Jayton is a city in and the county seat of Kent County, Texas, United States. It is located in the northeastern portion of the county, and the population was 511 as of the 2020 census.
History
Jayton's history begins in the 1880s. Originally known as "Jay Flat", it was established two miles northeast of its present location and named after a local ranching family. A post office was granted in 1886, and Daniel Jay served as the community's first postmaster. In 1907, the townsite was moved to its present location for improved proximity to rail service, and it was officially renamed "Jayton" later that same year. The community's first newspaper, the Jayton Herald, was established the following year, and the city incorporated in February 1910. By 1925, Jayton was home to 750 residents.
From the community's inception, the local economy had originally been supported mainly by the cotton industry, but the Dust Bowl of the 1930s had a dire effect on production. The community's economy was stabilized by the discovery of oil later that same decade, and while its population never exceeded 750, Jayton remained stable throughout the Great Depression. In 1954, following a lengthy and heated court battle, the city wrested the title of county seat from the declining nearby community of Clairemont, and in 1957, a courthouse was constructed. Jayton's population remained around 600 from the 1950s through the 1980 census before declining to 513 in 1990 and 441 in 2000, but a resurgence in the local oil industry led to a rebound, and the 2010 census counted 534 residents.
Media
Jayton is served by The Texas Spur newspaper in Spur, Texas.
Geography
Jayton is located in eastern Kent County. U.S. Route 380 touches the southern border of the city; the highway leads southeast to Aspermont and southwest to Clairemont. Texas State Highway 70 is Jayton's Main Street and leads northwest to Spur. The closest large cities are Lubbock, to the northwest, and Abilene, to the southeast.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Jayton has a total area of , all land.
Kent County Airport is south of the city. The airport has one asphalt runway in length. The nearest airport with commercial service is approximately 100 miles away, in Lubbock.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Jayton has a semiarid climate, BSk on climate maps.
Demographics
2020 census
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 can be of any race.
As of the 2020 census, Jayton had a population of 511, 197 households, and 108 families. The median age was 46.7 years; 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 31.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 82.2 males age 18 and over.
There were 197 households in Jayton, of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.7% were married-couple households, 16.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 455 || 89.0%
|-
| Black or African American || 2 || 0.4%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 5 || 1.0%
|-
| Asian || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 26 || 5.1%
|-
| Two or more races || 23 || 4.5%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 61 || 11.9%
|}
2000 census
As of the census and the local high school is Jayton High School.
The Texas Legislature designated the county as being in the Western Texas College District.
Notable people
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- Jim W. Corder (1929–1998), a scholar of rhetoric.
- Weldon Myrick (1938-2014), American Steel Guitar player.