Deaf Smith County, Texas

Deaf Smith County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2000 census, the population was 18,561. Its county seat is Hereford.

The Hereford Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Deaf Smith County.

History

In 1876 the state legislature identified and named the county, but it was not organized until 1890, with the town of LaPlata as the original county seat. The county was named for Erastus "Deaf" Smith (1787–1837), a partially-deaf scout and soldier who served in the Texas Revolution. (The pronunciation of "Deaf", like that of Smith, is "Deef".) He was the first to reach the Alamo after its fall.

This county was also selected as an alternate site for a possible nuclear waste disposal repository but was later dropped as an official alternate site after funding was shifted to Yucca Mountain. Jesse Frank Ford, founder of Arrowhead Mills, led the opposition to the Deaf Smith site on grounds of contamination of the Ogalalla Aquifer, the source of much of the water supply for West Texas.

Deaf Smith County has been ranked the 9th best place for less affluent Texans to live, according to Texas Home Quarterly.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of . of it is land and of it (0.06%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 60
• U.S. Highway 385
• State Highway 214

Adjacent counties

• Oldham County (north)
• Randall County (east)
• Castro County (southeast)
• Parmer County (south)
• Curry County, New Mexico (southwest)
• Quay County, New Mexico (west)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,561 people, 6,180 households, and 4,832 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile (5/km²). There were 6,914 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 72.28% White, 1.51% Black or African American, 0.80% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 22.92% from other races, and 2.11% from two or more races. 57.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,180 households out of which 41.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.00% were married couples living together, 12.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.80% were non-families. 19.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.41.

In the county, the population was spread out with 33.30% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 25.50% from 25 to 44, 19.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,601, and the median income for a family was $32,391. Males had a median income of $26,090 versus $19,113 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,119. About 19.30% of families and 20.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.30% of those under age 18 and 15.70% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Dawn
• Glenrio
• Hereford

References

External links

• Deaf Smith County government website
• A History of Deaf Smith County, featuring Pioneer Families, published 1964 by Bessie Smith, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
• The Land and Its People, 1876-1981: Deaf Smith County Texas, published 1982 by the Deaf Smith County Historical society, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
• Historic photographs from the Deaf Smith County Library hosted by the Portal to Texas History
• Deaf Smith County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas