Armstrong County, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Armstrong County
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The Armstrong County Courthouse in Claude
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Location within the U.S. state of Texas
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 Texas's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| Founded | 1890 |
| Seat | Claude |
| Largest city | Claude |
| Area | |
| • Total | 914 sq mi (2,370 km2) |
| • Land | 909 sq mi (2,350 km2) |
| • Water | 4.7 sq mi (12 km2) 0.5% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,848 |
| • Density | 2.0219/sq mi (0.7807/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 13th |
Armstrong County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in the Texas Panhandle and its county seat is Claude.
As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,848. Armstrong County is included in the Amarillo metropolitan area.
The county was formed in 1876 and later organized in 1890. It was named for one of several Texas pioneer families named Armstrong.
Contents
History
Native Americans
Paleo-Indians first inhabitants as far back as 10,000 BC. Apachean cultures roamed the county until Comanche dominated around 1700. The Comanches were defeated by the United States Army in the Red River War of 1874. Later tribes include Kiowa, Cheyenne.
County established and growth
Armstrong County was formed from Bexar County in 1876, and organized in 1890, with Claude as the county seat.
Charles Goodnight and John George Adair established ranching in the county. In 1876 Goodnight brought a herd of 1,600 cattle into the Palo Duro Canyon. The JA Ranch encompassed over a million acres (4,000 km²), including Armstrong County and five adjoining counties. The county land use was primarily ranch-related, even after the trickling in of homesteaders, for the remainder of the 19th century.
In 1887 the JA Ranch split up, giving way to a terminus for the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway. The first town from the ranch was Goodnight.
Landowner Robert E. Montgomery platted the town of Washburn, named after railroad executive D.W. Washburn.
The next year, railroad lines turned Washburn into a boom town. In the same year, Armstrong City was renamed Claude in honor of railroad engineer Claude Ayers.
In 1890, the two towns competed for County Seat, with Claude winning. Many scenes of the 1963 Paul Newman film Hud were filmed at Goodnight and Claude.
At the beginning of the 20th century, ranching began to share the land with cotton and wheat crops, although ranching remained the leading industry. The Great Depression had a severe effect on the county’s economy, and recovery took years. Ranches still occupied about 68 percent of the land in the county in 2005.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 914 square miles (2,370 km2), of which 909 square miles (2,350 km2) is land and 4.7 square miles (12 km2) (0.5%) is water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 287
State Highway 207
Adjacent counties
- Carson County (north)
- Gray County (northeast)
- Donley County (east)
- Briscoe County (south)
- Swisher County (southwest)
- Randall County (west)
- Potter County (northwest)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 31 | — | |
| 1890 | 944 | 2,945.2% | |
| 1900 | 1,205 | 27.6% | |
| 1910 | 2,682 | 122.6% | |
| 1920 | 2,816 | 5.0% | |
| 1930 | 3,329 | 18.2% | |
| 1940 | 2,495 | −25.1% | |
| 1950 | 2,215 | −11.2% | |
| 1960 | 1,966 | −11.2% | |
| 1970 | 1,895 | −3.6% | |
| 1980 | 1,994 | 5.2% | |
| 1990 | 2,021 | 1.4% | |
| 2000 | 2,148 | 6.3% | |
| 2010 | 1,901 | −11.5% | |
| 2020 | 1,848 | −2.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020 |
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2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 1,725 | 1,593 | 90.74% | 86.20% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 11 | 6 | 0.58% | 0.32% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 13 | 17 | 0.68% | 0.92% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 0 | 10 | 0.00% | 0.54% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 11 | 2 | 0.58% | 0.11% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 17 | 76 | 0.89% | 4.11% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 124 | 144 | 6.52% | 7.79% |
| Total | 1,901 | 1,848 | 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.
Communities
City
- Claude (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
Education
The Claude Independent School District serves almost all of Armstrong County.
Three school districts headquartered in surrounding counties, Clarendon Consolidated Independent School District, Groom Independent School District, and Happy Independent School District, include small unincorporated portions of Armstrong County.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Armstrong (Texas) para niños
