Garza County, Texas

Garza County
County
Garza County Courthouse in Post
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°11′N101°18′W / 33.18°N 101.3°W / 33.18; -101.3
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1907
Seat	Post
Largest city	Post
Area
• Total	896 sq mi (2,320 km2)
• Land	893 sq mi (2,310 km2)
• Water	2.8 sq mi (7 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,816
• Density	6.5/sq mi (2.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	19th
Website	www.garzacounty.net/page/homepage

Post Dispatch newspaper covers local events of Garza County.

Wells Fargo Bank serves Garza County through its outlet in Post.

Garza County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,816, of which most of the population were residing in its county seat, and only incorporated municipality, Post. ^{[1] [2]} The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1907. ^[3] Garza is named for a pioneer Bexar County family, as it was once a part of that county.

History

Indigenous peoples of the Americas were the first inhabitants of the area, with evidence from around 2000 BC. Later inhabitants were the Kiowa and Comanche. ^[4]

In 1875, W. C. Young of Fort Worth and Irishman Ben Galbraith of Illinois established the beginnings of the Curry Comb Ranch in the northwestern part of Garza County. ^[5]

Garza County was formed in 1876 from Bexar County, and named for the prominent Bexar County family of José Antonio de la Garza. ^{[6] [7]}

By 1880, the county census count was 36 people. ^[4] The Square and Compass Ranch was started 2 years later by the Nave and McCord Cattle Company. They put up the first barbed-wire fence in 1884. ^[8] That same year, OS Ranch was founded by brothers Andrew J. and Frank M. Long of Lexington, Kentucky. ^[9] The county's population reached 185 persons by the last year of the 19th century. ^[4] Post was founded in 1907 as a utopian venture by, and named for, cereal king C.W. Post. ^{[4] [10]} From 1909 to 1913, C.W. Post built a cotton gin and a cotton mill, and attempted to improve agriculture production through rainmaking, involving the heavy use of explosives fired from kites and towers along the rim of the Caprock Escarpment. ^{[4] [11]}

In 1926, oil was discovered in the county. ^{[4] [12]} Quanah and Bryan Maxey discovered a 16-foot-long tusk of a prehistoric imperial mammoth in 1934. This tusk is currently located in the American Museum of Natural History, New York City. ^[4]

In 1957, a prehistoric Indian site was recorded at Cowhead Mesa by Emmet Shedd of Post. ^[13] In 1960–1965, South Plains Archaeological Society excavations of Cowhead Mesa found artifacts to date inhabitation back to 2000 BC. ^[13]

The most important businesses in the county by 1980 were agribusiness, oil and gas extraction, and textile mills. ^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 896 sq mi (2,320 km²), of which 893 sq mi (2,310 km²) are land and 2.8 sq mi (7.3 km²) (0.3%) are covered by water. ^[14] It is located southeast of Lubbock in the Canyonlands of the Llano Estacado Escarpment.

Major roads and highways

• U.S. Highway 84
• U.S. Highway 380
• State Highway 207
• Farm to Market Road 669

Adjacent counties

• Crosby County (north)
• Dickens County (northeast)
• Kent County (east)
• Scurry County (southeast)
• Borden County (south)
• Lynn County (west)
• Lubbock County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	36		—
1890	14		−61.1%
1900	185		1,221.4%
1910	1,995		978.4%
1920	4,253		113.2%
1930	5,586		31.3%
1940	5,678		1.6%
1950	6,281		10.6%
1960	6,611		5.3%
1970	5,289		−20.0%
1980	5,336		0.9%
1990	5,143		−3.6%
2000	4,872		−5.3%
2010	6,461		32.6%
2020	5,816		−10.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [15] 1850–2010 [16] 2010 [17] 2020 [18]

Garza County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000 [19]	Pop 2010 [17]	Pop 2020 [18]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	2,760	2,962	2,162	56.65%	45.84%	37.17%
Black or African American alone (NH)	221	392	230	4.54%	6.07%	3.95%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	7	25	28	0.14%	0.39%	0.48%
Asian alone (NH)	4	8	25	0.08%	0.12%	0.43%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	3	0	0.00%	0.05%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	0	1	10	0.00%	0.02%	0.17%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	70	24	89	1.44%	0.37%	1.53%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,810	3,046	3,272	37.15%	47.14%	56.26%
Total	4,872	6,461	5,816	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census ^[20] of 2000, 4,872 people, 1,663 households, and 1,217 families resided in the county. The population density was 5 people/sq mi (1.9 people/km²). The 1,928 housing units averaged 2 per square mile (0.77/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 56.7% White, 4.8 African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 17.1% from other races, and 3.00% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 37.2% of the population.

