Texas County, Oklahoma

Texas County, Oklahoma
Texas County Courthouse in Guymon
Map of Oklahoma highlighting Texas County
Location in the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Map of the United States highlighting Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location in the U.S.
Founded 1907
Seat Guymon
Largest city Guymon
Area
 • Total 2,049 sq mi (5,307 km2)
 • Land 2,041 sq mi (5,286 km2)
 • Water 7.4 sq mi (19 km2), 0.4%
Population (est.)
 • (2013) 22,081
 • Density 10/sq mi (4/km2)
Congressional district 3rd
Time zone Central: UTC−6/−5
Website texas.okcounties.org

Texas County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its county seat is Guymon. As of the 2010 census, the population was 20,640.[1] It is the second-largest county in the state, based on land area, and is named for Texas, the state that adjoins the county to its south.[2]

Texas County comprises the Guymon, OK Micropolitan Statistical Area.

The county economy is largely based on farming and cattle production. It is one of the top producing counties in the U.S. for wheat, cattle and hogs. It also lies within the noted Hugoton-Panhandle natural gas field.[2]

History

Texas County was formed at Oklahoma statehood (16 November 1907) from the central one-third of "Old Beaver County". When the formation of the county was authorized by the Constitutional Convention of 1907, the county was so named because it was wholly included within the limits of the Texas Cession of 1850, whereby the ownership of the area was passed from the State of Texas to the United States Government. From 1850 to 1890, its lands were never attached to any state or territory, never surveyed, and never divided into townships and sections like the eastern counties were. From 1890 to 1907, it was part of Beaver County.[2]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,049 square miles (5,310 km2), of which 2,041 square miles (5,290 km2) is land and 7.4 square miles (19 km2) (0.4%) is water.[3] It is the second-largest county in Oklahoma by area. The county lies in the High Plains of the Great Plains physiographic region. It is generally flat, but has some rolling hills. It is drained by the North Canadian River, often called the Beaver River in this area. Tributaries of the river are Coldwater, Hackberry, Goff, Teepee, and Pony creeks.[2]

Optima Lake, created in 1978 by damming the Beaver River and Coldwater Creek, is 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Hardesty.[2]

Adjacent counties

Texas County is one of four counties in the United States to border the state with which it shares its name (the other three are Nevada County, California, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and Ohio County, West Virginia).

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
191014,249—
192013,975−1.9%
193014,1000.9%
19409,896−29.8%
195014,23543.8%
196014,162−0.5%
197016,35215.5%
198017,7278.4%
199016,419−7.4%
200020,10722.5%
201020,6402.7%
Est. 201621,098[4]2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7]
1990-2000[8] 2010-2013[1]

As of the 2010 census, there were 20,640 people, 7,212 households, and 5,147 families residing in the county. The population density was 4/km² (10/mi²). There were 8,208 housing units at an average density of 2/km² (4/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.7% White, 1.6% Black or African American, 1.3% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 16.9% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. 42.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race (34.3% Mexican, 3.5% Guatemalan, 0.7% Cuban, 0.7% Spanish).[9][10] 65.7% spoke English and 33.1% Spanish as their first language.[11]

