thumb|Water tower

thumb|Restored Magnolia [[gasoline station on U.S. Route 66.]]

thumb|Downtown Vega, with courthouse to the right and City Hall to the left

Vega is a city in and the county seat of Oldham County, Texas, United States. The population was 879 at the 2020 census, down from 884 at the 2010 census.

History

In 1879, the area was opened by the state for homesteading. The first settler, N.J. Whitfield, arrived in 1899. On October 17, 1899, he purchased part of Oldham County known as Section 90 at a per-acre rate of . In 1903, Whitfield sold a strip of land that extended across the southern part of Oldham County to the Choctaw, Oklahoma, and Texas (later Rock Island) Railroad as a right-of-way. He then sold portions of land on the south side of the right-of-way to other settlers. A. M. Miller and Howard Trigg surveyed the town site that eventually became Vega in May 1903. The name Vega, which is Spanish for "meadow", was chosen because it reflected the vast prairie and surrounding countryside of the area. Soon after, Miller opened a store, and a post office, saloon, and a school that doubled as a Masonic Lodge were built in the community. In 1907, ranchers Patrick and John Landergin purchased a part of the LS Ranch from Swift & Company. Working in association with the Amarillo, Texas-based Pool Land Company, the Landergin brothers brought more prospective settlers to the community. In the special election, citizens chose to move the county seat from Tascosa to Vega. Until a permanent courthouse was built, county business was conducted in Vega's Oldham Hotel. It is situated at the junction of Interstate 40 (Old Route 66) and U.S. Highway 385 in southern Oldham County, approximately 30 miles west of Amarillo.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Vega has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Vega had a population of 879, 360 households, and 267 families residing in the city; the median age was 41.7 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.0 males age 18 and over.

There were 360 households in Vega, of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 55.6% were married-couple households, 16.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.5% 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 || 690 || 78.5%

|-

| Black or African American || 1 || 0.1%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 6 || 0.7%

|-

| Asian || 8 || 0.9%

|-

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

|-

| Some other race || 82 || 9.3%

|-

| Two or more races || 92 || 10.5%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 197 || 22.4%

|}

2000 census

As of the census

Public library

The library was originally built in 1911 and housed a silent movie theater; today, it touts 11,000 volumes.

References

  • Oldham County Chamber of Commerce
  • Vega Independent School District