Carson County, Texas
Carson County | |
---|---|
UTC−5 (CDT) | |
Congressional district | 13th |
Website | www |
Carson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,807.[1][2] The county seat is Panhandle.[3] The county was founded in 1876 and later organized in 1888.[4] It is named for Samuel Price Carson, the first secretary of state of the Republic of Texas.[5]
Carson County is included in the Amarillo, TX metropolitan statistical area.
History
Native Americans
Early explorations
County established and growth
Carson County was established in 1876 from Bexar County. The county was organized in 1888. Panhandle, the only town at the time, became the county seat.[9]
Ranching began to be established in the county in the 1880s. The JA Ranch encompassed over a million acres (4,000 km2) within six adjoining counties. Richard E. McNalty established the Turkey Track Ranch in 1878.[10] One of the early failed attempts came in 1882 when
Railroads began to reach the county by 1886 when the
Pumping underground water with windmills resolved the issue of bringing water from Roberts County via the railroad.[15]
White Deer in 1909 became home to Polish Catholic immigrants, who had first settled Panna Maria in Karnes County before migrating to Carson County.[16][17]
Experimental drilling by Gulf Oil Corporation led to the county's, and the Panhandle's, first oil and gas production in late 1921. Borger field was discovered in 1925, sparking much oil exploration and production of the Panhandle area. By the end of 2000, more than 178,398,900 barrels (28,363,160 m3) of petroleum had been produced from county lands.[18][19]
In September 1942, the Pantex Ordnance Plant was built on 16,076 acres (65.06 km2) of southwestern Carson County land, to pack and load shells and bombs in support of the World War II effort. Operations ceased August 1945, and in 1949, the site was sold to Texas Tech University at Amarillo for agricultural experimentation. Pantex reopened in 1951 as a nuclear weapons assembly plant. In 1960, Pantex began high-explosives development in support of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. Pantex has a long-term mission to safely and securely maintain the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile and dismantle weapons retired by the military.[20][21]
Geography
According to the
Major highways
- Interstate 40
- U.S. Highway 60
- State Highway 152
- State Highway 207
- Farm to Market Road 293
Adjacent counties
- Hutchinson County (north)
- Roberts County (northeast)
- Gray County (east)
- Donley County (southeast)
- Armstrong County (south)
- Randall County (southwest)
- Potter County (west)
- Moore County (northwest)
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1890 | 356 | — | |
1900 | 469 | 31.7% | |
1910 | 2,127 | 353.5% | |
1920 | 3,078 | 44.7% | |
1930 | 7,745 | 151.6% | |
1940 | 6,624 | −14.5% | |
1950 | 6,852 | 3.4% | |
1960 | 7,781 | 13.6% | |
1970 | 6,358 | −18.3% | |
1980 | 6,672 | 4.9% | |
1990 | 6,576 | −1.4% | |
2000 | 6,516 | −0.9% | |
2010 | 6,182 | −5.1% | |
2020 | 5,807 | −6.1% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[23] 1850–2010[24] 2010[25] 2020[26] |
Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010[25] | Pop 2020[26] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH)
|
5,473 | 4,873 | 88.53% | 83.92% |
Black or African American alone (NH)
|
35 | 19 | 0.57% | 0.33% |
Alaska Native alone (NH)
|
56 | 46 | 0.91% | 0.79% |
Asian alone (NH) | 19 | 19 | 0.31% | 0.33% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 1 | 0.00% | 0.02% |
Some Other Race alone (NH) | 0 | 7 | 0.00% | 0.12% |
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 74 | 284 | 1.20% | 4.89% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 525 | 558 | 8.49% | 9.61% |
Total | 6,182 | 5,807 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
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 can be of any race.
As of the
Of the 2,470 households, 35.8% had children under living with them, 65.3% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were not families. About 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.60, and the average family size was 3.04.
In the county, the age distribution was 27.9% under 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,285, and for a family was $47,147. Males had a median income of $34,271 versus $23,325 for females. The
Communities
Towns
- Groom
- Panhandle (county seat)
- Skellytown
- White Deer
Unincorporated community
Ghost towns
Education
School districts:[28]
- Groom Independent School District
- Panhandle Independent School District
- Sanford-Fritch Independent School District
- White Deer Independent School District
All of the county is in the service area of Amarillo College.[29]
Politics
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 2,779 | 89.01% | 297 | 9.51% | 46 | 1.47% |
2016 | 2,620 | 88.39% | 249 | 8.40% | 95 | 3.21% |
2012 | 2,451 | 88.23% | 292 | 10.51% | 35 | 1.26% |
2008 | 2,548 | 85.50% | 406 | 13.62% | 26 | 0.87% |
2004 | 2,450 | 83.22% | 485 | 16.47% | 9 | 0.31% |
2000 | 2,216 | 80.82% | 480 | 17.51% | 46 | 1.68% |
1996 | 1,742 | 63.81% | 742 | 27.18% | 246 | 9.01% |
1992 | 1,647 | 53.88% | 825 | 26.99% | 585 | 19.14% |
1988 | 2,100 | 66.71% | 1,034 | 32.85% | 14 | 0.44% |
1984 | 2,412 | 74.12% | 826 | 25.38% | 16 | 0.49% |
1980 | 1,888 | 64.17% | 1,006 | 34.19% | 48 | 1.63% |
1976 | 1,269 | 44.94% | 1,542 | 54.60% | 13 | 0.46% |
1972 | 1,868 | 75.75% | 561 | 22.75% | 37 | 1.50% |
1968 | 1,211 | 45.10% | 904 | 33.67% | 570 | 21.23% |
1964 | 1,044 | 39.83% | 1,574 | 60.05% | 3 | 0.11% |
1960 | 1,387 | 57.62% | 1,009 | 41.92% | 11 | 0.46% |
1956 | 1,061 | 51.91% | 976 | 47.75% | 7 | 0.34% |
1952 | 1,471 | 57.64% | 1,071 | 41.97% | 10 | 0.39% |
1948 | 413 | 23.55% | 1,301 | 74.17% | 40 | 2.28% |
1944 | 446 | 25.30% | 1,216 | 68.97% | 101 | 5.73% |
1940 | 362 | 18.10% | 1,636 | 81.80% | 2 | 0.10% |
1936 | 147 | 8.51% | 1,568 | 90.74% | 13 | 0.75% |
1932 | 212 | 13.23% | 1,391 | 86.77% | 0 | 0.00% |
1928 | 891 | 60.04% | 592 | 39.89% | 1 | 0.07% |
1924 | 306 | 32.14% | 611 | 64.18% | 35 | 3.68% |
1920 | 208 | 32.15% | 428 | 66.15% | 11 | 1.70% |
1916 | 78 | 18.84% | 326 | 78.74% | 10 | 2.42% |
1912 | 21 | 7.50% | 200 | 71.43% | 59 | 21.07% |
See also
- Carson County Square House Museum
- List of museums in the Texas Panhandle
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Carson County, Texas
- Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Carson County
References
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Carson County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ "Carson County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 70.
- ^ Abbe, Donald R (June 12, 2010). "Carson County, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-59078-492-1.
- ^ Donoghue, David (June 15, 2010). "Francisco Vázquez de Coronado". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ "Panhandle, Texas". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ Anderson, H Allen (June 15, 2010). "Turkey Track Ranch". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ Anderson, H. Allen (June 12, 2010). "Francklyn Land and Cattle Company". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ "Duncan Ranch History". The Duncan Ranch. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ "The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, Santa Fe All The Way!". American-Rails.com. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ "The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, Route of the Rockets!". American-Rails.com. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ "Windmills". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ "White Deer, Texas". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ "Panna Maria, Texas". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-9767799-5-7.
- ^ "Borger, Texas". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-262-63204-1.
- ^ Norris, Robert S (October 1992). "Pantex Lays Nukes to Rest". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: 48, 49.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- US Census Bureau.
- ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Carson County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Carson County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.164. AMARILLO COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA..
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 20, 2018.