Boys Ranch is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

and

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in northeastern Oldham 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, on the site of the original county seat, Tascosa. It lies along U.S. Route 385, northeast of the city of

Vega Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, and ...

, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Oldham County. Although Boys Ranch is unincorporated, it has a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

, with the ZIP code of 79010. Boys Ranch is a residential community serving boys and girls ages 5 to 18.

History

The Boys Ranch was founded in 1939 by Cal Farley (December 25, 1895 – February 19, 1967) for troubled youth and is now a census-designated place. This was a new CDP for the 2010 census with a population of 282. Farley was a native of Sexton, Iowa, the son of Frank and Jennie Farley, who later moved to a farm outside of Elmore, Minnesota. He made his way to Amarillo in 1923. He was noted for his role in the professional wrestling business, particularly working with

Dory Funk Dorrance Wilhelm Funk (May 4, 1919 – June 3, 1973) was an American professional wrestler. He is the father of wrestlers Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk, and was a promoter of the Amarillo, Texas-based Western States Sports promotion. Earl ...

and the Luxembourg born Dutch Mantel.

Geography

The CDP has a total area of , all land.

Education

Boys Ranch is served by the Boys Ranch Independent School District, containing Boys Ranch High School, Mimi Farley Elementary, and Blakemore Middle School.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Boys Ranch has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Demographics

Boys Ranch first appeared as a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the 2010 U.S. Census.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there are 173 people living in Boys Ranch. The racial makeup of the city was 68.05% Non-Hispanic White, 14.79% Non-Hispanic Black, 0.59% Asian, 9.47% some other race, and 7.1% two or more races.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Texas Census-designated places in Texas