Anton ( ) is a city in Hockley County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 907 at the 2020 census.

History

Anton was founded in 1924 near the center of the north pasture of the former Spade Ranch when ranch owner William Leonard Ellwood contracted with the Anton Townsite Company to plat a town at the site of Danforth Switch, a spur of the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway. The town was named in honor of J.F. Anton, a Santa Fe railroad executive. Anton's first mayor was Paul Grover Whitfield, who was born in July 1908, so in 1924 was only 16 or 17 years old. He told everyone he was 18, so was able to accept the position. He is, therefore, on record as being the youngest mayor ever in Texas at the time, and since he was under 18, the record stands to this day and likely will for all time. Whether an election was held or if he simply volunteered for the position is unclear. In those days, identification was not required because most agreements were done with a handshake.

Geography

Anton sits just to the east of the geographic center of the level 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 North A ...

. The flat terrain is broken to the west by a dry watercourse called

Yellow House Draw Yellow House Draw is an ephemeral watercourse about long, heading about southwest of Melrose, New Mexico, and tending generally east-southeastward across the Llano Estacado to the city of Lubbock, where it joins Blackwater Draw to form Yellow ...

, which passes about to the southwest of Anton. Anton is well situated with regard to transportation. It is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 84 and Farm to Market Roads 168 and 597. US 84 leads southeast to

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 ...

and northwest to Littlefield. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway passes through the western edge of town. 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. Water tower Anton Texas

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 907 people, 434 households, and 272 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, there were 1,200 people, 423 households, and 313 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 465 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 71.92%

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

, 5.33%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 21.17% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 45.83% of the population. There were 423 households, out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were

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

living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.40. In the city, the population was spread out, with 32.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,924, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $26,188 versus $18,036 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 $13,001. About 15.0% of families and 21.6% 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 23.8% of those under age 18 and 21.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Anton is served by the Anton Independent School District and is home to the Anton High School Bulldogs.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Hockley County, Texas