Editing Ochiltree County, Texas

{{Short description|County in Texas, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Ochiltree County
 | state                = Texas
 | seal                 = 
 | founded              = 1889
 | named for            = [[William Beck Ochiltree|W. B. Ochiltree]]
 | seat wl              = Perryton
 | largest city wl      = Perryton
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 918
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 918
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 0.5
 | area percentage      = 0.06
 | census yr            = 2020
 | pop                  = 10015
 | density_sq_mi        = auto
 | ex image             = Ochiltree County courthouse May 2020.jpg
 | ex image size        = 250
 | ex image cap         = 1928 Ochiltree County Courthouse in Perryton
 | web                  = www.co.ochiltree.tx.us
 | time zone            = Central
 | district             = 13th
|flag=|flag size=175}}
[[File:"Justice to All Mankind", Perryton, TX IMG 6027.JPG|200px|right|thumb|The Ochiltree County Courthouse contains the inscription on one side, "Dedicated to the Purpose of Justice to All Mankind." Click to read.]]

[[File:Cattle grazing Ochiltree County, TX IMG 6050.JPG|200px|left|thumb|[[Cattle]] grazing in Ochiltree County south of [[Perryton, Texas|Perryton]] off [[U.S. Highway 83]]]]

'''Ochiltree County''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɒ|k|əl|ˌ|t|r|iː}} {{respell|OK|əl|TREE}})<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.texastripper.com/pronounce/locations-o.html |title=Towns O Texas Pronunciation Guide |website=www.texastripper.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214185819/http://www.texastripper.com/pronounce/locations-o.html |archive-date=February 14, 2008}}</ref> is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the [[Texas Panhandle|panhandle]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Texas]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], its population was 10,015.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ochiltree County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US48357|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 30, 2022}}</ref> The [[county seat]] is [[Perryton, Texas|Perryton]].<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}}</ref> The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1889.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/TX_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|title=Texas: Individual County Chronologies|work=Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries|publisher=[[Newberry Library|The Newberry Library]]|date=2008|access-date=May 26, 2015|archive-date=December 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211092736/http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/TX_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer. p. 1364</ref> and is named for [[William Beck Ochiltree]], who was an [[attorney general]] of the [[Republic of Texas]]. It was previously one of 30<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/local_option_elections/index.asp | title=Local Option Elections &#124; TABC }}</ref> prohibition or entirely [[Dry county|dry counties]] in the state of Texas.

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|918|sqmi|abbr=on}}, almost all land, and {{convert|0.5|sqmi|abbr=on}} (0.06%) is 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=May 5, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>

===Major highways===
* [[File:US 83.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 83 (Texas)|U.S. Highway 83]]
* [[File:Texas 15.svg|20px]] [[Texas State Highway 15|State Highway 15]]
* [[File:Texas 70.svg|20px]] [[Texas State Highway 70|State Highway 70]]

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Texas County, Oklahoma]] (north)
* [[Beaver County, Oklahoma]] (northeast)
* [[Lipscomb County, Texas|Lipscomb County]] (east)
* [[Roberts County, Texas|Roberts County]] (south)
* [[Hansford County, Texas|Hansford County]] (west)
* [[Hemphill County, Texas|Hemphill County]] (southeast)

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1890= 198
|1900= 267
|1910= 1602
|1920= 2331
|1930= 5224
|1940= 4213
|1950= 6024
|1960= 9380
|1970= 9704
|1980= 9588
|1990= 9128
|2000= 9006
|2010= 10223
|2020= 10015
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades|publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]|access-date=}}</ref><br />1850–2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/topics/ctypophistweb2010.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/topics/ctypophistweb2010.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2020|publisher=Texas Almanac|access-date=May 5, 2015}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Ochiltree 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 – Ochiltree County, Texas |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=0500000US48357&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) – Ochiltree County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US48357&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) – Ochiltree County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US48357&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|5,972
|5,062
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,245
|66.31%
|49.52%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |42.39%
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|8
|19
|style='background: #ffffe6; |14
|0.09%
|0.19%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|64
|66
|style='background: #ffffe6; |31
|0.71%
|0.65%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.31%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|32
|24
|style='background: #ffffe6; |28
|0.36%
|0.23%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.28%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|1
|3
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2
|0.01%
|0.03%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|4
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |21
|0.04%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.21%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|62
|67
|style='background: #ffffe6; |204
|0.69%
|0.66%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.04%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|2,863
|4,982
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,470
|31.79%
|48.73%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |54.62%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''9,006'''
|'''10,223'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''10,015'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=May 14, 2011|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, 9,006 people, 3,261 households, and 2,488 families were residing in the county. The [[population density]] was {{convert|10|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people|}}. The 3,769 housing units averaged {{convert|4|/mi2|/km2|adj=pre|units&nbsp;}}. The [[Race (United States Census)|racial makeup]] of the county was 86.2% White, 0.13% African American, 0.94% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 10.29% from other races, and 2.04% from two or more races. About 13.79% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. In terms of ancestry, 11.3% were of [[Germans|German]], 10.3% were of [[Irish people|Irish]], 6.3% were of [[English people|English]], 5.4% were of [[American ancestry|American]], and 1.5% were of [[Dutch people|Dutch]], 1.5% were of [[Polish people|Polish]].

