Claude, Texas
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Claude is a city in 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 Armstrong County, Texas, United States. Its population was 1,186 at the 2020 census. It is located east of Amarillo in the south Texas Panhandle. Claude is part of the Amarillo metropolitan statistical area, but is some 30 miles east of Amarillo.


History

During the first half of the 16th century, Spanish conquistador Francisco Coronado and his party passed through Claude and Tule Canyon, a scenic wonder to the south of Claude off Texas State Highway 207. Claude was originally named Armstrong City after several area ranches named Armstrong. The town name became Claude in 1887, named for Claude Ayers. He was the
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
of the first train of the Fort Worth and Denver Railway to travel through the area. When Armstrong County was formed in 1890, Claude and Washburn competed to be the county seat. The tie-breaking vote for Claude was reportedly cast by legendary cattleman Charles Goodnight, former co-owner of the nearby JA Ranch. The Armstrong County Courthouse in Claude dates to 1912. W.S. Decker established a weekly newspaper, ''The Claude Argus'', which later merged with the ''Goodnight News'' to become ''The Claude News'' in 1890. The Armstrong County Museum has local and Western-themed exhibits. The film '' Hud'', starring
Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...
and Patricia Neal, was filmed there in 1962.


Geography

Claude is located about east of Amarillo. 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

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 ...
, Claude has a semiarid climate, ''BSk'' on climate maps.Climate Summary for Claude, Texas
/ref>


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, 1,186 people, 496 households, and 369 families resided 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, 1,313 people, 479 households, and 362 families were in the city. The population density was . The 538 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.96% White, 0.23% African American, 0.46% Native American, 2.89% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 5.56% of the population. Of the 479 households, 34.4% had children under 18 living with them, 66.6% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were not families. About 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city, the age distribution was 26.0% under 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 84.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $38,641, and for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $33,542 versus $21,371 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 $16,299. About 8.8% of families and 12.5% 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 19.5% of those under 18 and 17.5% of those 65 or over.


Film history

Several movies have been filmed in and around Claude, including '' Hud'' (1963), starring
Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...
; '' Leap of Faith'' (1993) starring Steve Martin; and ''Sunshine Christmas'' (1977), starring Cliff DeYoung. Additionally, the closing sunset scene in ''
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' is a 1989 American action adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Jeffrey Boam, based on a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes. It is the third installment in the Indiana Jone ...
'' (1989) was shot in Claude.


Education

The Claude Independent School District serves Claude and is home to the Claude High School Mustangs. The first school in Claude was built in 1883. In 1907, a three-story building replaced the original building at a cost of $14,000. Unfortunately years later, a fire burned most of this building down. The portion of the building that was restored currently houses the Claude Junior High School. During the 1930s, Claude had the only official-sized gymnasium in the area. The West Texas State College (now West Texas A&M University) basketball team used it on numerous occasions.


Notable people

* Tom Mechler, Texas state Republican chairman since 2015 and oil and gas consultant in Amarillo, formerly lived in Claude. * Charles Howard Roan, United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of Peleliu in 1944, was born in Claude.


References

*. Accessed 31 May 2005.


External links


Armstrong County''The Claude News''
newspaper
Claude School DistrictArmstrong County Museum
{{authority control Cities in Armstrong County, Texas Cities in Texas County seats in Texas Cities in Amarillo metropolitan area