Loving County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. With a population of 64 according to the 2020 census, it is the least populous county in the United States with a permanent population. Its county seat and only community is Mentone.
Loving County was originally split off of Reeves County in 1887. It was merged back into Reeves County ten years later, and was reorganized in 1931. It is located in West Texas, just south of the New Mexico state border. Reeves County is to its south and west, Ward County is to its south, and Winkler County is to its east.
History
Nomadic hunters inhabited the area during prehistory. Antonio de Espejo traveled in the area in 1583, and crossed the Pecos River. Immigrants used a ford, later named Pope's Crossing, for travel in the 1840s. John Pope surveyed the area in 1854, for the building of a transcontinental railroad. He created a camp in 1855, and conducted three drilling attempts, but only found water once and was unable to access it. Andrew A. Humphreys ordered Pope to end his drilling and abandon the camp on July 10, 1858. Soldiers were stationed at the camp created by Pope from 1858 to 1861. The route of the Butterfield Overland Mail went through the area.
Oliver Loving, after whom the county was named, and Charles Goodnight drove cattle through the area in 1866, creating the Goodnight–Loving Trail. Loving was shot by a Comanche native in 1867, and died from gangrene. The area was a part of Bexar County from 1837 to 1874, when it became a part of Tom Green County. Eleven people in the area, including Clay Allison, petitioned to the 19th session of the Texas Legislature to become a part of Reeves County. Loving County was created in 1887, by House Bill No. 113, although it was to be attached to Reeves County for certain purposes, including judicial and surveying. In 2023, Malcolm Tanner announced his intent to create a new settlement for black people in Loving County with affordable housing, job opportunities, and to gain political influence.
thumb|[[Water tower, Loving County]]
Geography
The county is three-fifths the size of Rhode Island. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (1.1%) are covered by water.
Water in the area has to be imported from Kermit or Pecos, Texas, due to the groundwater in the area containing gypsum; the Pecos River was previously used for water before its salinity became too high.