Cottle County, Texas

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Cottle County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,380.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Paducah.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was founded in 1876 and later organized in 1892.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is named for George Washington Cottle,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> who died defending the Alamo. Cottle County was formerly one of 46 prohibition, or entirely dry counties in the state of Texas. It now allows beer and wine sales.

The Matador Ranch, based in neighboring Motley County, once reached into Cottle County.<ref>"Matador Ranch," Historical marker, Texas Historical Commission, Motley County, Texas</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are land and Template:Convert (0.1%) is covered by water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Childress County (north)
Hardeman County (northeast)
Foard County (east)
King County (south)
Dickens County (southwest)
Motley County (west)
Hall County (northwest)

Demographics

Template:US Census population

**Cottle County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	1,348	1,043	902	70.80%	69.30%	65.36%
Black or African American alone (NH)	176	129	96	9.24%	8.57%	6.96%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	0	4	2	0.00%	0.27%	0.14%
Asian alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	1	1	0.00%	0.07%	0.07%
Other race alone (NH)	0	3	0	0.00%	0.20%	0.00%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	20	9	52	1.05%	0.60%	3.77%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	360	316	327	18.91%	21.00%	23.70%
Total	1,904	1,505	1,380	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, 1,904 people, 820 households, and 550 families resided in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. The 1,088 housing units averaged Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 81.46% White, 9.87% African American, 7.20% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. About 18.91% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 820 households, 28.00% had children under 18 living with them, 53.90% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were not families. Around 32.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.90% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.28, and the average family size was 2.84.

In the county, the age distribution was 23.90% under 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 21.50% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 25.60% who were 65 or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,446, and for a family was $33,036. Males had a median income of $24,375 versus $16,667 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,212. About 13.70% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.40% of those under age 18 and 16.00% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Until 2000, Cottle County went consistently Democratic in presidential elections, except for the 1928 election, when sentiment against Al Smith’s devout Catholic faith and opposition to Prohibition allowed Herbert Hoover to carry the county with 51% of the vote. After John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Hubert Humphrey easily carried the county in 1960, 1964, and 1968, respectively,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cottle County again voted for the Democratic candidate in the 1972 election, as it was the only county in Texas north of Maverick County (Eagle Pass) to have been won by George McGovern, albeit by a margin of only seven votes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After Jimmy Carter carried it in 1976 and 1980,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Walter Mondale won a majority of the county's votes in 1984,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Michael Dukakis won the county in 1988<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Bill Clinton carried it in 1992 and 1996.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Like the rest of the Bible Belt, Cottle has trended powerfully Republican<ref>Cohn, Nate; ‘Demographic Shift: Southern Whites’ Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats’, The New York Times, April 24, 2014</ref> and in the last six elections, the Republican nominee has won more than two-thirds of the vote. In 2012, Mitt Romney received 555 votes to Barack Obama’s 180,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in 2016, Hillary Clinton won fewer than 100 votes in the county, less than a tenth as many as Jimmy Carter 40 years before.