The area that became known as Impact began as a poultry farm owned by advertising businessman Dallas Perkins. Prior to 1960, liquor sales were prohibited in all cities and counties surrounding Abilene. The prohibition of legal liquor sales encouraged bootleggers to produce illegal liquor commonly called "moonshine". Perkins capitalized on the potential market for legal liquor among the wets by purchasing 27 acres of land adjacent to his farm on the outskirts of Abilene and then pushing for its incorporation. Calling the village "Impact" after his advertising business, 29 signatures of local residents were collected and it was incorporated in 1960. Soon after, the village's citizens - consisting mostly of Perkins' family and friends - voted 18 to 2 to permit liquor sales. Abilene lawyers immediately filed motions to oppose the town's incorporation, but a TexasSupreme Court ruling in 1963 upheld Impact's incorporation and its right to sell liquor. Two liquor stores opened in Impact in 1963. The first month's sales were $463,000. With the newfound revenues, the village's roads were paved and lighted, garbage pickup was introduced, and a policeman was hired. One of the liquor stores was Pinky's, which was owned by Perkins and his associates and used a logo of a pink elephant, thus the name. Impact remained the only wholly wet municipality in Taylor County until 1978, when Abilene voters narrowly legalized liquor sales in the city. With that vote, Impact lost its reason for being. The liquor stores in Impact soon dried up and closed and the community became just another suburb of Abilene. Impact has been and still is one of the smallest incorporated communities in Texas. Its population peaked at 61 in 1970 and had declined to 39 by 2000.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 39 people, 14 households, and 9 families residing in the town. The population density was 450.2 people per square mile. There were 16 housing units at an average density of 184.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 58.97% White, 7.69% African American, 30.77% from other races, and 2.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 64.10% of the population. There were 14 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couplesliving together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.30. In the village the population was spread out, with 35.9% under the age of 18, 15.4% from 18 to 24, 15.4% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 129.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $23,750, and the median income for a family was $23,750. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $18,125 for females. The per capita income was $12,488. There were 30.0% of families and 36.4% of the population living below the poverty line, including 28.6% of under eighteens and 20.0% of those over 64.
