Editing Foard County, Texas

{{Short description|County in Texas, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Foard County
 | state                = Texas
 | seal                 = 
 | named for            = [[Robert Levi Foard]]
 | founded              = 1891
 | seat wl              = Crowell
 | largest city wl      = Crowell
 | area_total_km2       = 1830
 | area_land_km2        = 1824
 | area_water_km2       = 9
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 708
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 704
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 3.3
 | area percentage      = 0.5
 | population_as_of     = 2020
 | population_total     = 1095
 | pop_est_as_of        = 2023
 | population_est       = 1079 {{decrease}}
 | density_km2          = 0.5914
 | density_sq_mi        = 
 | ex image             = Foard County Texas Courthouse 2015.jpg
 | ex image cap         = The Foard County Courthouse in Crowell, Texas
 | time zone            = Central
 | district             = 13th
|website=https://www.foardcounty.texas.gov/}}

'''Foard County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Texas]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], its population was 1,095.<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/foardcountytexas/PST045223|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 5, 2024}}</ref> Its [[county seat]] is [[Crowell, Texas|Crowell]],<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011}}</ref> which is also the county's only incorporated community. The county is named for Robert Levi Foard, an attorney who served as a major with the Confederate Army,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffo01|title=TSHA &#124; Foard, Robert Levi}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ |title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States |publisher=Govt. Print. Off. |author=Gannett, Henry |year=1905 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n127 128]}}</ref> in the [[American Civil War]].

Foard County was one of 46 prohibitions, or entirely [[Dry county|dry]], counties in the state of Texas until voters approved a referendum to permit the legal sale of alcoholic beverages in May 2006.

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|708|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|704|sqmi|abbr=on}} are land and {{convert|3.3|sqmi|abbr=on}} (0.5%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_48.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 26, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>

===Major highways===
* [[Image:US 70.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Highway 70 (Texas)|U.S. Highway 70]]
* [[Image:Texas 6.svg|20px]] [[State Highway 6 (Texas)|State Highway 6]]

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Hardeman County, Texas|Hardeman County]] (north)
* [[Wilbarger County, Texas|Wilbarger County]] (east)
* [[Baylor County, Texas|Baylor County]] (southeast)
* [[Knox County, Texas|Knox County]] (south)
* [[King County, Texas|King County]] (southwest)
* [[Cottle County, Texas|Cottle County]] (west)

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1900= 1568
|1910= 5726
|1920= 4747
|1930= 6315
|1940= 5237
|1950= 4216
|1960= 3125
|1970= 2211
|1980= 2158
|1990= 1794
|2000= 1622
|2010= 1336
|2020= 1095
|estyear=2023
|estimate=1079
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2023">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|access-date=July 5, 2024}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><br>1850–2010<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.texasalmanac.com/drupal-backup/images/topics/ctypophistweb2010.pdf |title=Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010 |publisher=[[Texas Almanac]] |access-date=July 4, 2024}}</ref> 2010–2020<ref name="QF"/>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Foard County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Foard County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=050XX00US48155&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Foard County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US48155&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Foard County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US48155&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|1,277
|1,087
|style='background: #ffffe6; |845
|78.73%
|81.36%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |77.17%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|52
|53
|style='background: #ffffe6; |19
|3.21%
|3.97%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.74%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|9
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.55%
|0.07%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|3
|4
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3
|0.18%
|0.30%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.27%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.09%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.18%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|16
|4
|style='background: #ffffe6; |28
|0.99%
|0.30%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.56%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|265
|187
|style='background: #ffffe6; |197
|16.34%
|14.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |17.99%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''1,622'''
|'''1,336'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''1,095'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

