Hale County, Texas
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Hale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 32,522.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Plainview.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1888.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is named for Lt. John C. Hale,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> a hero of the Battle of San Jacinto.
Hale County comprises the Plainview, Texas micropolitan statistical area.
History
[edit]In 7000 BC, Paleo-Indians were the first county inhabitants. Later Native American inhabitants included the Comanche.<ref name="Hale County, Texas">Template:Cite web</ref> The Texas Legislature formed Hale County from Bexar County in 1876.<ref name="Hale County, Texas"/> A few years later (1881), brothers T.W. and T.N. Morrison, and W.D. Johnson, established the Cross L Ranch and the XIT to raise cattle.<ref name="Minister Horatio Graves"/> In 1883, New York Methodist minister Horatio Graves became the first white permanent settler in the county.<ref name="Minister Horatio Graves">Template:Cite web</ref>
The city of Plainview has its beginnings in 1886 when rancher Zachery Taylor Maxwell moved his family and 2,000 sheep from Floyd County to the site of two hackberry groves<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> on the old military trail established by Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie. The city's name comes from the area's vista.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county was organized in 1888, with Plainview as the county seat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By 1900, the county had 259 farms and ranches, with a population of 1,680.<ref name="Hale County, Texas"/>
The Santa Fe Railway came to Plainview in 1906,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Wayland Baptist College was founded the same year.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1909, businessman Levi Schick opened the Schick Opera House.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county's first motor-driven irrigation well was drilled five years later.<ref name="Hale County, Texas"/> The Texas Land and Development Company was organized in Plainview in 1912. Its purpose was to entice settlers by dividing a large tract of land into individual farms, and preparing each farm for occupancy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Plainview Site was discovered in 1944. In addition to bone and man-made artifacts, archeologists found the remains of 100 extinct bison about twice the size of modern "buffalo".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Oil was discovered in 1946 in the Anton-Irish field of Lamb and Hale Counties.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Country artist Jimmy Dean, his brother Don Dean, and cousin-in-law Troy Pritchard founded the Jimmy Dean Sausage Company and opened the Jimmy Dean Meat Company in 1969.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> As of 2010, Hale County was one of 62 counties in Texas still legally barring the sale of alcohol.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of March 7, 2008, Plainview has allowed the sale of packaged alcohol within the city limits.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Geography
[edit]According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (0.01%) is covered by water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>
Major highways
[edit]- File:I-27 (TX).svg File:US 87.svg Interstate 27/U.S. Highway 87
- File:Business Loop 27.svg Interstate 27 Business
- File:US 70.svg U.S. Highway 70
- File:Texas 194.svg State Highway 194
.svg){kind=link}
Adjacent counties
[edit]- Swisher County (north)
- Floyd County (east)
- Lubbock County (south)
- Lamb County (west)
- Castro County (northwest)
- Hockley County (southwest)
- Crosby County (southeast)
Demographics
[edit]| 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) | 16,526 | 13,647 | 10,693 | 45.15% | 37.62% | 32.88% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 2,044 | 1,803 | 1,381 | 5.58% | 4.97% | 4.25% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 139 | 103 | 99 | 0.38% | 0.28% | 0.30% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 107 | 133 | 149 | 0.29% | 0.37% | 0.46% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 7 | 19 | 30 | 0.02% | 0.05% | 0.09% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 18 | 32 | 69 | 0.05% | 0.09% | 0.21% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 229 | 267 | 612 | 0.63% | 0.74% | 1.88% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 17,532 | 20,269 | 19,489 | 47.90% | 55.88% | 59.93% |
| Total | 36,602 | 36,273 | 32,522 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2000 census
[edit]As of the 2000 census, there were 36,602 people, 11,975 households, and 9,136 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. The 13,526 housing units averaged Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 66.77% White, 5.79% African American, 0.92% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 23.80% from other races, and 2.42% from two or more races. About 47.90% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 11,975 households, 40.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.70% were not families. About 21% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the county, the population was distributed as 30.20% under the age of 18, 11.40% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 18.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 102.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,280, and for a family was $35,250. Males had a median income of $26,007 versus $20,057 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,655. About 14.30% of families and 18.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.30% of those under age 18 and 14.80% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
[edit]Cities
[edit]- Abernathy (small part in Lubbock County)
- Hale Center
- Petersburg
- Plainview (county seat)
Town
[edit]Census-designated place
[edit]Unincorporated community
[edit]Ghost town
[edit]Politics
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Education
[edit]School districts serving the county include:<ref>Template:Cite web - list</ref>
- Abernathy Independent School District
- Cotton Center Independent School District
- Hale Center Independent School District
- Lockney Independent School District
- Olton Independent School District
- Petersburg Independent School District
- Plainview Independent School District
The county is in the service area of South Plains College.<ref>Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.198. SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.</ref>
See also
[edit]- Dry counties
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Hale County, Texas
- Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Hale County
References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Template:Handbook of Texas
- Hale County – official website
- Hale County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties
Template:Hale County, Texas Template:Texas counties Template:Texas