O'Donnell is a West Texas city that lies primarily in Lynn County, with a small portion extending south into Dawson County, Texas, United States. Its population was 704 at the 2020 census. The Lynn county portion of O'Donnell is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan area.

History

O'Donnell was settled in 1910 and named for Tom J. O'Donnell, a railroad promoter. O'Donnell was a railroad-created town, founded in anticipation that the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway would lay tracks through the area.

A branch of the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway was constructed from Slaton to Lamesa in 1910. The rails were abandoned and removed in 1999. In 2016, a controversy arose when the school was reported for having the ten commandments on its wall; when forced to take it down, the students came together and wrote Bible verses on sticky notes and posted them on the wall.

Geography

O'Donnell is on the High Plains of the Llano Estacado at (32.9637085 –101.8326542). U.S. Highway 87 passes just northwest of the city limits, leading southwest to Lamesa and north to Lubbock.

According to the United States Census Bureau, O'Donnell has an area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, O'Donnell had 704 people, 285 households, and 252 families residing in the city, and the median age was 39.4 years.

26.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.9 males age 18 and over.

Of the 285 households in O'Donnell, 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 47.0% were married-couple households, 18.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 469 || 66.6%

|-

| Black or African American || 5 || 0.7%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 7 || 1.0%

|-

| Asian || 0 || 0.0%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 111 || 15.8%

|-

| Two or more races || 112 || 15.9%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 474 || 67.3%

|}

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, O'Donnell had 831 people, a 17.8% reduction from the 2000 US Census. The population resided in 315 households, of which 237 were identified as family households. The racial makeup of the city was 73.4% White, 1.2% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 20.3% from other races, and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 62.8% of the population.

<gallery widths="200px">

File:Heritage Museum, O'Donnell, Texas IMG_1493.JPG|O'Donnell Heritage Museum at the intersection of Doak and Eighth streets

File:O'Donnell Texas cemetery 2011.jpg|O'Donnell Cemetery

File:Former Blocker Store, O'Donnell, Texas IMG 1497.JPG|The former Blocker Store in downtown O'Donnell

</gallery>

See also

  • List of municipalities in Texas
  • Llano Estacado
  • West Texas

Notes

References

  • Roadside America, Dan Blocker Memorial
  • Handbook of Texas: O'Donnell, Texas