Nolan County, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nolan County
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Nolan County Courthouse
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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 | 1881 |
| Named for | Philip Nolan |
| Seat | Sweetwater |
| Largest city | Sweetwater |
| Area | |
| • Total | 914 sq mi (2,370 km2) |
| • Land | 912 sq mi (2,360 km2) |
| • Water | 2.0 sq mi (5 km2) 0.2% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 14,738 |
| • Density | 16.125/sq mi (6.226/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 19th |
Nolan County is a county located in the west-central region of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 14,738. Its county seat is Sweetwater. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1881. It is named for Philip Nolan, one of the first American traders to visit Texas.
Nolan County comprises the Sweetwater micropolitan statistical area.
Susan King has been since 2007 the Republican state representative from Nolan, as well as Jones and Taylor Counties.
From 1921 to 1925, Democrat Richard M. Chitwood of Sweetwater represented Nolan County in the state House. As chairman of the House Education Committee, he worked in 1923 to establish what became Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He had first tried to obtain the institution for Sweetwater as the central location of West Texas. After the institution was established, he resigned from the House to move to Lubbock to become the first Texas Tech business manager. He served in that capacity for just 15 months; he died in Dallas in November 1926.
Contents
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 914 square miles (2,370 km2), of which 912 square miles (2,360 km2) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2) (0.2%) is water.
Major highways
Interstate 20
U.S. Highway 84
State Highway 70
State Highway 153
Adjacent counties
- Fisher County (north)
- Taylor County (east)
- Runnels County (southeast)
- Coke County (south)
- Mitchell County (west)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 640 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,573 | 145.8% | |
| 1900 | 2,611 | 66.0% | |
| 1910 | 11,999 | 359.6% | |
| 1920 | 10,868 | −9.4% | |
| 1930 | 19,323 | 77.8% | |
| 1940 | 17,309 | −10.4% | |
| 1950 | 19,808 | 14.4% | |
| 1960 | 18,963 | −4.3% | |
| 1970 | 16,220 | −14.5% | |
| 1980 | 17,359 | 7.0% | |
| 1990 | 16,594 | −4.4% | |
| 2000 | 15,802 | −4.8% | |
| 2010 | 15,216 | −3.7% | |
| 2020 | 14,738 | −3.1% | |
| 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) | 9,191 | 8,138 | 60.40% | 55.22% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 666 | 625 | 4.38% | 4.24% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 44 | 53 | 0.29% | 0.36% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 58 | 103 | 0.38% | 0.70% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 2 | 0.00% | 0.01% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 8 | 31 | 0.05% | 0.21% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 146 | 432 | 0.96% | 2.93% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 5,103 | 5,354 | 33.54% | 36.33% |
| Total | 15,216 | 14,738 | 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.
Wind power
Nolan County has established itself as a center for wind power generation. As of July 2008, Nolan County generates more wind energy than the entire state of California, and would rank 6th in wind power generation among all nations if it were counted as its own nation.
Communities
Cities
- Blackwell (partly in Coke County)
- Roscoe
- Sweetwater (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
Ghost towns
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Nolan para niños
