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Texas County, Oklahoma

Coordinates: 36°45′N 101°29′W / 36.75°N 101.48°W / 36.75; -101.48
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Not to be confused with Texas County, Missouri.

Texas County
County
Texas County Courthouse in Guymon (2012)
Texas County Courthouse in Guymon (2012)
Map of Oklahoma highlighting Texas County
Location within the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Map of the United States highlighting Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°45′N 101°29′W / 36.75°N 101.48°W / 36.75; -101.48
Country United States
State Oklahoma
Founded1907
Named forTexas
SeatGuymon
Largest cityGuymon
Area
 • Total2,049 sq mi (5,310 km2)
 • Land2,041 sq mi (5,290 km2)
 • Water7.4 sq mi (19 km2)  0.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total21,384
 • Density10/sq mi (4.0/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district3rd
Websitetexas.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 2020 census, the population was 21,384.[1] It is the second largest county in Oklahoma, 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]

Being 50.6% Hispanic, Texas is also Oklahoma's only Hispanic-majority county as of 2020.[3]

History

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Texas County was formed at Oklahoma statehood (November 16, 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

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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) are land and 7.4 square miles (19 km2) (0.4%) is water.[4] 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]

For tourism purposes, the county's location in Northwest Oklahoma puts it in the area designated by the Oklahoma Department of Tourism as Red Carpet Country.[5]

The Optima Lake project, including Optima National Wildlife Refuge, and the Optima Wildlife Management Area being public hunting lands managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, is 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Hardesty, Oklahoma.[2]

Adjacent counties

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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

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
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%
202021,3843.6%
2021 (est.)20,865−2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8]
1990–2000[9] 2010[10]

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/sq mi). There were 8,208 housing units at an average density of 2/km2 (5.2/sq mi). 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).[11][12] 65.7% spoke English and 33.1% Spanish as their first language.[13] As of 2020, its population was 21,384.[10]

In 2010, 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

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Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023[14]
Party Number of Voters Percentage
Democratic 1,535 17.71%
Republican 5,423 62.57%
Others 1,709 19.72%
Total 8,667 100%

The county has been consistently Republican since 1952. No Democratic presidential candidate has received more than 20% of the vote in the 21st century.

United States presidential election results for Texas County, Oklahoma[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 4,505 81.60% 894 16.19% 122 2.21%
2016 4,621 79.95% 858 14.84% 301 5.21%
2012 4,930 85.12% 862 14.88% 0 0.00%
2008 5,336 85.25% 923 14.75% 0 0.00%
2004 5,450 84.29% 1,016 15.71% 0 0.00%
2000 4,964 81.54% 1,084 17.81% 40 0.66%
1996 4,139 67.95% 1,408 23.12% 544 8.93%
1992 4,059 58.15% 1,487 21.30% 1,434 20.54%
1988 4,971 73.62% 1,717 25.43% 64 0.95%
1984 5,968 84.78% 1,033 14.68% 38 0.54%
1980 5,503 77.52% 1,451 20.44% 145 2.04%
1976 3,919 59.56% 2,591 39.38% 70 1.06%
1972 5,726 82.54% 924 13.32% 287 4.14%
1968 3,729 63.65% 1,176 20.07% 954 16.28%
1964 3,339 57.18% 2,500 42.82% 0 0.00%
1960 4,314 73.58% 1,549 26.42% 0 0.00%
1956 3,320 63.77% 1,886 36.23% 0 0.00%
1952 4,196 68.66% 1,915 31.34% 0 0.00%
1948 1,676 38.36% 2,693 61.64% 0 0.00%
1944 1,731 44.73% 2,119 54.75% 20 0.52%
1940 1,918 40.15% 2,831 59.26% 28 0.59%
1936 1,223 27.35% 3,229 72.22% 19 0.42%
1932 1,372 25.38% 4,033 74.62% 0 0.00%
1928 2,890 69.16% 1,240 29.67% 49 1.17%
1924 1,745 44.04% 1,812 45.73% 405 10.22%
1920 1,762 53.47% 1,398 42.43% 135 4.10%
1916 807 32.69% 1,349 54.64% 313 12.68%
1912 683 39.66% 764 44.37% 275 15.97%
1908 1,315 43.37% 1,470 48.48% 247 8.15%

Economy

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Area affected by 1930s Dust Bowl

Cattle raising was the most important economic activity before and after statehood. Farming rose in importance after the 1890s. Despite the occurrence of the Dust Bowl these two sectors have recovered and prospered. 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] Texas County was the fifth-ranked county in the entire nation in 2017 for the number of hogs produced (1,094,877),[16] and pork producer Seaboard Foods is the county's primary employer.[17]

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 and was finally cancelled in July 2018.[18]

Education

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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.[19] The school is in Goodwell.

Transportation

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Major highways

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Airports

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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

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Cities

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Towns

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Unincorporated communities

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NRHP sites

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Main article: National Register of Historic Places listings in Texas County, Oklahoma

The following are included among the twenty-four sites in Texas County listed on the National Register of Historic Places[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Texas County, Oklahoma". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Everett, Dianna."Texas County," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 5, 2015.
  3. ^ "P2: HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE". 2020 Census. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  4. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  5. ^ "Counties & Regions". Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department (Travel Promotion Division). Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  8. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  10. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  11. ^ Bureau, U.S. Census. "American FactFinder – Results". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2017. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  12. ^ Bureau, U.S. Census. "American FactFinder – Results". Retrieved March 25, 2017. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ Bureau, U.S. Census. "American FactFinder – Results". Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2017. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ "Oklahoma Registration Statistics by County" (PDF). OK.gov. January 15, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  15. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  16. ^ "America's Top 20 Pig Counties". Jennifer Shike, Farm Journal, July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  17. ^ "What this panhandle county tells us about the future of Oklahoma". Oklahoma Policy Institute, May 2, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  18. ^ Bostian, Kelly (July 27, 2018). "'It feels good to breathe again': Local opponents respond to news of Wind Catcher project cancellation after failed Texas vote". Tulsa World. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  19. ^ Oklahoma Panhandle State University Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  20. ^ 1910 Census
  21. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  22. ^ "Iconic leaning elevator in Oklahoma panhandle is demolished". K. Querry, KFOR-TV, August 22, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  23. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Retrieved March 25, 2017.
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36°45′N 101°29′W / 36.75°N 101.48°W / 36.75; -101.48

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