Needmore is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Bailey County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, United States.

History

Needmore was so named because townsite promoters “needed more” settlers. Others contend that the town was named as an act of desperation to get the attention of more resource-rich cities in the region, including Notrees and Whiteface, to provide help in sustaining the town while in its infancy. After the town's founding in the 1920s, it never grew significantly, and by 1940, only 20 residents and two stores were at the site. By 1980, the population had reached 98, where it remained in 1990 and then dropped to 45 by 2000.

Geography

Needmore is located slightly east of the center of the county, around south of Muleshoe, the county seat, and north of the

Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge located about south of Muleshoe, Texas, on Texas State Highway 214. It is the oldest national wildlife refuge in Texas, having been established as the Muleshoe Migratory Waterfowl Refuge ...

. It is located at the intersection of

Texas State Highway 214 State Highway 214 (SH 214) is a Texas state highway that runs from Adrian to Seminole. History The route was originally designated on January 18, 1935, from Muleshoe to the Bailey County Line. On July 15, 1935, SH 214 was cancelled. SH& ...

and Farm Road 298 between the small communities of Baileyboro to the west and Circle Back, to the east. The terrain surrounding Needmore consists of level plains that at one time were covered with grassland vegetation. Today, except the

, the

shortgrass prairie The shortgrass prairie is an ecosystem located in the Great Plains of North America. The two most dominant grasses in the shortgrass prairie are blue grama (''Bouteloua gracilis'') and buffalograss ('' Bouteloua dactyloides''), the two less domi ...

has been replaced by plowed cropland, where cotton, sorghum, and winter wheat are grown. To the south and west of Needmore are numerous shallow lakes called “playas”. Most of these hold water for a short time after rain then dry and remain dry for extended periods. Some of the larger saline playas provide an important refuge for migratory waterfowl flying between Canada and Mexico, such as tens of thousands of

sandhill crane The sandhill crane (''Antigone canadensis'') is a species of large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills on ...

Education

Needmore is served by the Muleshoe Independent School District and the Sudan Independent School District.

References

External links

Photos of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Bailey County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas