Texas County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its county seat is Guymon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,384. It is the second largest county in Oklahoma, based on land area, and is named for Texas, the state that adjoins the county to its south.

Texas County comprises the Guymon, OK Micropolitan Statistical Area.

The county economy is largely based on farming and cattle production. It is one of the top-producing counties in the U.S. for wheat, cattle, and hogs. It also lies within the noted Hugoton-Panhandle natural gas field.

History

Texas County was formed at Oklahoma statehood (November 16, 1907) from the central one-third of "Old Beaver County". When the formation of the county was authorized by the Constitutional Convention of 1907, the county was so named because it was wholly included within the limits of the Texas Cession of 1850, whereby the ownership of the area was passed from the State of Texas to the United States government. From 1850 to 1890, its lands were never attached to any state or territory, never surveyed, and never divided into townships and sections like the eastern counties were. From 1890 to 1907, it was part of Beaver County. It is the second-largest county in Oklahoma by area. The county lies in the High Plains of the Great Plains physiographic region. It is generally flat, but has some rolling hills. It is drained by the North Canadian River, often called the Beaver River in this area. Tributaries of the river are Coldwater, Hackberry, Goff, Teepee, and Pony Creeks.

The Optima Lake project, including Optima National Wildlife Refuge, and the Optima Wildlife Management Area being public hunting lands managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, is north of Hardesty, Oklahoma.

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| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790–1960 1900–1990<br />1990–2000 2010

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 21,384. Of the residents, 29.3% were under the age of 18 and 12.2% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 32.4 years. For every 100 females there were 104.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 106.9 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 47.4% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 2.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% Asian, 26.2% from some other race, and 16.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 50.6% of the population. 65.7% spoke English and 33.1% Spanish as their first language.

In 2010, there were 7,153 households, out of which 39.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.50% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 21.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.19. In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.80% under the age of 18, 12.70% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 19.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 105.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,872, and the median income for a family was $42,226. Males had a median income of $26,991 versus $20,404 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,692. About 10.20% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.80% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

{| class=wikitable

! colspan = 6 | Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023

|-

! colspan = 2 | Party

! Number of Voters

! Percentage

|-

|

| Democratic

| align = center | 1,535

| align = center | 17.71%

|-

|

| Republican

| align = center | 5,423

| align = center | 62.57%

|-

|

| Others

| align = center | 1,709

| align = center | 19.72%

|-

! colspan = 2 | Total

! align = center | 8,667

! align = center | 100%

|}

The county has been consistently Republican since 1952. No Democratic presidential candidate has received more than 20% of the vote in the 21st century.

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Economy

thumb|right|Area affected by 1930s [[Dust Bowl]]

Cattle raising was the most important economic activity before and after statehood. Farming rose in importance after the 1890s. Despite the occurrence of the Dust Bowl these two sectors have recovered and prospered. By 1990, Texas County led the state in producing grain sorghums, with 4.2&nbsp;million bushels, or one-quarter of the state's harvest, and was the state's fourth-largest wheat-producing county, harvesting 10.3&nbsp;million bushels. By 1997, it was the state's top producer of both hogs and cattle. and pork producer Seaboard Foods is the county's primary employer.

Petroleum exploration began in 1922 and resulted in natural gas production from the Hugoton Gas Field. The county remains the nation's largest producer of natural gas. Four carbon black plants operated near Optima from the mid-1930s through the 1940s.

Education

The Oklahoma Legislature created the Pan-Handle Agricultural Institute in 1909, offering secondary agricultural education for the Panhandle area. In 1921, the legislature changed the name to Panhandle Agricultural and Mechanical College and authorized the school to offer a two-year curriculum. In 1925, the State Board of Agriculture authorized upper division college courses; further, in 1926, junior and senior level courses were added. The school name has been changed twice since then, to Oklahoma Panhandle State College of Agriculture and Applied Science (OPSU) in 1967 and to Oklahoma Panhandle State University in 1974. The school is in Goodwell.

K-12 school districts include:

  • Goodwell Public Schools
  • Guymon Public Schools
  • Hardesty Public Schools
  • Hooker Public Schools
  • Keyes Public Schools
  • Texhoma Public Schools
  • Turpin Public Schools
  • Tyrone Public Schools
  • Yarbrough Public Schools

There are two elementary school districts: Optima Public School and Straight Public School.

Transportation

Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Highway 54
  • 20px U.S. Highway 56
  • 20px U.S. Highway 64
  • 20px U.S. Highway 412
  • 20px State Highway 3
  • 20px State Highway 94
  • 20px State Highway 95
  • 20px State Highway 136

Airports

Guymon Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7&nbsp;km) west of the central business district of City of Guymon in Texas County.

Communities

Cities

  • Guymon (county seat)
  • Hooker

Towns

  • Goodwell
  • Hardesty
  • Optima
  • Texhoma (divided town with Texhoma, Texas)
  • Tyrone

Census-designated places

  • Adams
  • Baker
  • Hough

Unincorporated communities

  • Eva
  • Four Corners
  • Mouser
  • Muncy
  • Straight
  • Yarborough
  • Hitchland (partially in Texas)
  • Nabisco Township (no longer exists, 1910 census)

NRHP sites

The following are included among the twenty-four sites in Texas County listed on the National Register of Historic Places

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  • Adams Woodframe Grain Elevator, Adams (since condemned and burned)
  • Baker Woodframe Grain Elevator, Baker
  • Eva Woodframe Grain Elevator, Eva
  • Franklin Hall, Goodwell
  • Easterwood Archeological Site, Guymon
  • Hooker Woodframe Grain Elevator, Hooker
  • Hough Woodframe Grain Elevator, Hough
  • CCC Ranch Headquarters, Texhoma
  • Johnson-Kline Archeological Site, Texhoma

|}

See also

  • Oklahoma Panhandle

References

  • Texas County, Oklahoma
  • Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory