Hale County, Texas

Hale County
County
The Hale County Courthouse in Plainview
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°04′N101°50′W / 34.07°N 101.83°W / 34.07; -101.83
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1888
Seat	Plainview
Largest city	Plainview
Area
• Total	1,005 sq mi (2,600 km2)
• Land	1,005 sq mi (2,600 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)  0.01%
Population  (2020)
• Total	32,522
• Density	32/sq mi (12/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	19th
Website	www.halecounty.org

Hale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 32,522. ^[1] Its county seat is Plainview. ^[2] The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1888. ^[3] It is named for Lt. John C. Hale, ^[4] a hero of the Battle of San Jacinto. Hale County comprises the Plainview, Texas micropolitan statistical area.

History

In 7000 BC, Paleo-Indians were the first county inhabitants. Later Native American inhabitants included the Comanche. ^[5] The Texas Legislature formed Hale County from Bexar County in 1876. ^[5] A few years later (1881), brothers T.W. and T.N. Morrison, and W.D. Johnson, established the Cross L Ranch and the XIT to raise cattle. ^[6] In 1883, New York Methodist minister Horatio Graves became the first white permanent settler in the county. ^[6]

The city of Plainview has its beginnings in 1886 when rancher Zachery Taylor Maxwell moved his family and 2,000 sheep from Floyd County to the site of two hackberry groves ^[7] on the old military trail established by Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie. The city's name comes from the area's vista. ^[8] The county was organized in 1888, with Plainview as the county seat. ^[9] By 1900, the county had 259 farms and ranches, with a population of 1,680. ^[5]

The Santa Fe Railway came to Plainview in 1906, ^[10] and Wayland Baptist College was founded the same year. ^[11] In 1909, businessman Levi Schick opened the Schick Opera House. ^[12] The county's first motor-driven irrigation well was drilled five years later. ^[5] The Texas Land and Development Company was organized in Plainview in 1912. Its purpose was to entice settlers by dividing a large tract of land into individual farms, and preparing each farm for occupancy. ^[13]

The Plainview Site was discovered in 1944. In addition to bone and man-made artifacts, archeologists found the remains of 100 extinct bison about twice the size of modern "buffalo". ^[14]

Oil was discovered in 1946 in the Anton-Irish field of Lamb and Hale Counties. ^[15]

Country artist Jimmy Dean, his brother Don Dean, and cousin-in-law Troy Pritchard founded the Jimmy Dean Sausage Company and opened the Jimmy Dean Meat Company in 1969. ^[16] As of 2010, Hale County was one of 62 counties in Texas still legally barring the sale of alcohol. ^[17] As of March 7, 2008, Plainview has allowed the sale of packaged alcohol within the city limits. ^[18]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,005 square miles (2,600 km²), of which 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (0.01%) is covered by water. ^[19]

Major highways

• Interstate 27/U.S. Highway 87
• Interstate 27 Business
• U.S. Highway 70
• State Highway 194

Adjacent counties

• Swisher County (north)
• Floyd County (east)
• Lubbock County (south)
• Lamb County (west)
• Castro County (northwest)
• Hockley County (southwest)
• Crosby County (southeast)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	721		—
1900	1,680		133.0%
1910	7,566		350.4%
1920	10,104		33.5%
1930	20,189		99.8%
1940	18,813		−6.8%
1950	28,211		50.0%
1960	36,798		30.4%
1970	34,137		−7.2%
1980	37,592		10.1%
1990	34,671		−7.8%
2000	36,602		5.6%
2010	36,227		−1.0%
2020	32,522		−10.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [20] 1850–2010 [21] 2010 [22] 2020 [23]

Hale 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 [24]	Pop 2010 [22]	Pop 2020 [23]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	16,526	13,647	10,693	45.15%	37.62%	32.88%
Black or African American alone (NH)	2,044	1,803	1,381	5.58%	4.97%	4.25%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	139	103	99	0.38%	0.28%	0.30%
Asian alone (NH)	107	133	149	0.29%	0.37%	0.46%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	7	19	30	0.02%	0.05%	0.09%
Other race alone (NH)	18	32	69	0.05%	0.09%	0.21%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	229	267	612	0.63%	0.74%	1.88%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	17,532	20,269	19,489	47.90%	55.88%	59.93%
Total	36,602	36,273	32,522	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census ^[25] of 2000, 36,602 people, 11,975 households, and 9,136 families resided in the county. The population density was 36 people/sq mi (14 people/km²). The 13,526 housing units averaged 14 units per square mile (5.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 66.77% White, 5.79% African American, 0.92% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 23.80% from other races, and 2.42% from two or more races. About 47.90% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 11,975 households, 40.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.70% were not families. About 21% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the county, the population was distributed as 30.20% under the age of 18, 11.40% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 18.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 102.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,280, and for a family was $35,250. Males had a median income of $26,007 versus $20,057 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,655. About 14.30% of families and 18.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.30% of those under age 18 and 14.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Abernathy (small part in Lubbock County)
• Hale Center
• Petersburg
• Plainview (county seat)