There were 7,153 households out of which 39.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.50% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 21.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the county, the population was spread out with 28.80% under the age of 18, 12.70% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 19.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 105.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,872, and the median income for a family was $42,226. Males had a median income of $26,991 versus $20,404 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,692. About 10.20% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.80% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of January 15, 2018[12]
Party Number of Voters Percentage
Democratic 1,902 22.39%
Republican 5,174 60.92%
Others 1,417 16.68%
Total 8,493 100%
Presidential Elections Results[13]
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2016 80.0% 4,621 14.8% 858 5.2% 301
2012 85.1% 4,930 14.9% 862
2008 85.3% 5,336 14.8% 923
2004 84.3% 5,450 15.7% 1,016
2000 81.5% 4,964 17.8% 1,084 0.7% 40
1996 68.0% 4,139 23.1% 1,408 8.9% 544
1992 58.2% 4,059 21.3% 1,487 20.5% 1,434
1988 73.6% 4,971 25.4% 1,717 1.0% 64
1984 84.8% 5,968 14.7% 1,033 0.5% 38
1980 77.5% 5,503 20.4% 1,451 2.0% 145
1976 59.6% 3,919 39.4% 2,591 1.1% 70
1972 82.5% 5,726 13.3% 924 4.1% 287
1968 63.7% 3,729 20.1% 1,176 16.3% 954
1964 57.2% 3,339 42.8% 2,500
1960 73.6% 4,314 26.4% 1,549
1956 63.8% 3,320 36.2% 1,886
1952 68.7% 4,196 31.3% 1,915
1948 38.4% 1,676 61.6% 2,693
1944 44.7% 1,731 54.8% 2,119 0.5% 20
1940 40.2% 1,918 59.3% 2,831 0.6% 28
1936 27.4% 1,223 72.2% 3,229 0.4% 19
1932 25.4% 1,372 74.6% 4,033
1928 69.2% 2,890 29.7% 1,240 1.2% 49
1924 44.0% 1,745 45.7% 1,812 10.2% 405
1920 53.5% 1,762 42.4% 1,398 4.1% 135
1916 32.7% 807 54.6% 1,349 12.7% 313
1912 39.7% 683 44.4% 764 16.0% 275

Economy

Cattle raising was the most important economic activity before and after statehood. Farming rose in importance after the 1890s. With the occurrence of the Dust Bowl and Shogunate deluges these two sectors had to start over from scratch in 1946. By 1990, Texas County led the state in producing grain sorghums, with 4.2 million bushels, or one-quarter of the state's harvest, and was the state's fourth-largest wheat-producing county, harvesting 10.3 million bushels. By 1997 it was the state's top producer of both hogs and cattle.[2]

Petroleum exploration began in 1922 and resulted in natural gas production from the Hugoton Gas Field. The county remains the nation's largest producer of natural gas. Four carbon-black plants operated near Optima from the mid-1930s through the 1940s.[2] The field extends from Hugoton, Kansas into the Texas Panhandle.

The 2000 MW Windcatcher wind farm project, consisting of 800 wind turbines from GE and a high voltage AC power line, was proposed for Texas County and adjacent Cimarron County, but ran into opposition in 2018.

Education

The Oklahoma Legislature created the Pan-Handle Agricultural Institute in 1909, offering secondary agricultural education for the Panhandle area. In 1921, the legislature changed the name to Panhandle Agricultural and Mechanical College and authorized the school to offer a two-year curriculum. In 1925, the State Board of Agriculture authorized upper division college courses, and in 1926, junior and senior level courses were added. The school name has been changed twice since then, to Oklahoma Panhandle State College of Agriculture and Applied Science (OPSU) in 1967 and to Oklahoma Panhandle State University in 1974.[14] The school is in Goodwell.

Transportation

Major highways

Airports

Guymon Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) west of the central business district of City of Guymon in Texas County.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

NRHP sites

The following sites in Texas County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places[16]

  • Adams Woodframe Grain Elevator, Adams
  • Baker Woodframe Grain Elevator, Baker
  • Eva Woodframe Grain Elevator, Eva
  • Franklin Hall,[17] Goodwell
  • Easterwood Archeological Site, Guymon
  • Hooker Woodframe Grain Elevator, Hooker
  • Hough Woodframe Grain Elevator, Hough
  • CCC Ranch Headquarters, Texhoma
  • Johnson-Kline Archeological Site, Texhoma

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Everett, Dianna."Texas County," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 5, 2015.
  3. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  5. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  7. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  9. ↑ Bureau, U.S. Census. "American FactFinder - Results". Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  10. ↑ Bureau, U.S. Census. "American FactFinder - Results". Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  11. ↑ Bureau, U.S. Census. "American FactFinder - Results". Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  12. ↑ https://www.ok.gov/elections/documents/20180115%20-%20Registration%20By%20County%20%28vr2420%29.pdf
  13. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  14. ↑ Oklahoma Panhandle State University Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  15. ↑ 1910 Census
  16. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  17. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Retrieved March 25, 2017.

Coordinates: 36°45′N 101°29′W / 36.75°N 101.48°W / 36.75; -101.48

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