Channing is a town in Hartley County, Texas, in the United States. It is the county seat of Hartley County. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 281.

History

Channing was founded in 1888 by George Channing Rivers, a paymaster for the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway. The settlement was originally called Rivers. Since the name Rivers duplicated another community in Texas, the name was changed to Channing later that year. Channing developed directly from its association with the XIT Ranch, a property that once included land in as many as 10 counties in the Texas Panhandle.

In 1891, Willis D. Twitchell platted Channing's business district. At that time, Channing was the headquarters of the XIT. Albert Boyce, the ranch's general manager and one of the most prominent early citizens, built the first house in the community. By 1900, Channing had two stores, a post office, lumber yard, and school. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.3 &nbsp;sq mi (2.6&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), all land.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Channing has a semiarid climate, BSk on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 281 people, 114 households, and 91 families residing in the city. The median age was 38.4 years.

23.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.5 males age 18 and over.

There were 114 households in Channing, of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 57.9% were married-couple households, 14.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Percent

|-

| White || 81.9%

|-

| Black or African American || 1.1%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 1.8%

|-

| Asian || 0%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0%

|-

| Some other race || 4.3%

|-

| Two or more races || 11.0%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 14.6%

|}

2000 census

thumb|upright=1.2|Channing

As of the census of 2000, 356 people, 135 households, and 103 families were living in the city. The population density was 357.9 people/sq mi (138.8/km<sup>2</sup>). The 154 housing units had an average density of 154.8/sq mi (60.1/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the city was 94.94% White, 1.12% African American, 0.56% Native American, 1.69% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 7.02% of the population.

Of the 135 households, 38.5% had children under 18 living with them, 74.1% were married couples living together, 2.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were not families. About 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.63, and the average family size was 3.07.

In the city, the age distribution was 29.5% under 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,167, and for a family was $42,188. Males had a median income of $29,250 versus $22,679 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,824. About 3.5% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

City government consists of a mayor and two city council members. Mayor Troy Williams was elected in May 2021. Current council members are Preston Mead and Kelly Garrison.

Law enforcement is provided by the Hartley County Sheriff's Office, as the city does not have a police force of its own. Fire protection for the city and much of southern Hartley County is provided by an all-volunteer fire department, headquartered in the city.

Education

Channing is served by the Channing Independent School District. One building, Channing School, houses all grades.

Notable people

  • Walt Schlinkman, American football player, coach and scout

References