===2000 census===
As of the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]], 1,622 people, 664 households, and 438 families resided in the county. The [[population density]] was {{convert|2|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people|spell=in}}. The 850 housing units averaged {{convert|1|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|spell=in}}. The [[Race (United States Census)|racial makeup]] of the county was 84.16% White, 3.27% Black or African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 10.23% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. About 16.34% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. <!-- In terms of ancestery, 24.3% were of [[Germans|German]], 15.4% were of [[Irish people|Irish]], 11.7% were of [[Americans|American]], 6.3% were of [[English people|English]], 5.0% were of [[Dutch people|Dutch]], 3.5% were of [[Czech Republic|Czech]]. -->

Of the 664 households, 29.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.10% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were not families; 31.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38, and the average family size was 3.02. As of the 2010 census, about seven [[Same-sex relationship|same-sex couples]] per 1,000 households were in the county.<ref name=newyorktimes>{{citation |title=Where Same-Sex Couples Live|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 26, 2015|access-date=July 6, 2015|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/upshot/supreme-court-gay-marriage-ruling-where-same-sex-couples-live.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0|last1=Leonhardt|first1=David|last2=Quealy|first2=Kevin}}</ref>

In the county, the population was distributed as 25.80% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 22.30% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 23.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,813, and for a family was $34,211. Males had a median income of $21,852 versus $16,450 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $14,799. About 9.90% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 14.50% of those under age 18 and 16.20% of those age 65 or over.

==Politics==
Foard County is represented in the [[Texas House of Representatives]] by the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[James Frank]], a businessman from [[Wichita Falls, Texas|Wichita Falls]].

Foard County was once a stronghold for the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] at both the state and federal levels, remaining so even as rural [[West Texas]] trended towards the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]. It had only voted for Republicans in their 1972 and 1984 landslides in the 20th century. The county last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate when it gave its votes to [[Bill Clinton]] [[United States presidential election in Texas, 1996|in 1996]]. 

In the 21st century, the vote share of Republican presidential candidates has steadily increased in every election. [[Barack Obama]] lost the county by a larger margin in 2008 than [[John Kerry]] in 2004, even though Kerry ran against former Governor of Texas [[George W. Bush]]. The Republican vote jumped to a record high of over 82% for [[Donald Trump]] in 2024.

{{PresHead|place=Foard County, Texas|source=<ref name="Dave Leip's Atlas">{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=July 22, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|448|92|5|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|445|99|7|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|383|113|17|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|348|140|7|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|327|198|13|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|347|235|5|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|286|263|7|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|166|355|52|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|207|435|154|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|306|513|1|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|472|448|5|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|349|617|12|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|240|706|4|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|369|312|4|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1968|Democratic|216|594|168|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|146|833|1|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|270|723|2|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|243|687|2|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|418|830|8|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|90|751|35|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|84|925|71|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|142|997|0|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|74|928|3|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|53|882|13|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|430|466|9|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|95|585|35|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|101|491|37|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|41|475|88|Texas}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|18|429|45|Texas}}
{{U.S. SenHead|place=Foard County, Texas|Seat=1|source=<ref>{{cite news |title=2024 Senate Election (Official Returns) |website=Commonwealth of Texas by county |date=November 5, 2024 |access-date=December 5, 2024 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-elections/texas-senate-results}}</ref>}}
<!-- U.S. SenRow should be {{U.S. SenRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{U.S. SenRow|2024|Republican|438|94|6|Texas}}
{{U.S. SenFoot}}
At the statewide level, most notably in gubernatorial races, the county was one of the few rural ones that continued to give its votes to Democratic candidates in West Texas, even as it trended Republican on the national level. For instance, in the landslide re-election of then-governor [[George W. Bush]] [[Texas gubernatorial election, 1998|in 1998]], it was one of only 14 counties that gave its votes to Bush's Democratic challenger [[Garry Mauro]], albeit by one vote, as Mauro won 206 votes (49.6%) to Bush's 205 votes (49.4%). The county continued this trend through all of [[Rick Perry|Rick Perry's]] three gubernatorial landslide elections in [[Texas gubernatorial election, 2002|2002]], [[Texas gubernatorial election, 2006|2006]], and [[Texas gubernatorial election, 2010|2010]], the most recent one when it gave its votes to [[Bill White (Texas politician)|Bill White]]. This streak ended [[Texas gubernatorial election, 2014|in 2014]], when the county gave its votes to then-Attorney General [[Greg Abbott]], who won 66% of the popular vote over [[Wendy Davis (politician)|Wendy Davis's]] 33%.
{| class="wikitable" class="toccolours" style="float:left; margin-right:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ '''Foard County vote<br /> by party in gubernatorial elections'''<ref name="Dave Leip's Atlas"/>
|-
! Year
! [[Republican Party (United States)|GOP]]
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|DEM]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[2022 Texas gubernatorial election|2022]]'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''85.44%''' ''452''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|13.04% ''69''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[Texas gubernatorial election, 2018|2018]]'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''75.9%''' ''331''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|23.2% ''101''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[Texas gubernatorial election, 2014|2014]]'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''66.1%''' ''205''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|32.9% ''102''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[Texas gubernatorial election, 2010|2010]]'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|47.0% ''148''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''48.6%''' ''153''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[Texas gubernatorial election, 2006|2006]]'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|22.9% ''87''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''43.7%''' ''166''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[Texas gubernatorial election, 2002|2002]]'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|37.4% ''136''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''62.4%''' ''227''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[Texas gubernatorial election, 1998|1998]]'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|49.4% ''205''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''49.6%''' ''206''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[Texas gubernatorial election, 1994|1994]]'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|34.9% ''187''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''64.7%''' ''347''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[Texas gubernatorial election, 1990|1990]]'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|28.3% ''182''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''70.6%''' ''454''
|}

==Attractions==
* [[Copper Breaks State Park]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/parkguide/rgn_pp_004.phtml |title=Texas State Parks: Official Guide — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department}}</ref> is located near the Pease River about 8 miles north of Crowell off State Highway 6. The park is located in neighboring Hardeman County.
* Comanche Springs Astronomy Campus is located 10 miles west of Crowell off U.S. Highway 70. It is operated as part of the 3 Rivers Ranch by the Texas Tech University System.

==Communities==
* [[Crowell, Texas|Crowell]] (county seat)
* [[Thalia, Texas|Thalia]]

==Education==
School districts serving sections of the county include:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st48_tx/schooldistrict_maps/c48155_foard/DC20SD_C48155.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st48_tx/schooldistrict_maps/c48155_foard/DC20SD_C48155.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Foard County, TX|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=June 29, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st48_tx/schooldistrict_maps/c48155_foard/DC20SD_C48155_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>
* [[Crowell Independent School District]]
* [[Vernon Independent School District]]

The county is in the service area of [[Vernon College]].<ref>[https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.207. VERNON REGIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA].</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Texas}}
* [[List of Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks (Eastland-Gray)#Foard County|Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Foard County]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Handbook of Texas|id=hcf06|name=Foard County}}
* [http://www.txcip.org/tac/census/profile.php?FIPS=48155 Foard County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113174946/http://www.txcip.org/tac/census/profile.php?FIPS=48155 |date=November 13, 2013 }}

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Foard County, Texas
|North     = [[Hardeman County, Texas|Hardeman County]]
|Northeast =
|East      = [[Wilbarger County, Texas|Wilbarger County]]
|Southeast = [[Baylor County, Texas|Baylor County]]
|South     = [[Knox County, Texas|Knox County]]
|Southwest = [[King County, Texas|King County]]
|West      = [[Cottle County, Texas|Cottle County]]
|Northwest =
}}
{{Foard County, Texas}}
{{Texas counties}}
{{Texas}}
{{authority control}}
{{coord|33.98|-99.78|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990}}

[[Category:Foard County, Texas| ]]
[[Category:1891 establishments in Texas]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1891]]