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Deaf Smith County, Texas facts for kids

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Deaf Smith County
Deaf Smith County Courthouse in Hereford
Deaf Smith County Courthouse in Hereford
Map of Texas highlighting Deaf Smith County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Texas
Founded 1890
Named for Deaf Smith
Seat Hereford
Largest city Hereford
Area
 • Total 1,498 sq mi (3,880 km2)
 • Land 1,497 sq mi (3,880 km2)
 • Water 1.5 sq mi (4 km2)  0.1%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 18,583
 • Density 12.405/sq mi (4.7897/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 13th

Deaf Smith County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,583. The county seat is Hereford, which is known as the "Beef Capital of the World". The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1890.

The Hereford, TX 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 and was the first to reach the Alamo after its fall. The pronunciation of "Deaf", like that of Smith himself, is DEEF; however most residents pronounce it DEFF.

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

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,498 square miles (3,880 km2), of which 1,497 square miles (3,880 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (0.1%) is water.

Major highways

  • I-40.svg Interstate 40
  • US 60.svg U.S. Highway 60
  • US 385.svg U.S. Highway 385
  • Texas 214.svg State Highway 214

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 38
1890 179 371.1%
1900 843 370.9%
1910 3,942 367.6%
1920 3,747 −4.9%
1930 5,979 59.6%
1940 6,056 1.3%
1950 9,111 50.4%
1960 13,187 44.7%
1970 18,999 44.1%
1980 21,165 11.4%
1990 19,153 −9.5%
2000 18,561 −3.1%
2010 19,372 4.4%
2020 18,583 −4.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
1850–2010 2010 2020

2020 census

Deaf Smith County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 5,939 4,233 30.66% 22.78%
Black or African American alone (NH) 158 107 0.82% 0.58%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 52 47 0.27% 0.25%
Asian alone (NH) 56 44 0.29% 0.24%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 2 0 0.01% 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 29 40 0.15% 0.22%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 97 187 0.50% 1.01%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 13,039 13,925 67.31% 74.93%
Total 19,372 18,583 100.00% 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

Unincorporated communities

Education

School districts:

  • Friona Independent School District
  • Hereford Independent School District
  • Vega Independent School District
  • Walcott Independent School District
  • Wildorado Independent School District

All of the county is in the service area of Amarillo College.

Infrastructure

The headquarters of the Deaf Smith Electric Cooperative are located in Hereford. The cooperative provides electricity for Deaf Smith, as well as Castro, Parmer, and Oldham Counties.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Deaf Smith para niños

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