Abernathy is a city in Hale and

Lubbock Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

counties 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 so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. The population was 2,805 at the 2010 census. The Hale County portion of Abernathy is part of the Plainview micropolitan statistical area, while the Lubbock County portion is part of the

Lubbock metropolitan area The Lubbock metropolitan area is a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the South Plains region of West Texas, United States, that covers three counties – Crosby, Lubbock, and Lynn. As of the 2010 census, the Lubbock MSA had a population ...

Geography

Abernathy (elevation 3,360 feet) is located at (33.8323038, –101.8429491). Most of the city is located in Hale County; roughly 25% of the city extends southward into Lubbock County. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,865 people, 1,176 households, and 865 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, 2,839 people, 996 households, and 800 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 1,081 housing units were at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 76.15% White, 2.47% African American, 0.77% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 18.63% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 43.15% of the population. Of the 996 households, 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were not families. About 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.23. In the city, the population was distributed as 30.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,377, and for a family was $35,399. Males had a median income of $25,635 versus $21,198 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $13,919. About 9.6% of families and 9.3% 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 8.3% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

History

The

Santa Fe Railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at variou ...

wanted to follow a straight line from Plainview to

. A straight-line survey was run and it went east of the present site of Abernathy. This route did not please the residents of Hale Center, which had been established since the 1890s. They influenced the Santa Fe to come southwest out of Plainview to serve them, and from there the Santa Fe followed an approximate straight line into Lubbock. The developers of the town sites along the new railroad wanted to organize a town on a section north of the present town of Abernathy. The owners, who lived in

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, were contacted. They thought

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might be on the land and refused to sell. Therefore, the last section south in Hale County was chosen as the town site. Originally owned by John Y. Ligon, the section that was to become the Abernathy town site was purchased by J.C. Roberds from E.S. and W.L. Stanfield. When the South Plains Investment Company was formed by Roberds, Dr. M.C. Overton, and Monroe Abernathy, Mr. Roberds deeded the section to the firm and became the president of the firm. Dr. Overton was secretary and Mr. Abernathy was treasurer. On June 18, 1909, the official survey of the town site was recognized by Gov. T.M. Campbell. The town site was platted on July 8, 1909, and was named for M.C. Abernathy. Mr. Monk was the resident agent for the company, and a small frame office building was built. Lots and blocks were sold from there. Since several buildings were already in Bartonsite and none in Abernathy, the founding fathers here contracted with J.J. Barton to move some of the buildings to Abernathy. In the late summer of 1909, the move began. Buildings were placed on rollers. The latest equipment—steam-driven tractors—hooked on. The exodus began to huff and puff toward the new town. The tractors did not move but about three or four miles per hour, so it was a long trip. A two-story yellow hotel, a lumberyard, blacksmith shop, and three or four residences were some of the roughly 10 buildings moved. The first train came to Abernathy in the early fall of 1909. This was not a regular train, but some cars added to the work train. The depot was constructed in 1909. C.E. Stout was the first local agent for the Santa Fe. The section where the town of Abernathy was being developed was fenced, and gates had to be opened when entering and leaving town. The streets and block corners were laid off with 2 x 4 stubs. These stubs denoted streets for the next few years, until a

grader A grader, also commonly referred to as a road grader, motor grader, or simply blade, is a form of heavy equipment with a long blade used to create a flat surface during Grading (engineering), grading. Although the earliest models were towed b ...

finally came in to run ditches. Town residents had free range on the section, and their milk cows and horses and mules were turned loose to graze. The stock would stray out of the section, and range cattle would come into town, when someone happened to leave the gates open. The ladies had to stand guard at their clotheslines to keep the livestock from ruining their laundry. When a load of feed was brought to town, the cattle and horses had to be chased away until it was unloaded in stack lots or barns. Trains running through the town section frequently hit the livestock. Behind most of the houses were outhouses, barns, and windmills. Nearly every home had its own

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

, although a few families hauled water. Generally, gardens and cow lots were integral parts of each household. Although the City of Abernathy was founded in 1909, it was not incorporated until 1924. An election was called for September 12, 1924. The first mayor was F.W. Struve, and aldermen elected were R.M. Hardesty, N.C. Hix, Sam W. Smith, T.B. Stone, and E.B. Lindsey.

Schools

The Abernathy Independent School District has an elementary school, middle school, and high school, with a district-wide enrollment of 768 students.

In popular culture

Abernathy is featured in the Branson musical ''3 Redneck Tenors'' as the home of Billy Ray, the "Dead Tenor". A funeral is held for Billy Ray in Abernathy, the "Gateway to Lubbock".

References

External links

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Abernathy Independent School District
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Photos of West Texas and the Llano Estacado
{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Lubbock County, Texas Cities in Hale County, Texas Lubbock metropolitan area 1909 establishments in Texas