Panhandle is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Carson County, Texas
Carson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,807. The county seat is Panhandle. The county was founded in 1876 and later organized in 1888. It is named for Samuel Price Carson, the f ...
, United States. The population of the town was 2,452 at the
2010 census.
Panhandle is part of the
Amarillo metropolitan statistical area.
History
Panhandle derives its name from its central location in the
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a square-shaped area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east. It is adjacent to ...
. Originally named "Carson City", it was later changed to "Panhandle City".
In 1887, Panhandle obtained a post office, and in 1888, the town was planned as the terminus of the
Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway
The Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway (P&SF) is a now-defunct railroad company that was a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF), operating primarily in the Texas Panhandle.
History
Chartered November 2, 1886 as The Southern ...
. At that time, the town was surrounded by several large cattle ranches. The community soon acquired a bank, a mercantile store, a wagonyard, a school, a newspaper, and three saloons.
In 1888, Carson County was organized, and Panhandle became the county seat.
The area's cattlemen were reconciled to the arrival of farmers because they produced needed
forage
Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used m ...
crops, such as
hay
Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...
, and introduced more families with eligible young women for the cowboy bachelors of the cattle kingdom.
[Lester Fields Sheffy, ''The Life and Times of ]Timothy Dwight Hobart
Timothy Dwight Hobart (October 6, 1855 – May 19, 1935) was an American businessman, best known as the manager of the JA Ranch. He was also mayor of Pampa, Texas
Pampa (from the Quechua: ''pampa'', meaning "plain") is a city in Gray Count ...
, 1855-1935: Colonization of West Texas'' (Canyon, Texas: Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, 1950), pp. 120-121
Panhandle was scandalized in 1897 after George E. Morrison, a preacher at the
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...
, poisoned his wife Minnie with a
strychnine
Strychnine (, , US chiefly ) is a highly toxic, colorless, bitter, crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine, when inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the eye ...
-laced apple so that he could marry his mistress Miss Annie Whittlesey of
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...
. Morrison was sentenced to die in the gallows at
Vernon in
Wilbarger County, Texas
Wilbarger County ( ) is a county located in the North Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,887. The county seat is Vernon. The county was created in 1858 and later organized in 1881. Wilbar ...
, his last words being: "
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
, Lover of My Soul".
In 1909, Panhandle voted to incorporate with a
mayor-council government.
The population grew in the 1920s when Panhandle became the center of a
natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
field.
A new county courthouse was completed in 1950.
Panhandle continued to thrive in the 1980s as a regional marketing and shipping center for cattle,
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
, and
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
products.
The
Carson County Square House Museum
The Carson County Square House Museum is located at the intersection of Texas State Highway 207 and Fifth Street in the city of Panhandle, in the county of Carson, in the U.S. state of Texas. The structure is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, ...
is located inside the oldest house in Panhandle, and is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 2,378 people, 1,058 households, and 723 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, 2,589 people, 945 households, and 719 families were residing in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 1,216.6 people/sq mi (469.3/km
2). The 1,014 housing units averaged 476.5/sq mi (183.8/km
2). The
racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the town was 93.16% White, 0.66% African American, 0.77% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 3.86% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 8.96% of the population.
Of the 945 households, 38.2% had children under 18 living with them, 64.0% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were not families. About 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.63, and the average family size was 3.10.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.4% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,686, and for a family was $50,735. Males had a median income of $38,155 versus $25,329 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $21,640. About 4.0% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 7.1% of those under 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.
Geography and climate
Panhandle is located slightly south of the center of Carson County.
passes through the town, leading northeast to
Pampa
The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all of Uruguay; and Brazil ...
and southwest the same distance to
Amarillo
Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat, seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County. It is the List of cities in Texas by population, 14th-most populous city in Texas and th ...
.
Texas State Highway 207
State Highway 207 (SH 207) is a state Highway that runs from Post, Texas through the South Plains and Texas Panhandle to the Texas/Oklahoma state line.
History
The highway was originally designated on July 31, 1934 between Floydada and Ralls. B ...
crosses US 60 in Panhandle and passes through the center of town; it leads north to
Borger Borger may refer to:
*Borger (name), a surname and given name
*Borger, Netherlands
*Borger, Texas, U.S.
See also
*
* Boorger
* Börger
* Borge (disambiguation)
* Børge
* Burger (disambiguation)
Burger or Burgers may refer to:
Food and drin ...
and south to
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
at
Conway.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, Panhandle has a total area of , all of it land.
Climate
According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, the Panhandle has a
semiarid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
, ''BSk'' on climate maps.
Climate Summary for Panhandle, Texas
/ref>
Education
The Town of Panhandle is served by the Panhandle Independent School District
Panhandle Independent School District is a public school district based in Panhandle, Texas (USA).
For the 2021-2022 school year, the school district was given an "A" by the Texas Education Agency
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the b ...
and is home to the Panhandle High School
Panhandle High School is a public high school located in the city of Panhandle, Texas in Carson County, United States and classified as a 2A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Panhandle Independent School District located in central Carson C ...
Panthers and Pantherettes.
References
External links
City of Panhandle official website
Panhandle Independent School District
Square House Museum
{{authority control
Towns in Carson County, Texas
Towns in Texas
County seats in Texas
Towns in Amarillo metropolitan area