Cochran County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,547. 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 ...

is Morton. The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1924. It is named for Robert E. Cochran, a defender of the

Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San An ...

Geography

According to the

U.S. 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 ...

, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (0.01%) is covered by water. Cochran County lies on the high plains of the

Llano Estacado The Llano Estacado (), sometimes translated into English as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. One of the largest mesas or tablelands on the Nort ...

. The western border of the county lies along the border of

and

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

Major highways

State Highway 114 * Texas 125

State Highway 125 * Texas 214

State Highway 214

Adjacent counties

* Bailey County (north) * Lamb County (northeast) * Hockley County (east) * Terry County (southeast) * Yoakum County (south) * Lea County, New Mexico (southwest/

Mountain Time Zone The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when standard time ( UTC−07:00) is in effect, and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time ( UTC−06:00). The clo ...

) * Roosevelt County, New Mexico (northwest/Mountain Time Zone)

Demographics

''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 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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 3,730 people, 1,309 households, and 1,017 families living in the county. 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 5 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 1,587 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 64.48%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 4.53%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.83% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 27.35% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.55% from two or more races. 44.13% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 1,309 households, out of which 38.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.80% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.30% were non-families. 20.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.25. In the county, the population was spread out, with 31.50% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $27,525, and the median income for a family was $31,163. Males had a median income of $25,064 versus $17,652 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 county was $13,125. About 21.40% of families and 27.00% 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 37.20% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

* Bledsoe * Morton (county seat) * Whiteface

Politics

Education

School districts serving the county include: *

Morton Independent School District Morton Independent School District is a public school district based in Morton, Texas, United States. In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of the government of Texa ...

Sudan Independent School District Sudan Independent School District is a public school district based in Sudan, Texas ( USA). The district includes portions of three counties – Lamb, Bailey, and Cochran. Sudan ISD has two campuses - Sudan High (Grades 8-12) and Sudan Elem ...

Whiteface Consolidated Independent School District Whiteface Consolidated Independent School District is a public school district based in Whiteface, Texas (USA).Located in Cochran County, the district extends into small portions of Hockley and Lamb counties. It also serves Bledsoe. History Th ...

Three Way Independent School District Three Way Independent School District is a public school district in Erath County, Texas. A small portion of the district extends into Somervell County. As of 2019, the district serves students in grades pre-kindergarten through ten, and will ...

formerly served a part of Cochran County. It closed in 2002, becoming a part of Sudan ISD. The county is in the service area of

South Plains College South Plains College (SPC) is a public community college in Levelland, Texas. It operates satellite branches in Plainview, at the Reese Technology Center, formerly Reese Air Force Base, in western Lubbock, and the Lubbock Center near centra ...

.Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.198. SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
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References

External links

Cochran County government's website

Cochran County in ''Handbook of Texas Online''
at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

Cochran County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties

{{coord, 33.60, -102.83, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1924 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1924 Majority-minority counties in Texas