Ochiltree County
County
1928 Ochiltree County Courthouse in Perryton
1928 Ochiltree County Courthouse in Perryton
Map of Texas highlighting Ochiltree County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°17′N 100°49′W / 36.28°N 100.81°W / 36.28; -100.81
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1889
Named forW. B. Ochiltree
SeatPerryton
Largest cityPerryton
Area
 • Total918 sq mi (2,380 km2)
 • Land918 sq mi (2,380 km2)
 • Water0.5 sq mi (1 km2)  0.06%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total10,015
 • Density11/sq mi (4.2/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district13th
Websitewww.co.ochiltree.tx.us
The Ochiltree County Courthouse contains the inscription on one side, "Dedicated to the Purpose of Justice to All Mankind." Click to read.
Cattle grazing in Ochiltree County south of Perryton off U.S. Highway 83

Ochiltree County (/ˈɒkəlˌtriː/ OK-əl-tree)[1] is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 10,015.[2] The county seat is Perryton.[3] The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1889.[4][5] and is named for William Beck Ochiltree, who was an attorney general of the Republic of Texas. It was previously one of 30[6] prohibition or entirely dry counties in the state of Texas.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 918 sq mi (2,380 km2), almost all land, and 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2) (0.06%) is covered by water.[7]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1890198—
190026734.8%
19101,602500.0%
19202,33145.5%
19305,224124.1%
19404,213−19.4%
19506,02443.0%
19609,38055.7%
19709,7043.5%
19809,588−1.2%
19909,128−4.8%
20009,006−1.3%
201010,22313.5%
202010,015−2.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1850–2010[9] 2010[10] 2020[11]
Ochiltree County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[10] Pop 2020[11] % 2010 % 2020
  White alone (NH) 5,062 4,245 49.52% 42.39%
  Black or African American alone (NH) 19 14 0.19% 0.14%
  Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 66 31 0.65% 0.31%
Asian alone (NH) 24 28 0.23% 0.28%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 3 2 0.03% 0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 0 21 0.00% 0.21%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 67 204 0.66% 2.04%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 4,982 5,470 48.73% 54.62%
Total 10,223 10,015 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

As of the census[12] of 2000, 9,006 people, 3,261 households, and 2,488 families were residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile (3.9 people/km2). The 3,769 housing units averaged 4 units per square mile (1.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 86.2% White, 0.13% African American, 0.94% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 10.29% from other races, and 2.04% from two or more races. About 13.79% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. In terms of ancestry, 11.3% were of German, 10.3% were of Irish, 6.3% were of English, 5.4% were of American, and 1.5% were of Dutch, 1.5% were of Polish.

Of the 3,261 households, 40.9% had children under the age of 18, 64% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were not families. About 21% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74, and the average family size was 3.18.

In the county, the population distribution was 30.6% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.

The median income for a household was $38,013, and for a family was $45,565. Males had a median income of $31,558 versus $19,890. The per capita income for the county was $16,707. About 13% of the population and 9.8% of families were below the poverty line; 17.9% of those under the age of 18 and 8.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Those making less than $25,000 per year comprised 32.2% of the population, while 1.9% made more than $150,000, according to the 2000 census. Around 17.5% of the population made less than $15,000 per year, while 6.06% made more than $100,000.

Politics

Since the 1950s, Ochiltree has been an overwhelmingly Republican county. The last Democrat to carry the county was Harry S. Truman in 1948; Truman won 73.06% of the county's vote, more than twice the percentage any Democratic candidate has won in the subsequent 17 presidential elections. Even Texan Lyndon Johnson did not reach 35% in his 1964 landslide, when Ochiltree was easily Goldwater’s strongest Texas county. Indeed, Jimmy Carter in 1976 was the last Democrat to win 20% of the county's vote, and the last to reach so much as 10% was Bill Clinton in 1996.

In 2004 in Ochiltree County, 92.0% of voters (2,922) voted for George W. Bush, while 7.9% (251 people) voted for John Kerry. Two people voted for Michael Badnarik (Libertarian). This is tied for the second-highest percentage of votes Bush received for any county in the US (in both 2000 and 2004), and it is the highest percentage during the 2004 election, (only Glasscock County, Texas, at 93.1%, had a higher percentage in the 2000 Presidential election).

In 2008, 91.7% of voters supported Senator John McCain, whereas only 7.8% of voters supported Senator Barack Obama.[13]

United States presidential election results for Ochiltree County, Texas[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 2,812 89.10% 302 9.57% 42 1.33%
2016 2,628 87.54% 274 9.13% 100 3.33%
2012 2,719 90.85% 253 8.45% 21 0.70%
2008 2,851 91.70% 243 7.82% 15 0.48%
2004 2,922 91.97% 251 7.90% 4 0.13%
2000 2,687 90.72% 251 8.47% 24 0.81%
1996 2,448 79.20% 467 15.11% 176 5.69%
1992 2,419 68.06% 557 15.67% 578 16.26%
1988 2,928 83.25% 579 16.46% 10 0.28%
1984 3,492 89.15% 419 10.70% 6 0.15%
1980 3,032 81.90% 594 16.05% 76 2.05%
1976 2,471 68.89% 1,084 30.22% 32 0.89%
1972 2,861 89.35% 298 9.31% 43 1.34%
1968 2,208 70.50% 432 13.79% 492 15.71%
1964 1,814 66.28% 920 33.61% 3 0.11%
1960 1,870 78.11% 521 21.76% 3 0.13%
1956 1,209 69.48% 512 29.43% 19 1.09%
1952 1,755 80.39% 426 19.51% 2 0.09%
1948 344 24.52% 1,025 73.06% 34 2.42%
1944 307 23.45% 863 65.93% 139 10.62%
1940 294 19.51% 1,213 80.49% 0 0.00%
1936 109 8.64% 1,111 88.03% 42 3.33%
1932 183 14.18% 1,097 84.97% 11 0.85%
1928 556 67.31% 270 32.69% 0 0.00%
1924 155 27.58% 352 62.63% 55 9.79%
1920 135 32.53% 280 67.47% 0 0.00%
1916 41 14.29% 238 82.93% 8 2.79%
1912 0 0.00% 93 83.78% 18 16.22%

Education

Of the population aged 25 and older (5,441 people), 14.6% did not have a high-school diploma, while 12.9% statewide are without a high-school diploma. About 27% of the county claimed that a high-school diploma was their highest level of educational attainment, compared with 24.8% statewide; 16.1% had a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 23.2% statewide.

The Allen campus of Frank Phillips College is located in Perryton.

Communities

City

Town

Unincorporated communities

In popular culture

Ochiltree County is the setting for the Hank the Cowdog series of children's books, in the unincorporated city of Twitchell.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Towns O Texas Pronunciation Guide". www.texastripper.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2008.
  2. ^ "Ochiltree County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  5. ^ Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer. p. 1364
  6. ^ "Local Option Elections | TABC".
  7. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  8. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  9. ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2020" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  10. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Ochiltree County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  11. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Ochiltree County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  12. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  13. ^ "America's Decision - Election Tracking Map". Fox News. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
  14. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 28, 2018.

External links

36°17′N 100°49′W / 36.28°N 100.81°W / 36.28; -100.81

Places adjacent to Ochiltree County, Texas
Municipalities and communities of Ochiltree County, Texas, United States
Counties of Texas
State of Texas
Authority control databases
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