Canyon is a city in, and 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 ...

of,

Randall County, Texas Randall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 140,753. Its county seat is Canyon. The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1889. It is named for Horace Randal, a Confede ...

, United States. The population was 14,836 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish for " yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall Cou ...

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. Canyon is the home of West Texas A&M University and

Panhandle–Plains Historical Museum Panhandle–Plains Historical Museum is a history museum located on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, United States, a small city south of Amarillo. The museum's contents are owned and controlled by the Panhandle-Plains ...

, and the outdoor musical drama ''Texas''.

History

Canyon was founded by L.G. Conner. The

JA Ranch The JA Ranch is a historic cattle ranch in the Palo Duro Canyon in Armstrong County, Texas. Founded in 1876 by Charles Goodnight and John George Adair, it is the oldest cattle ranching operation in the Texas Panhandle. Its headquarters area w ...

is east of Canyon. An historic landmarked 47-foot tall statue of a cowboy, constructed in 1959, stands next to U.S. Route 60 in Canyon.

Geography

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 th ...

, Canyon has a total area of , all land. The city itself lies in a valley that eventually becomes Palo Duro Canyon to the east.

Climate

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 off ...

, there were 14,836 people, 5,189 households, and 3,444 families residing in the city.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, 13,303 people, 5,185 households and 2,924 families resided in the city. The population density was 2687.47 per square mile (1,037.68/km²). The 5,611 housing units averaged 1,133.54 per square mile (437.68/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 city was 88.5% White, 2.4% African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.7% from other races, and 2% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 15.7% of the population. Of the 5,185 households, 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.6% were not families. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.99. The population was distributed as 21.4% under the age of 18, 18.6% from 20 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 15.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways ...

was $32,361 and the median family income was $46,250. Males had a median income of $34,338 versus $25,255 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 city was $16,292. About 8.1% of families and 14.3% 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 ...

, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Canyon High School (Texas) in Canyon Texas USA

Public education in Canyon is served by the

Canyon Independent School District Canyon Independent School District is a school district that serves the Canyon and Amarillo area in Randall County of the Texas Panhandle. The district covers a large area, which encompasses 732 square miles. The north end of the district has n ...

. Currently, the only

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

is Canyon High School, whose mascot is an Eagle. Some students in Canyon, TX play soccer at the Brown Road Soccer Complex on the west side of town.

Notable people

* Houston Bright, composer who taught for three decades at West Texas A&M University * Harold Bugbee,

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

artist and the former curator of Panhandle-Plains Museum *

Terry Funk Terrence Funk (born June 30, 1944) is an American retired professional wrestler, rapper, disc jockey and actor. Funk is known for the longevity of his career – which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements – ...

, professional wrestler and actor *

Blair Garner Blair Garner is an American radio personality best known for his work in country radio. Garner spent over two decades as a nationally syndicated overnight disc jockey, first hosting ''After Midnite'' for Premiere Networks and then ''The Blair Gar ...

, syndicated radio host *

Bryan A. Garner Bryan Andrew Garner (born 1958) is an American lawyer, lexicographer, and teacher who has written more than two dozen books about English usage and style such as ''Garner's Modern English Usage'' for a general audience, and others for legal profe ...

, editor-in-chief of ''Black's Law Dictionary'', author, and teacher; grandson to Meade F. Griffin of the Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals; older brother of Blair Garner * J. Evetts Haley, a historian of the

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

, lived in Canyon and later Midland * Margaret Pease Harper, educator, musician and originator of ''

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 ...

'' *

Mark Lair Mark Lair (born 1947) is a professional American bridge player from Canyon, Texas. Lair is ranked 5th all-time on the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) Top 500 listings with over 67,800 masterpoints (as of October 2018). He is an ACBL Grand ...

, Hall of Fame bridge player, inducted into the American Contract Bridge League Bridge Hall of Fame in 2009; professional bridge player with two world championships, 21 North American championships, and 11 North American championship runners-up; honorary lifetime appointment to the American Contract Bridge League Goodwill Committee, 1997; ranking of fifth on ACBL all-time master point list with over 67,900 master points, 2018; winner of the Fishbein Trophy, Barry Crane Trophy, and Herman Trophy: Mark was raised in Canyon and has lived in Canyon for the past 41 years

Georgia O'Keeffe Georgia Totto O'Keeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) was an American modernist artist. She was known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. O'Keeffe has been called the "Mother of Ame ...

, famous artist, lived in Canyon (1916–1918), inspired by the beauty of the Palo Duro country * Carmen Espinoza-Rodriquez, singer/songwriter *

Brandon Schneider Brandon Schneider (born December 4, 1971) is an American college women's basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Schneider was previously the head coach, from 2010 to 2015, for Stephen F. Austin State University, and from 1998 to 2010 at E ...

, women's basketball head coach at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

; born in Canyon * Candace Whitaker, women's basketball head coach at

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

; born in Canyon

References

External links

City of Canyon

Handbook of Texas Online

Randall County, Texas Genealogy
{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Randall County, Texas County seats in Texas Cities in Amarillo metropolitan area