Claude, Texas


Claude is a city in and the county seat of Armstrong County, Texas, United States. Its population was 1,186 at the 2020 census. It is located east of Amarillo in the south Texas Panhandle. Claude is part of the Amarillo metropolitan statistical area, but is some 30 miles east of Amarillo.

History

During the first half of the 16th century, Spanish conquistador Francisco Coronado and his party passed through Claude and Tule Canyon, a scenic wonder to the south of Claude off Texas State Highway 207.
Claude was originally named Armstrong City after several area ranches named Armstrong.
The town name became Claude in 1887, named for Claude Ayers. He was the engineer of the first train of the Fort Worth and Denver Railway to travel through the area.
When Armstrong County was formed in 1890, Claude and Washburn competed to be the county seat. The tie-breaking vote for Claude was reportedly cast by legendary cattleman Charles Goodnight, former co-owner of the nearby JA Ranch. The Armstrong County Courthouse in Claude dates to 1912.
W.S. Decker established a weekly newspaper, The Claude Argus, which later merged with the Goodnight News to become The Claude News in 1890.
The Armstrong County Museum has local and Western-themed exhibits. The film Hud, starring Paul Newman and Patricia Neal, was filmed there in 1962.

Geography

Claude is located about east of Amarillo. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Claude has a semiarid climate, BSk on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Claude had a population of 1,186, 447 households, and 369 families.
The median age was 41.8 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.4 males age 18 and over.
0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 447 households in Claude, of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 58.2% were married-couple households, 14.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 501 housing units, of which 10.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.0% were owner-occupied and 21.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.0%.
RacePercentNumber
White87.9%1,042
Black or African American1.1%13
American Indian and Alaska Native1.3%15
Asian0.6%7
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander0%0
Some other race3.0%35
Two or more races6.2%74
Hispanic or Latino 9.7%115

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, 1,313 people, 479 households, and 362 families were in the city. The population density was. The 538 housing units had an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 95.96% White, 0.23% African American, 0.46% Native American, 2.89% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 5.56% of the population.
Of the 479 households, 34.4% had children under 18 living with them, 66.6% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were not families. About 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city, the age distribution was 26.0% under 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,641, and for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $33,542 versus $21,371 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,299. About 8.8% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under 18 and 17.5% of those 65 or over.

Film history

Several movies have been filmed in and around Claude, including Hud, starring Paul Newman; Leap of Faith starring Steve Martin; and Sunshine Christmas, starring Cliff DeYoung. Additionally, the closing sunset scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was shot in Claude.

Education

The Claude Independent School District serves Claude and is home to the Claude High School Mustangs.
The first school in Claude was built in 1883. In 1907, a three-story building replaced the original building at a cost of $14,000. Unfortunately years later, a fire burned most of this building down. The portion of the building that was restored currently houses the Claude Junior High School.
During the 1930s, Claude had the only official-sized gymnasium in the area. The West Texas State College basketball team used it on numerous occasions.

Notable people