Hale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 32,522. Its county seat is Plainview. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1888. It is named for Lt. John C. Hale, a hero of the Battle of San Jacinto.

<!-- It is home of the noted former Hale County Judge, Bill "Hang 'Em High" Hollars. -->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. The Texas Legislature formed Hale County from Bexar County in 1876.

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 on the old military trail established by Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie. The city's name comes from the area's vista. The county was organized in 1888, with Plainview as the county seat. By 1900, the county had 259 farms and ranches, with a population of 1,680.

and Wayland Baptist College was founded the same year.

In 1909, businessman Levi Schick opened the Schick Opera House.

The county's first motor-driven irrigation well was drilled five years later.

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".

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

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.

As of 2010, Hale County was one of 62 counties in Texas still legally barring the sale of alcohol.

As of March 7, 2008, Plainview has allowed the sale of packaged alcohol within the city limits.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (0.01%) is covered by water.

Major highways

  • 20px 20px Interstate 27/U.S. Highway 87
  • 20px Interstate 27 Business
  • 20px U.S. Highway 70
  • 20px 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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Hale County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>

!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!

!% 2000

!% 2010

!

|-

|White alone (NH)

|16,526

|13,647

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10,693

|45.15%

|37.62%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |32.88%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|2,044

|1,803

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,381

|5.58%

|4.97%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.25%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|139

|103

|style='background: #ffffe6; |99

|0.38%

|0.28%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.30%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|107

|133

|style='background: #ffffe6; |149

|0.29%

|0.37%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.46%

|-

|Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|7

|19

|style='background: #ffffe6; |30

|0.02%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.09%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|18

|32

|style='background: #ffffe6; |69

|0.05%

|0.09%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.21%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|229

|267

|style='background: #ffffe6; |612

|0.63%

|0.74%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.88%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|17,532

|20,269

|style='background: #ffffe6; |19,489

|47.90%

|55.88%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |59.93%

|-

|Total

|36,602

|36,273

|style='background: #ffffe6; |32,522

|100.00%

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

|}

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 32,522. The median age was 35.9 years. 25.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 105.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 105.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 52.0% White, 4.6% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 22.6% from some other race, and 19.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 59.9% of the population.

There were 11,396 households in the county, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.6% were married-couple households, 17.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

<!-- PresRow should be -->

<!-- U.S. SenRow should be -->

<!-- U.S. SenRow should be -->

<!-- T.X. GovRow should be -->

Education

School districts serving the county include:

  • 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.

See also

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

References

  • Hale County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties