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Hale County, Texas facts for kids

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Hale County
U.S. county
The Hale County Courthouse in Plainview
The Hale County Courthouse in Plainview
Map of Texas highlighting Hale 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 1888
Seat Plainview
Largest city Plainview
Area
 • Total 1,005 sq mi (2,600 km2)
 • Land 1,005 sq mi (2,600 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)  0.01%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 32,522
 • Density 32.360/sq mi (12.494/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 19th

Hale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,489. The county seat is Plainview. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1888. It is named for Lt. John C. Hale, a hero of the Battle of San Jacinto. Hale County comprises the Plainview, Texas micropolitan statistical area.

History

  • 7000 b.c. Paleo-Indians first county inhabitants. Later Native American inhabitants include the Comanche.
  • 1876 The Texas legislature forms Hale County from Bexar County.
  • 1881 Brothers T.W. and T.N. Morrison, and W.D. Johnson, establish the cattle Cross L Ranch and the XIT.
  • 1883 New York Methodist minister Horatio Graves becomes the first white permanent settler in the county.
  • 1886 The city of Plainview has its beginnings when sheep rancher Zachery Taylor Maxwell moves his family and 2,000 sheep from Floyd County to the site of two hackberry groves on the old military trail established by Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie. The city’s name comes from the area’s vista.
  • 1888 The county is organized. Plainview is the county seat.
  • 1900 The county has 259 farms and ranches, with a population of 1,680.
  • 1906 The Santa Fe Railway comes to Plainview.
  • 1906 Wayland Baptist College is founded in Plainview.
  • 1909 Businessman Levi Schick opens the Schick Opera House in Plainview.
  • 1911 The county's first motor-driven irrigation well is drilled.
  • 1912 The Texas Land and Development Company is organized in Plainview. The purpose is to entice settlers by dividing a large tract of land into individual farms, and preparing each farm for occupancy.
  • 1944 Plainview Site is discovered. In addition to bone and man-made artifacts, archeologists find the remains of 100 extinct bison about twice the size of modern size.
  • 1946 Oil is discovered in the Anton-Irish field of Lamb and Hale counties.
  • 1969 Country artist Jimmy Dean, brother Don Dean, and cousin-in-law Troy Pritchard found the Jimmy Dean Sausage Company and open the Jimmy Dean Meat Company in Plainview.
  • 1986 Hale County is one of 62 counties in Texas still legally barring the sale of alcohol.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,005 square miles (2,600 km2), of which 1,005 square miles (2,600 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.01%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1890 721 —
1900 1,680 133.0%
1910 7,566 350.4%
1920 10,104 33.5%
1930 20,189 99.8%
1940 18,813 −6.8%
1950 28,211 50.0%
1960 36,798 30.4%
1970 34,137 −7.2%
1980 37,592 10.1%
1990 34,671 −7.8%
2000 36,602 5.6%
2010 36,227 −1.0%
2020 32,522 −10.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1850–2010 2010 2020

2020 census

Hale County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 13,647 10,693 37.62% 32.88%
Black or African American alone (NH) 1,803 1,381 4.97% 4.25%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 103 99 0.28% 0.30%
Asian alone (NH) 133 149 0.37% 0.46%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 19 30 0.05% 0.09%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 32 69 0.09% 0.21%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 267 612 0.74% 1.88%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 20,269 19,489 55.88% 59.93%
Total 36,273 32,522 100.00% 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

Cities

Town

Census-designated place

Unincorporated community

Ghost Town

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Hale (Texas) para niños

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