Moore County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers 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 sover ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 21,358. 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 ...

is Dumas. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1892. It is named for Edwin Ward Moore, the commander of the

Texas Navy The Texas Navy, officially the Navy of the Republic of Texas, also known as the Second Texas Navy, was the naval warfare branch of the Texas Military Forces during the Republic of Texas. It descended from the Texian Navy, which was established ...

. The Dumas micropolitan statistical area includes all of Moore County. Moore County history is highlighted in the Window on the Plains Museum in Dumas.

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 (1.1%) are covered by water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 87 U.S. Highway 87 (US 87) is a north–south United States highway (though it is signed east–west in New Mexico) that runs for 1,998 miles (3,215 km) from northern Montana to southern Texas, making it the longest north-south roa ...

* U.S. Highway 287 * State Highway 152 * State Highway 354

Adjacent counties

* Sherman County (north) * Hutchinson County (east) * Carson County (southeast) * Potter County (south) * Oldham County (southwest) * Hartley County (west) * Dallam County (northwest)

National protected area

Lake Meredith National Recreation Area Lake Meredith National Recreation Area is a United States national recreation area located about north of Amarillo, Texas, in the Texas Panhandle. Its main attraction is Lake Meredith, a reservoir created by Sanford Dam on the Canadian River. ...

(part)

Demographics

2020 census

''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.''

2000 Census

At the 2000 census, 20,121 people, 6,774 households, and 5,331 families were in the county. The population density was 22 people/sq mi (9/km²). There were 7,478 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/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 county was 63.93% White, 0.69% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 31.20% from other races, and 2.62% from two or more races. 47.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 6,774 households 44.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.10% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.30% were non-families. 18.20% of households were one person and 8.30% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.36. The age distribution was 33.60% under 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 18.30% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% 65 or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.40 males. The median household income was $34,852 and the median family income was $37,985. Males had a median income of $29,843 versus $19,383 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,214. About 10.10% of families and 13.50% 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 18.10% of those under age 18 and 10.90% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Moore County is a strongly Republican county, having given Senator

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

78.76% of the vote, over only 20.65% for

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

in 2008. It also gave

George W Bush George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

(R) 81.75% over 17.93%

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

(D) in 2004. Moore County is represented in the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

by the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Walter Price, IV, elected on November 2, 2010. The district also includes the majority of neighboring Potter County —

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 ...

. Moore county is represented in the US house of representatives by

Mac Thornberry William McClellan "Mac" Thornberry (born July 15, 1958) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 13th congressional district from 1995 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Thornberry represented the mos ...

(R) as it is a part of

Texas's 13th congressional district Texas's 13th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Texas that includes most of the Texas Panhandle, parts of Texoma and northwestern parts of North Texas. The principal cities in the district are Amarillo, Gai ...

Communities

Cities

Cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

* Dumas (county seat) * Fritch (mostly in Hutchinson County) * Sunray

Unincorporated community

* Masterson

Education

School districts: * Dumas Independent School District * Sanford-Fritch Independent School District * Sunray Independent School District All of the county is in the service area of

Amarillo College Amarillo College (AC) is a public community college in Amarillo, Texas. It enrolls over 10,000 students and was established in 1929 as Amarillo Junior College. Amarillo College has a total of six campuses as of October 2005. As defined by the ...

.Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.164. AMARILLO COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.

References

External links

*
Moore County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties
{{authority control 1892 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1892 Texas Panhandle Majority-minority counties in Texas