Of the 1,663 households, 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were not families. About 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the county, the population was distributed as 28.00% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,206, and for a family was $31,173. Males had a median income of $26,604 versus $18,105 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,704. About 17.50% of families and 22.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.6% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Post (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

• Close City
• Justiceburg
• Southland

Politics

Republican Drew Springer, Jr., a businessman from Muenster in Cooke County, has since January 2013 represented Garza County in the Texas House of Representatives. ^[21]

United States presidential election results for Garza County, Texas ^[22]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,374	85.93%	213	13.32%	12	0.75%
2020	1,413	85.48%	231	13.97%	9	0.54%
2016	1,225	82.55%	230	15.50%	29	1.95%
2012	1,263	80.96%	279	17.88%	18	1.15%
2008	1,356	77.49%	375	21.43%	19	1.09%
2004	1,480	81.68%	326	17.99%	6	0.33%
2000	1,302	73.56%	454	25.65%	14	0.79%
1996	946	53.93%	703	40.08%	105	5.99%
1992	982	52.01%	558	29.56%	348	18.43%
1988	1,183	54.02%	989	45.16%	18	0.82%
1984	1,219	69.66%	521	29.77%	10	0.57%
1980	1,188	62.63%	677	35.69%	32	1.69%
1976	755	43.77%	957	55.48%	13	0.75%
1972	1,153	72.11%	446	27.89%	0	0.00%
1968	615	37.05%	662	39.88%	383	23.07%
1964	567	31.03%	1,254	68.64%	6	0.33%
1960	737	46.76%	829	52.60%	10	0.63%
1956	628	44.38%	786	55.55%	1	0.07%
1952	742	48.15%	797	51.72%	2	0.13%
1948	176	15.86%	861	77.57%	73	6.58%
1944	144	12.42%	842	72.65%	173	14.93%
1940	198	15.49%	1,073	83.96%	7	0.55%
1936	132	14.01%	807	85.67%	3	0.32%
1932	87	9.62%	812	89.82%	5	0.55%
1928	794	73.59%	285	26.41%	0	0.00%
1924	331	35.06%	588	62.29%	25	2.65%
1920	28	5.92%	392	82.88%	53	11.21%
1916	14	3.91%	330	92.18%	14	3.91%
1912	7	4.27%	144	87.80%	13	7.93%

Education

School districts serving the county include: ^[23]

• Crosbyton Consolidated Independent School District
• Post Independent School District
• Southland Independent School District

The county is in the service area of South Plains College. ^[24]

See also

• Texas portal

• C.W. Post Memorial Camp
• Double Mountain Fork Brazos River
• Duffy's Peak
• Farm to Market Road 669
• Garza County Historical Museum
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Garza County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Garza County
• Mushaway Peak
• Salt Fork Brazos River

References

1. "Census of Population and Housing, 2000 [United States]: County-to-County Worker Flow Files". ICPSR Data Holdings. October 1, 2003. doi:10.3886/icpsr13405 . Retrieved June 3, 2022.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
4. Leffler, John (June 15, 2010). "Garza County, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
5. Holden, William Curry (June 12, 2010). "Curry Comb Ranch". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
6. Orozco, Cynthia E (June 15, 2010). "José Antonio de la Garza". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
7. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 135.
8. Holden, William Curry (June 15, 2010). "Square and Compass Ranch". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
9. Woolley, Bryan (2004). "Pack Rat". Texas Road Trip. Texas Christian University Press. pp. 25–36. ISBN   978-0-87565-291-7.
10. "Post, Texas". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
11. Pearce, William M (June 15, 2010). "Charles William Post". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
12. "Alumni Notes". The Alcalde: 52. September–October 1985.
13. Howard, Margaret Ann (June 12, 2010). "Cowhead Mesa". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
14. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
15. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". US Census Bureau.
16. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
17. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Garza County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
18. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Garza County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
19. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Garza County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
20. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
21. "State Rep. Springer announces district tour July 30". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, July 16, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
22. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
23. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Garza County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022. - list
24. Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.198. SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.

External links

• Garza County government's website
• Photos of the Llano Estacado Archived August 9, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
• Garza County from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Garza County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties Archived September 19, 2015, at the Wayback Machine

33°11′N101°18′W / 33.18°N 101.30°W / 33.18; -101.30