Pyote ( ) is a town in Ward 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. Its population was 114 at the 2010 census.

History

Pyote began as a small town. Its fortunes rose with oil, but its population decreased when the railroad was built away from the town. At one time, Pyote had 3,500 residents. The 1942 development of the

Pyote Army Air Base Pyote Air Force Base was a World War II United States Army Air Forces training airbase. It was on a mile from the town of Pyote, Texas, on Interstate 20, 20 miles west of Monahans and just south of U.S. Highway 80, east of El Paso. It was ...

and the 1967 development of what became the West Texas State School raised the town's fortunes.Johnson, David.
Pyote's future
" ''

Odessa American The ''Odessa American'' is a newspaper based in Odessa, Texas, that serves Odessa and the rest of Ector County. The newspaper has daily editions (sold at $2) and Sunday/Thanksgiving Day editions (sold at $3). The paper is particularly notable fo ...

''. April 17, 2010. Retrieved on June 4, 2010.

Geography

Pyote is located at (31.537478, –103.126771). 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 t ...

, the town has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.3 km²), all land.

Climate

This area has a large amount of sunshine year round due to its stable descending air and high pressure. 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 ...

, Pyote has a

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in deser ...

, ''Bwh'' on climate maps.

Demographics

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 in ...

of 2000, 131 people, 56 households, and 32 families were residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was 101.5 people per sq mi (39.2/km²). The 85 housing units averaged 65.9 per sq mi (25.4/km²). 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 83.97% White, 1.53% African American, 6.87% Native American, 4.58% from other races, and 3.05% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 22.90% of the population. Of the 56 households, 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.1% were not families. About 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34, and the average family size was 3.09. In the town, the age distribution was 26.0% under 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males. The median income for a household was $25,625, and for a family was $30,833. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,750 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 $11,505. There were 6.3% of families and 15.3% of the population living 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 17.1% of under eighteens and 9.1% of those over 64.

Government and infrastructure

unincorporated area 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 ...

near Pyote is the site of the former

. It was home to the West Texas State School, a youth detention facility operated by the

Texas Youth Commission The Texas Youth Commission (TYC) was a Texas state agency which operated juvenile corrections facilities in the state. The commission was headquartered in the Brown-Heatly Building in Austin. As of 2007, it was the second largest juvenile corre ...

, until its 2010 closure.Ward, Mike.
Report: school "did not provide a safe environment"
." '' Austin American-Statesman''. Saturday March 17, 2007. Retrieved on May 23, 2010. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

operates the Pyote Post Office.

Education

The Town of Pyote is served by the

Monahans-Wickett-Pyote Independent School District Monahans-Wickett-Pyote Independent School District (MWPISD) is a public school district based in Monahans, Texas ( USA). In addition to Monahans, the district serves the towns of Wickett, Pyote, and Thorntonville. In 2009, the school distric ...

. All of Ward County is zoned to

Odessa College Odessa College is a public junior college in Odessa, Texas. The college serves the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It was established in 1946 and enrolle8,024 studentsin Fall 2021 and 7,679 students in Spring 2022 in its universi ...

References

{{authority control Towns in Ward County, Texas Towns in Texas Ghost towns in West Texas