White Deer is a town in Carson County, Texas, United States. The population was 918 at the 2020 census.

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

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, White Deer has a semiarid climate, BSk on climate maps.

History

The community was first settled around 1882, when the British-owned Francklyn Land and Cattle Company, later reorganized as the White Deer Company, occupied the area and began stocking it with cattle. George Tyng, general manager of the property, built the headquarters for White Deer or Diamond F Ranch at the site in 1887. Around the same time, the Purcell Company purchased land in the vicinity as a right-of-way for the Southern Kansas Railway of Texas. A depot was built in 1888. The site was initially known as "Paton" (after John Paton), then "Whig", before being renamed White Deer in January 1899 – after nearby White Deer Creek. During the 1890s, British shareholders began selling land for small farms and ranches to settlers. The community moved to its present location near the railroad line in 1908. By 1980, the population was 1,210. That figure decreased to 1,125 in 1990 and 1,060 in 2000.

A statue of a white deer stands on a concrete pedestal in the middle of the town's main intersection.

2020 census

{| class="wikitable"

|+White Deer racial composition<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Race

!Number

!Percentage

|-

|White (NH)

|762

|83.01%

|-

|Black or African American (NH)

|1

|0.11%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)

|2

|0.22%

|-

|Asian (NH)

|2

|0.22%

|-

|Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)

|63

|6.86%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino

|88

|9.59%

|-

|Total

|918

|

|}

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 918 people, 318 households, and 234 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the census On June 8, 1995, an F4 (maximum wind speeds 207–260&nbsp;mph) tornado 11.7 miles away from the White Deer town center injured seven people and caused between $5,000,000 and $50,000,000 in damages.

Education

Public education in White Deer is provided by the White Deer Independent School District. The district has an enrollment of around 400 students on two campuses, White Deer Elementary School (grades Pre-K–8) and White Deer High School (grades 9–12).

References

  • White Deer official website