Of the 3,261 households, 40.9% had children under the age of 18, 64% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were not families. <!-- Of unmarried partner households, 89.5 percent were heterosexual, 6.3 percent were same-sex male, and 4.2 percent were same-sex female. --> About 21% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74, and the average family size was 3.18.

In the county, the population distribution was 30.6% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.

The median income for a household was $38,013, and for a family was $45,565. Males had a median income of $31,558 versus $19,890. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $16,707. About 13% of the population and 9.8% of families were below the [[poverty line]]; 17.9% of those under the age of 18 and 8.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Those making less than $25,000 per year comprised 32.2% of the population, while 1.9% made more than $150,000, according to the 2000 census. Around 17.5% of the population made less than $15,000 per year, while 6.06% made more than $100,000.

==Politics==
Since the 1950s, Ochiltree has been an overwhelmingly Republican county. The last Democrat to carry the county was [[Harry S. Truman]] [[United States presidential election in Texas, 1948|in 1948]]; Truman won 73.06% of the county's vote, more than twice the percentage any Democratic candidate has won in the subsequent 17 presidential elections. Even Texan [[Lyndon Johnson]] did not reach 35% in his 1964 landslide, when Ochiltree was easily [[Barry Goldwater|Goldwater]]’s strongest Texas county. Indeed, [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976 was the last Democrat to win 20% of the county's vote, and the last to reach so much as 10% was [[Bill Clinton]] in 1996.

In 2004 in Ochiltree County, 92.0% of voters (2,922) voted for [[George W. Bush]], while 7.9% (251 people) voted for [[John Kerry]]. Two people voted for [[Michael Badnarik]] ([[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]]). This is tied for the second-highest percentage of votes Bush received for any county in the US (in both 2000 and 2004), and it is the highest percentage during the 2004 election, (only [[Glasscock County, Texas]], at 93.1%, had a higher percentage in the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 Presidential election]]).

In 2008, 91.7% of voters supported Senator [[John McCain]], whereas only 7.8% of voters supported Senator [[Barack Obama]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elections.foxnews.com/states_map/index.html|title=America's Decision - Election Tracking Map|publisher=Fox News|access-date=November 7, 2008}}</ref>

{{PresHead|place=Ochiltree County, Texas|source=<ref>{{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 28, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|2,723|269|23|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|2,812|302|42|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|2,628|274|100|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|2,719|253|21|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|2,851|243|15|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|2,922|251|4|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|2,687|251|24|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|2,448|467|176|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|2,419|557|578|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|2,928|579|10|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|3,492|419|6|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|3,032|594|76|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|2,471|1,084|32|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|2,861|298|43|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|2,208|432|492|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|1,814|920|3|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|1,870|521|3|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|1,209|512|19|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|1,755|426|2|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|344|1,025|34|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|307|863|139|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|294|1,213|0|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|109|1,111|42|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|183|1,097|11|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|556|270|0|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|155|352|55|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|135|280|0|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|41|238|8|Texas}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|0|93|18|Texas}}

==Education==
Of the population aged 25 and older (5,441 people), 14.6% did not have a high-school diploma, while 12.9% statewide are without a high-school diploma. About 27% of the county claimed that a high-school diploma was their highest level of educational attainment, compared with 24.8% statewide; 16.1% had a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 23.2% statewide.

The Allen campus of [[Frank Phillips College]] is located in Perryton.

==Communities==
===City===
* [[Perryton, Texas|Perryton]] (county seat)

===Town===
* [[Booker, Texas|Booker]] (mostly in [[Lipscomb County, Texas|Lipscomb County]])
* [[Waka, Texas|Waka]]

===Unincorporated communities===
* [[Farnsworth, Texas|Farnsworth]]

==In popular culture==
Ochiltree County is the setting for the ''[[Hank the Cowdog]]'' series of children's books, in the unincorporated city of Twitchell.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Texas}}
* [[Dry counties]]
* [[List of museums in the Texas Panhandle]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Ochiltree County, Texas]]
* [[List of Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks (Mason-Rusk)#Ochiltree County|Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Ochiltree County]]

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

==External links==
* [http://www.co.ochiltree.tx.us/ Ochiltree County government’s website]
* [https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hco01 Ochiltree County in ''Handbook of Texas Online''] at the [[University of Texas at Austin|University of Texas]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150609053400/http://www.txcip.org/tac/census/profile.php?FIPS=48357 Ochiltree County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties]

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Ochiltree County, Texas
|North     = [[Texas County, Oklahoma]]
|Northeast = [[Beaver County, Oklahoma]]
|East      = [[Lipscomb County, Texas|Lipscomb County]]
|Southeast =
|South     = [[Roberts County, Texas|Roberts County]]
|Southwest =
|West      = [[Hansford County, Texas|Hansford County]]
|Northwest =
}}

{{Ochiltree County, Texas}}
{{Texas counties}}
{{Texas}}
{{Authority control}}
{{coord|36.28|-100.81|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990}}

[[Category:Ochiltree County, Texas| ]]
[[Category:1889 establishments in Texas]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1889]]
[[Category:Texas Panhandle]]