King County, Texas
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 356. Its county seat is Guthrie[1]. King County has the third-smallest population of any county in the United States, ranking ahead of only Loving County, Texas, and Kalawao County, Hawaii. The county was named for William Philip King, who died at the Battle of the Alamo.
The Pitchfork Ranch, founded 1883, is situated in King and adjacent Dickens County. It was managed from 1965-1986 by Jim Humphreys, who was also affiliated with the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock.
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Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 913 square miles (2,364 km²), of which, 912 square miles (2,361 km²) of it is land and 1 square mile (2.4 km²) of it (0.11%) is water.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Cottle County (north)
- Foard County (northeast)
- Knox County (east)
- Stonewall County (south)
- Dickens County (west)
History
Native Americans
Apache and Comanche were early tribes in the area. The Red River War[2] of 1874-1875 was a United States Army campaign to force the removal of Indians in Texas and their relocation to reservations, to open the region to white settlers.
County Established
On August 21, 1876, the Texas legislature formed King County from Bexar County. By 1880 the United States Census counted forty residents in the county. In 1891, the county was organized. Guthrie was designated as the county seat.[3]
Some of the earliest settlers were Isom Lynn, A. C. Tackett, Brants Baker, and Bud Arnett. The Four Sixes Ranch[4] was established in 1902 by Samuel Burk Burnet. The Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company[5] was organized in 1883. SMS ranches[6] were established during the same time frame.
Early ranchers preserved water by damming canyons and draws to hold the heavy spring rains. In the 1890s windmills became the method of water preservation.[7]
Dumont formed in the late 19th Century.
As the 19th Century rolled over to the 20th, farmers began to share the land with ranchers. Cotton was the leading crop for a time, followed by corn, sorghum and fruit trees.
Oil was discovered in the county in 1943. By January 1, 1991, almost 114,403,000 barrels of oil had been pumped from King County lands since 1943.
Economy
The primary industries are raising beef cattle (since the late 1800s), and oil production (since 1943). Corn and cotton are the leading planted farm crops.
Demographics
As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 356 people, 108 households, and 88 families residing in the county. The population density was 0.39 people per square mile (0.15/km²). There were 174 housing units at an average density of 0.19 per square mile (0.07/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.10% White, 1.12% Native American, 3.09% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. 9.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 108 households out of which 41.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 79.60% were married couples living together, 1.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.60% were non-families. 16.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the county, the population was spread out with 33.70% under the age of 18, 3.70% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $36,875. Males had a median income of $21,389 versus $30,179 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,321. 20.70% of the population and 17.90% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 23.00% are under the age of 18 and 31.60% are 65 or older.
Politics
In 1948 95.85% of voters supported Harry S. Truman[9], but the county has shifted strongly Republican since the 1970s. In 2008, 93.2% of voters (151 votes) supported Senator John McCain, whereas only 4.9% of voters (8 votes) supported Senator Barack Obama. Of all United States counties, King had the largest percentage of support for John McCain. The Republican party is well supported in Presidential elections. It is currently the most Republican county in the United States.[10]
Communities
References
- ^ . National Association of Counties. . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ TexasBeyondHistory, Red River War [1]
- ^ Handbook of Texas, King County [2]
- ^ QB Ranch [3]
- ^ American Quarter Horse Assn [4]
- ^ Texas Archival Resources Online, Swenson Land and Cattle Company [5]
- ^ Texas Escapes, Windmills in Texas [6]
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ David Leip's Presidential Election Atlas - 1948 statistics
- ^ "America's Decision - Election Tracking Map". Fox News. http://elections.foxnews.com/states_map/index.html. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
External links
- King County from the Handbook of Texas Online
| Cottle County | Foard County | |||
| Dickens County | Knox County | |||
| King County, Texas | ||||
| Stonewall County |
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Coordinates: 33°37′N 100°15′W / 33.61°N 100.25°W
Categories: Texas counties | King County, Texas
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