Hemphill County, Texas
Hemphill County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,382. The county seat and only incorporated community in the county is the city of Canadian. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1887. It is named for John Hemphill, a judge and Confederate congressman. Hemphill County is the most recent Texas county to permit alcohol sales.
History
Early history
For the 200 years leading up to 1875, nomadic Indian tribes representing the Apache, Comanche, Kiowa, and others roamed the Panhandle following the huge bison herds. In search for an alternate route to California through Santa Fe, New Mexico, Josiah Gregg, and Captain Randolph B. Marcy surveyed trails that crossed Hemphill County, following the south bank of the Canadian River.The 1874–75 Red River War was an effort by the United States Army to force the Indians of the Southern Plains to move to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Two major battles took place in what would become Hemphill County - the Battle of Lyman's Wagon Train and the Battle of Buffalo Wallow.
On April 12, 1879, Wheeler County became the first organized county in the Panhandle, with 14 other unorganized counties attached to it, one of which was Hemphill County. Hemphill County was organized in July 1887.
Influence of Santa Fe Railroad
In 1886, the Southern Kansas Railway Company, a Santa Fe subsidiary, began to build a rail line into the Panhandle of Texas. The tracks entered Hemphill County during 1887 and further encouraged settlement in the area, creating three town sites: Mendota, Canadian, and Glazier.In 1907, Canadian was designated a division point by the Santa Fe, a factor that brought diversification to the previously ranching economy of the area. The Santa Fe influence remained very strong until the mid-1950s, when the railway moved its employees to Amarillo.
Meanwhile, Hemphill County was roughly the midway point of two smaller lines, the Clinton and Oklahoma Western Railroad Company and the Clinton-Oklahoma-Western Railroad Company of Texas.
Oil production
During the 1970s, the county grew due to a rapid expansion of oil production. Though oil was discovered in the county in 1955, production remained relatively small because the technology had not yet progressed to efficiently capture the very deep reserves known to exist. By 1974, oil production had reached and more than in 1978. In 2000, about of oil and more than 8 billion cubic feet of natural gas were produced in the county, but the future looked very bright.[Image:Abraham Companies, Canadian, TX IMG 6110.JPG|thumb|left|150px|The Abraham Companies are based in the Moody Building, a former hotel in Canadian.]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which are covered by water.Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Lipscomb County
- Ellis County, Oklahoma
- Roger [Mills County, Oklahoma]
- Wheeler County
- Roberts County
- Gray County
National protected area
Demographics
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | % 2000 | % 2010 | ||
| White alone | 2,722 | 2,656 | 2,090 | 81.23% | 69.77% | 61.80% |
| Non-Hispanic or [Latino African Americans|Black or African American] alone | 52 | 4 | 4 | 1.55% | 0.11% | 0.12% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone | 22 | 12 | 18 | 0.66% | 0.32% | 0.53% |
| Asian alone | 9 | 18 | 10 | 0.27% | 0.47% | 0.30% |
| Pacific Islander alone | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.03% | 0.08% | 0.00% |
| Race and ethnicity in [the United States census|Other race] alone | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0.15% | 0.00% | 0.12% |
| Mixed race or multiracial | 18 | 28 | 119 | 0.54% | 0.74% | 3.52% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 522 | 1,086 | 1,137 | 15.58% | 28.53% | 33.62% |
| Total | 3,351 | 3,807 | 3,382 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 3,382 and the median age was 38.1 years. 29.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.4 males age 18 and over.The racial makeup of the county was 70.1% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 14.8% from some other race, and 13.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 33.6% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,243 households in the county, of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 62.8% were married-couple households, 15.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 18.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,631 housing units, of which 23.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.0% were owner-occupied and 23.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 32.7%.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, 3,351 people, 1,280 households, and 948 families resided in the county. The population density was. The 1,548 housing units averaged. The racial makeup of the county was 87.65% White, 1.55% Black or African American, 0.72% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 8.48% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. About 15.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.Of the 1,280 households, 32.7% had children under 18 living with them, 65.2% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were not families. About 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the population was distributed as 28.0% under 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,456, and for a family was $42,036. Males had a median income of $31,154 versus $19,423 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,929. About 10.90% of families and 12.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.70% of those under age 18 and 12.80% of those age 65 or over.