Booker is a town in Lipscomb and Ochiltree Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 1,437 as of the 2020 Census. It was named for B.F. Booker, a civil engineer for the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway.
History
Booker was founded seven miles north of where it currently sits, as LaKemp, Oklahoma, in 1909. Ten years later, though, when the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway was built from Shattuck, Oklahoma, to Spearman, Texas, the entire town moved seven miles across the state line to be near the railroad. The town was platted shortly before the move in 1917 by Thomas C. Spearman, who had Spearman named after him. LaKemp was renamed Booker in honor of one of the engineers for the railroad.
Geography
Booker is incorporated in Lipscomb County, and most of its territory lies in the northwestern corner of that county; only a small portion extends west into Ochiltree County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.7 km<sup>2</sup>), all land.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification, Booker has a semiarid climate, BSk on climate maps.
Demographics
2020 census
{| class="wikitable"
|+Booker racial composition<br /> (NH = Non-Hispanic)
!Race
!Number
!Percentage
|-
|White (NH)
|542
|37.72%
|-
|Black or African American (NH)
|3
|0.21%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)
|9
|0.63%
|-
|Asian (NH)
|1
|0.07%
|-
|Multiracial (NH)
|30
|2.09%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino
|852
|59.29%
|-
|Total
|1,437
|
|}
As of the 2020 United States census, 1,437 people, 496 households, and 389 families resided in the town.
2000 census
As of the census The town has billboards on the western and eastern edges of town along State 15 that read "Booker: Next 9 Exits", which is a reference to all the streets that run north-south that meet the highway as it passes through the locale.
The streets of the town are arranged in a regular manner alphabetically and categorically in the "south of the railroad tracks" side of town. The north–south streets west of Main Street are named after flowers and trees. Streets on the east side are names of Texas cities and historical figures with the exception of one street.
Education
The town is served by the Booker Independent School District.
Notable persons
- Brent Guy, former head football coach at Utah State University and former defensive coordinator for the University of Tulsa
See also
- List of municipalities in Texas
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