Hardeman County, Texas

Hardeman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,549. The county seat and largest city is Quanah. The county was created in 1858 and later organized in 1884. It is named for two brothers, Bailey Hardeman and Thomas Jones Hardeman, early Texas politicians and legislators. Hardeman County was one of 46 prohibition or entirely dry counties in the state of Texas until November 2006, when voters approved referendums to permit the legal sale of alcoholic beverages for on- and off-premises consumption.

WWW Official Site

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which are land and are covered by water.
The Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River joins with Buck Creek in the northwestern corner of the county to form the Red River, which flows east to form the northern border of the county, separating it from Oklahoma.
Hardeman County is the northernmost county in Texas that is not part of the Texas Panhandle.

Major highways

25px U.S. Highway 287
20px Texas [State Highway 6|State Highway 6]

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2000	Pop 2010		% 2000	% 2010
White alone	3,731	2,938	2,441	78.98%	70.98%	68.78%
Black or African American alone	227	217	130	4.81%	5.24%	3.66%
Native American or Alaska Native alone	27	15	14	0.57%	0.36%	0.39%
Asian alone	12	12	18	0.25%	0.29%	0.51%
Pacific Islander alone	0	0	1	0.00%	0.00%	0.03%
Other race alone	2	1	7	0.04%	0.02%	0.20%
Mixed race or Multiracial	40	67	120	0.85%	1.62%	3.38%
Hispanic or Latino	685	889	818	14.50%	21.48%	23.05%
Total	4,724	4,139	3,549	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 3,549. The median age was 42.9 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.5 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 77.4% White, 4.0% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 8.8% from some other race, and 8.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 23.0% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,509 households in the county, of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.3% were married-couple households, 21.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,804 housing units, of which 16.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.7% were owner-occupied and 31.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.1%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, 4,724 people, 1,943 households, and 1,319 families were residing in the county. The population density was. The 2,358 housing units averaged. The racial makeup of the county was 85.4% White, 4.8% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 7.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. About 14.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 1,943 households, 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were not families. About 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40, and the average family size was 2.97.
In the county, the population distribution was 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 22.60% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 20.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,312, and for a family was $33,325. Males had a median income of $26,683 versus $18,566 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,824. About 14.6% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.0% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Georgia-Pacific operates a gypsum plant in the small community of Acme, located west of Quanah on U.S. Highway 287.

Attractions

Copper Breaks State Park, which is operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, is located in far southern Hardeman County near the Pease River just off State Highway 6, about south of Quanah. The park features a portion of the state Texas Longhorn herd.
Lake Pauline is located off U.S. Highway 287, east of Quanah.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Goodlett

Ghost towns

Politics

Republican Drew Springer, Jr., a businessman from Muenster in Cooke County, has represented Hardeman County in the Texas Senate since 2021, and previously in the Texas House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021.
Hardeman County formerly leaned Democratic, however in recent years it has swung to become solidly Republican.

Education

School districts serving sections of the county include:

The county is in the service area of Vernon College.