thumb|Municipal building annex in Littlefield
right|thumb|Partial view of downtown Littlefield
thumb|Littlefield water tower advertises home-town celebrity [[Waylon Jennings.]]
thumb|Littlefield Lands/Duggan House Museum is located on Waylon Jennings Boulevard.
thumb|right|G's Drive-In in Littlefield
thumb|right|First [[Baptist Church in downtown Littlefield]]
Littlefield is a city in and the county seat of Lamb County, Texas, United States. Its population was 5,943 at the 2020 census. It is located in a significant cotton-growing region, northwest of Lubbock on the Llano Estacado just south of the Texas Panhandle. Littlefield had a large denim-manufacturing plant operated by American Cotton Growers.
History
Littlefield is named for George Washington Littlefield. In July 1901, Littlefield purchased the southern, or Yellow Houses, division of the XIT Ranch, forming the Yellow House Ranch. At that time, the ranch covered in Lamb, Hockley, Bailey, and Cochran Counties. In 1912, when surveys showed that a new rail line from Coleman, Texas, to Texico, New Mexico, would pass through his property, Littlefield formed the Littlefield Lands Company to sell the northeastern corner of the Yellow House Ranch, a total of , to settlers and to establish the town of Littlefield in Lamb County. Littlefield became a stop on the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway in 1913.
1973 train accident
On February 6, 1973, seven students were killed and 16 students were hospitalized when a school bus was struck by a moving Santa Fe freight train. The bus was struck on the railroad street intersection on what is now N Eastside Ave. The accident occurred a little after 4:00 pm, with death certificates noting the time of death at 4:05 pm. Police investigation determined that the train was travelling eastbound Jean Patterson, driver of the bus behind Johnson's, as well as three students who were in Johnson's bus, claimed that the bus had stopped at a warning crossing that had functioning lights and bells before moving over the tracks and being struck.
The majority of the students were from Fieldton, Texas. The victims were Edward Ortiz, 17, his sister Aurora Ortiz, 9, David Frausto, 18, his sister Diana Frausto, 9, Mary Medina, 10, Anita Martinez, 18, and Julie Davis, 9. Teachers reported leading their students in prayer and some discussion, but for the most part, contemporary reports reflected a quiet response from elementary-school students, even as the wrecked bus was temporarily moved into a field within sight of the school. Two memorial services were held on February 8, 1973, for the students. The first was held at the Littlefield Junior High School auditorium in the morning before classes started, and was for junior-high and high-school students. The second service was held in the same auditorium later in the day for kindergarten through sixth-grade students.
The police probe into the accident did not lead to any criminal charges. The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad Co. filed a third-party suit against Johnson for lacking the qualification to drive the bus and against Littlefield ISD for negligence in hiring Johnson.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Climate
Much like nearby Lubbock, Littlefield has a mild, semiarid climate. On average, Littlefield receives of precipitation per year. Summers in Littlefield are hot, with high temperatures in the 90s °F (32–37 °C) and dropping into the 60s °F (15–20 °C) at nights. The highest recorded temperature was on June 28, 1994.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Littlefield had a population of 5,943, with 2,248 households and 1,401 families residing in the city, and the median age was 37.4 years. The distribution of ages included 26.8% under 18 and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 95.3 males and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.0 males.
There were 2,248 households in Littlefield, of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.9% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 3,335 || 56.1%
|-
| Black or African American || 337 || 5.7%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 45 || 0.8%
|-
| Asian || 7 || 0.1%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 11 || 0.2%
|-
| Some other race || 824 || 13.9%
|-
| Two or more races || 1,384 || 23.3%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 3,529 || 59.4%
|}
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census, 6,507 people, 2,390 households, and 1,699 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 2,784 housing units averaged 464.4 per square mile (179.5/km). The racial makeup of the city was 77.10% White, 5.38% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 14.62% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 45.83% of the population.
Of the 2,390 households, 34.2% had children under 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were not families; 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the city, the population was distributed as 29.3% under 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,271, and for a family was $29,842. Males had a median income of $25,978 versus $20,160 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,018. About 18.8% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.5% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The economy of Littlefield is diverse, but traditionally depends on cotton. American Cotton Growers Denim Textile Plant of Littlefield is the largest employer in Littlefield and Lamb County. Plains Cotton Cooperative Association of Lubbock, a farmer-owned, cotton-marketing cooperative purchased the denim plant from ACG in 1987. American Cotton Growers announced the closure of their Littlefield denim mill on Friday Nov 07, 2014. The plant closed in 2015, and was purchased by a dairy co-operative, Select Milk Producers. The city is headquarters to Lowe's Market, a grocery store chain in the American Southwest. In August 2008, Littlefield was selected as the new location for a biodiesel plant.
Arts and culture
Littlefield is the hometown of singer/songwriter Waylon Jennings; Waylon Jennings Boulevard is named in his honor.
Bull Lake is located about west of town. A municipal campground is located on Highway 385.
The world's tallest windmill was said to be below Yellow Houses Bluff at nearby Yellow House Ranch from the early 1900s until 1926, when the -high structure was blown over.