Oldham County, Texas

Oldham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 2,185. Its county seat is Vega^[1].

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,501 square miles (3,889 km²), of which, 1,500 square miles (3,887 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (2 km²) of it (0.05%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 40
• U.S. Highway 385
• State Highway 214

Adjacent counties

• Hartley County (north)
• Moore County (northeast)
• Potter County (east)
• Deaf Smith County (south)
• Quay County, New Mexico (west)

History

Oldham County was formed in 1876 and organized in 1880, and named for Williamson Simpson Oldham, a Texas pioneer and Confederate Senator. At the time of its organization, nearly the entire county was a part of the XIT Ranch. The county seat was originally at the town of Tascosa, which in the 1880s was one of the largest towns in the Panhandle. As the railroads came through the county, however, they bypassed Tascosa; several new towns and farms sprang up along the rail lines, and by 1915 Tascosa had a courthouse and almost no residents; the county seat was moved to Vega, Texas that year.^[2]

Oldham County is primarily ranch land, with many thousands of acres planted in wheat, the major crop. The county also sees some oil production.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 2,185 people, 735 households, and 565 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 815 housing units at an average density of 0 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.66% White, 1.88% Black or African American, 1.28% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 4.62% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 11.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 735 households out of which 35.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.70% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.00% were non-families. 21.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out with 35.00% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 23.30% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 108.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,713, and the median income for a family was $39,091. Males had a median income of $26,845 versus $20,185 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,806. About 10.50% of families and 19.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.00% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Adrian
• Boise
• Boys Ranch
• Vega
• Wildorado

References

1. ^ . National Association of Counties. . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
2. ^ Nolan, Frederick. (2007) Tascosa: It's Life and Guady Times. Texas Tech University Press[1]
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links

• Oldham County government's website
• Oldham County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas

Coordinates: 35°24′N 102°36′W / 35.40°N 102.60°W

Categories: Texas counties | 1876 establishments | Oldham County, Texas ook) runOnloadHook();