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 ...
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 2,339 at the 2020 census, down from 2,649 in
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
. It is named for the nearby
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...
. Incorporated in 1908, Canadian is sometimes called "the oasis of the High Plains". Canadian is on the eastern side of the Texas Panhandle, close to the border with
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
.
History
In 1887 the city government began.
A portion of the
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
movie ''
Cast Away
''Cast Away'' is a 2000 American survival drama film directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, and Nick Searcy. Hanks plays a FedEx troubleshooter who is stranded on a desert island after his plane cras ...
'' was filmed in Canadian.
In February 2024, most of the town was in the path of the 1,058,482 acre (428,352 ha)
Smokehouse Creek Fire
The Smokehouse Creek Fire was a record-breaking wildfire affecting the northeastern Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma that started on February 26, 2024. The fire affected numerous communities in Hemphill and Roberts counties, including the ...
, which charred some of the town. No fatalities have been reported within Canadian.
Geography
Canadian is northwest of the center of Hemphill County, south of the
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .60 and 83 pass through the center of town as Second Street. US 60 leads northeast to
Enid, Oklahoma
Enid ( ) is the ninth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County, Oklahoma, Garfield County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 51,308. Enid was founded during the openin ...
, and southwest to Amarillo, while US 83 leads northwest to Perryton and south to
Shamrock
A shamrock is a type of clover, used as a symbol of Ireland. The name ''shamrock'' comes from Irish (), which is the diminutive of the Irish word and simply means "young clover".
At most times'', Shamrock'' refers to either the species ...
.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, Canadian has a total area of , all land.
Nic Garcia of the ''
Texas Tribune
''The Texas Tribune'' is a nonprofit politics and public policy news website headquartered in Austin, Texas, United States. Its stated aim is to promote civic engagement through original, explanatory journalism and public events.
''The Texas Tr ...
'' characterized Canadian as having "a sense of isolation."
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''BSk'') that is almost wet enough to qualify as a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(''Cfa'').
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,339 people, 908 households, and 627 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, 2,233 people, 869 households, and 625 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 1,047 housing units averaged 811.6 per square mile (313.4/km). The racial makeup of the city was 88.94% White, 0.22% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 9.00% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 18.76% of the population.
Of the 869 households, 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were not families. About 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city, the population was distributed as 27.5% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,929, and for a family was $38,676. Males had a median income of $30,240 versus $17,083 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 $16,384. About 12.3% of families and 14.1% 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 19.4% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.
'' The Canadian Record'' was a weekly newspaper that ended publication in 2023.
Culture
In 2023 Nic Garcia described the character of the residents as "tough but empathetic. Forward-looking yet conservative."
Notable people
* Malouf Abraham Sr. (1915–1994), businessman and politician
* Ken King (born 1971), businessman and politician
*
Dave McCurdy
David Keith McCurdy (born March 30, 1950) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and former politician who was the Democratic U.S. Representative from Oklahoma's 4th congressional district, in office from 1981 to 1995. Described as a moderate or con ...
Image:Palace Theater, Canadian, TX IMG 6066.JPG, Palace Theater in downtown Canadian, restored through a $1 million gift from futures traderSalem Abraham
Image:Happy State Bank, Canadian, TX IMG 6065.JPG, Happy State Bank and Trust
Image:Citadel Garden, Canadian, TX IMG 6112.JPG, Malouf Abraham Jr.'s Citadelle Art Foundation