Town

• Edmonson

Census-designated place

• Seth Ward

Unincorporated community

• Cotton Center

Ghost town

• Hale City

Politics

United States presidential election results for Hale County, Texas ^[26]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	7,283	78.44%	1,903	20.50%	99	1.07%
2020	7,177	74.87%	2,279	23.77%	130	1.36%
2016	6,366	71.87%	2,101	23.72%	391	4.41%
2012	6,490	73.30%	2,243	25.33%	121	1.37%
2008	7,171	72.12%	2,708	27.24%	64	0.64%
2004	8,025	79.03%	2,078	20.46%	51	0.50%
2000	6,868	75.39%	2,158	23.69%	84	0.92%
1996	5,905	60.59%	3,204	32.88%	637	6.54%
1992	6,098	59.59%	2,761	26.98%	1,375	13.44%
1988	6,284	64.05%	3,502	35.69%	25	0.25%
1984	7,670	70.43%	3,202	29.40%	19	0.17%
1980	7,277	65.86%	3,610	32.67%	163	1.48%
1976	5,390	48.97%	5,580	50.70%	37	0.34%
1972	7,051	76.04%	2,135	23.02%	87	0.94%
1968	4,696	45.60%	3,293	31.98%	2,309	22.42%
1964	3,666	38.21%	5,910	61.60%	18	0.19%
1960	4,784	56.07%	3,695	43.31%	53	0.62%
1956	3,804	49.64%	3,848	50.22%	11	0.14%
1952	4,858	59.06%	3,351	40.74%	17	0.21%
1948	1,013	19.08%	3,995	75.24%	302	5.69%
1944	712	16.26%	3,066	70.02%	601	13.72%
1940	906	20.96%	3,405	78.76%	12	0.28%
1936	451	12.59%	3,109	86.80%	22	0.61%
1932	369	10.74%	3,029	88.13%	39	1.13%
1928	2,143	65.98%	1,098	33.81%	7	0.22%
1924	507	24.84%	1,446	70.85%	88	4.31%
1920	352	20.96%	1,279	76.18%	48	2.86%
1916	80	7.71%	908	87.48%	50	4.82%
1912	26	3.74%	554	79.71%	115	16.55%

Education

School districts serving the county include: ^[27]

• Abernathy Independent School District
• Cotton Center Independent School District
• Hale Center Independent School District
• Lockney Independent School District
• Olton Independent School District
• Petersburg Independent School District
• Plainview Independent School District

The county is in the service area of South Plains College. ^[28]

See also

• Texas portal

• Dry counties
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hale County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Hale County

References

1. "Hale County, Texas". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved February 23, 2021.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. 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 24, 2015.
4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  147.
5. Leffler, John. "Hale County, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
6. "Minister Horatio Graves". Plainsview and Hill County History. Plainview Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on June 18, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
7. Turner, Matt Warnock (2009). Remarkable Plants of Texas: Uncommon Accounts of Our Common Natives. University of Texas Press. p. 19. ISBN   978-0-292-71851-7.
8. Davis, Charles G. "Plainview". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Society. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
9. "Plainview, Texas". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
10. "Santa Fe Railway". Texas Escapes. Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
11. Brackney, William H (2008). Congregation and Campus: Baptists in Higher Education. Mercer University Press. p. 240. ISBN   978-0-88146-130-5.
12. "Schick Opera House - Plainview, Hale County, Texas". Texas Historical Markers. William Nienke, Sam Morrow. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
13. Brunson, B R. "Texas Land and Development Company". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
14. Gibbon, Guy E (1998). Archaeology of Prehistoric Native America : An Encyclopedia. Routledge. p.  655. ISBN   978-0-8153-0725-9.
15. Totten, Robert T (1956). "General Geology and Historical Development, Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles: ABSTRACT". AAPG Bulletin. 40. doi:10.1306/5ceae382-16bb-11d7-8645000102c1865d.
16. Calhoun, Fryar (August 1983). "Jimmy Dean". Texas Monthly: 120–123, 198–200, 206.
17. "Wet/Dry Status of Texas Counties as of November 2010". Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
18. "After a year of alcohol... 03-15-09". Plainview Daily Herald. March 15, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
19. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
20. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". US Census Bureau.
21. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
22. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Hale County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
23. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Hale County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
24. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Hale County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
25. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
26. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
27. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Hale County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022. - list
28. Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.198. SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.

External links

• Hale County government's website (under development, but some links)
• Hale County from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Hale County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties

34°04′N101°50′W / 34.07°N 101.83°W / 34.07; -101.83