and Electra (opened 1962), Interstate 44 north to Burkburnett and
1488-463: The city, I-44 has an interchange with State Highway 240 (SH 240). After passing SH 240, I-44 begins to head toward the northeast before its final interchange in Texas at East 3rd Street. I-44 leaves the state of Texas at its crossing of the Red River and enters Oklahoma . I-44 was signed south from Oklahoma City past I-40 , along the H. E. Bailey Turnpike , in 1982. This expanded
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1536-852: The city, as does an active home-school community. Many of the local elementary schools participate in the Head Start program for preschool-aged children. Two schools in the Wichita Falls ISD participate in the International Baccalaureate programs. Hirschi High School offers the IB Diploma Programme , and G.H. Kirby Junior High School for the Middle Years Programme . Other public high schools are Wichita Falls High School and S. H. Rider High School (Wichita Falls ISD) and City View High School (City View ISD). By 1879,
1584-486: The company divested its Bailey Banks & Biddle brand to Finlay Enterprises . In February 2014, Signet Jewelers agreed to buy Zale Corporation, with Zale shareholders receiving US$ 21 a share in cash in US$ 1.3 billion deal. The merger created a $ 6.2 billion firm. In January 2017, Zales announced it would close a handful of its mall stores when the leases expire, to avoid duplication with former rival Kay Jewelers. In 2018,
1632-465: The company moved its headquarters to a new building in Coppell, Texas. Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( / ˈ w ɪ tʃ ɪ t ɑː / WITCH -ih-tah ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas , United States . It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area , which encompasses all of Archer , Clay , and Wichita Counties. According to
1680-428: The concurrency as a freeway to the west while Spur 325 leaves the interchange toward the northeast, providing access to Sheppard Air Force Base and Wichita Falls Regional Airport . I-44 continues to the north as it leaves the Wichita Falls city limits at Bacon Switch Road. The freeway enters the Burkburnett city limits south of an interchange at Farm to Market Road 3429 (FM 3429). Heading north through
1728-662: The day all week long. The Wichita Falls Municipal Airport is served by American Eagle , with two flights daily to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport . The Kickapoo Downtown Airport and the Wichita Valley Airport serve smaller, private planes. Although still in the planning phase, local officials are currently working to potentially bring an Amtrak stop to the city. Wichita Falls last had passenger rail service in 1967. Interstate 44 (Texas) Interstate 44 ( I-44 ) in
1776-467: The day the city was named in 1876, a sale of town lots was held at what is now the corner of Seventh and Ohio Streets – the birthplace of the city. The Fort Worth & Denver City Railway arrived in September 1882, the same year the city became the county seat of Wichita County . The city grew westwards from the original FW&DC train depot which was located at the northwest corner of Seventh Street and
1824-665: The downtown area for about 13 blocks between connecting expressway links until a new elevated freeway running overhead was completed in 2001. Efforts to create an additional freeway along the path of Kell Boulevard for U.S. 82–277 began in 1967 with the acquisition of right-of-way that included a former railroad right-of-way and the first project including construction of the present frontage roads completed in 1977, followed by freeway lanes, overpasses, and on/off ramps in 1989 from just east of Brook Avenue west to Kemp Boulevard; similar projects west from Kemp to Barnett Road in 2001 followed by Barnett Road west past FM 369 in 2010 to tie in which
1872-426: The first school was established. The first public school was a log structure established in the 1880s; in 1885, it was replaced with a former courthouse. Wichita Falls High School opened in 1890. That year, a school district was created, but problems with the law allowing its establishment meant it was dissolved in 1894 and the city provided schooling until the second establishment of a school district in 1900. In 1908,
1920-701: The initial public offering of its stock (ZLC) and began trading its public shares on the American Stock Exchange in 1958. In 1989, Zale acquired Gordon's Jewelers, which had been a major competitor. Zales bought the Skillern Drug pharmacy chain in the 1960s, but sold it in 1980. Until 1986, Zales operated a catalog showroom called O. G. Wilson. In 1986, People's Jewelers bought Zales. On January 1, 1992, Zale filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy . In 1999 and 2000, Zale expanded with two major acquisitions: Peoples Jewellers of Canada and Piercing Pagoda. In 2007,
1968-402: The population. Of the 38,057 households, 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.4% had seniors 65 years or older living with them, 40.1% were married couples living together, 6.9% were couples cohabitating, 24.0% had a male householder with no partner present, and 29.0% had a female householder with no partner present. The median household size
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2016-482: The sustainability of minor or rookie league sports franchises in the Wichita Falls region had a questionable future. The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame relocated to Wichita Falls from Amsterdam, New York , in November 2015. The mayor of Wichita Falls is Tim Short, who was elected on November 7, 2023. Mayors are elected on a nonpartisan ballot. The Wichita Falls City Council has six members: The city manager
2064-638: The temperature reached 100 °F or higher, and from May 27 to September 3, the temperature reached 90 °F or higher. In addition, the all-time warm daily minimum of 88 °F (31 °C) was set on July 26, and June, July, and August of that year were all the hottest on record. During the 2015 Texas–Oklahoma floods , Wichita Falls broke its all-time record for the wettest month, with 17.00 inches of rain recorded in May 2015. Notes : As of the 2022 American Community Survey estimates, there were 102,659 people and 38,057 households. The population density
2112-417: The top employers in the city are: Wichita Falls' media market also includes the nearby, smaller city of Lawton, Oklahoma . According to Nielsen Media Research estimates for the 2016–17 season, the market – which encompasses 10 counties in western North Texas and six counties in southwestern Oklahoma, has 152,950 households with at least one television set, making it the 148th-largest television market in
2160-644: Was $ 31,730. Out of the 90,842 people with a determined poverty status, 15.2% were below the poverty line . Further, 21.4% of minors and 16.3% of seniors were below the poverty line. In the survey, residents self-identified with various ethnic ancestries. People of German descent made up 9.6% of the population of the town, followed by Irish at 6.5%, English at 6.3%, American at 5.1%, Italian at 2.7%, Swedish at 1.9%, Scotch-Irish at 1.1%, Dutch at 1.1%, Sub-Saharan African at 1.0%, Scottish at 0.9%, French at 0.9%, and Norwegian at 0.8%. According to Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce,
2208-477: Was 1,421.2 inhabitants per square mile (548.7/km ). There were 42,641 housing units at an average density of 590.3 per square mile (227.9/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 72.1% White, 10.8% Black or African American, 3.6% some other race, 2.8% Asian, 1.0% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 0.6% Native American or Alaskan Native, with 9.1% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 22.4% of
2256-453: Was 2.39 and the median family size was 2.98. The age distribution was 22.9% under 18, 13.9% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.6 males. The median income for a household was $ 56,091, with family households having a median income of $ 71,975 and non-family households $ 35,403. The per capita income
2304-506: Was the city's main shopping area for many years. Those shops lost ground to the creation of new shopping centers throughout the city beginning with Parker Square in 1953 and other similar developments during the 1960s and 1970s, culminating with the opening of Sikes Senter Mall in 1974. The city has been seeking funding to rebuild and restore the downtown area since 2010. Wichita Falls was once home to offices of several oil companies and related industries, along with oil refineries operated by
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