Dalhart is a city in
Dallam and
Hartley
Hartley may refer to:
Places Australia
*Hartley, New South Wales
* Hartley, South Australia
** Electoral district of Hartley, a state electoral district
Canada
* Hartley Bay, British Columbia
United Kingdom
* Hartley, Cumbria
* Hartley, P ...
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 ...
of
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 ...
, 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 Dallam County.
The population was 8,447 at the
2020 census.
History
Founded in 1901, Dalhart is named for its location on the border of Dallam and Hartley Counties; its name is a
portmanteau
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together. of the names of the two counties.
The city was founded at the site of a railroad junction, which heavily contributed to its early growth.
Dalhart was in the center of the
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of natural factors (severe drought) and hum ...
, an area adversely affected by a long period of
drought
A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...
and dust storms during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
of the 1930s. Here,
Tex Thornton, operating on the now debunked
concussion theory, coaxed today's inflation-adjusted equivalent of $1 million from the locals on claims he could fire rocket-powered explosives into the clouds and cause rain.
Geography
Dalhart is located in northwestern Texas. 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 , of which , or 0.21%, is covered by water.
Dalhart sits in the Southern Great Plains and is heavily impacted by its agriculture industry. Dalhart is approximately 70 miles northwest of
Amarillo, the nearest city that has a population over 100,000.
Dalhart sits at the intersection of
U.S. Highways 54,
87 and
385. Two miles south of Dalhart is the former Rita Blanca State Park, site of Rita Blanca Canyon, now maintained by the City of Dalhart.
It is 1,680 acres, plus the 160 acres of Lake Rita Blanca,
[ on Rita Blanca Creek.] The park has playground equipment and hiking/biking/riding trails.[ The city has added a Lake Center at which guests can check-out various items such as bicycles, board games, fishing poles and tackle, golf discs, and more.][
Dalhart is located closer to six other state capitals than to Texas' capital of ]Austin
Austin refers to:
Common meanings
* Austin, Texas, United States, a city
* Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
* Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...
. In surface mileage (over major highways), Dalhart is from Austin, but is from Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...
, from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
, from Denver, Colorado
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
, from Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne ( or ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Wyoming, most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is the county seat of Laramie County, Wyoming, Laramie County, with 65,132 reside ...
, from Topeka, Kansas
Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...
, and from Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...
.
Climate
Dalhart experiences a semiarid 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 ...
(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'') with cool, dry winters and hot summers. The average annual rainfall of less than strongly influences both Dalhart's ecological climate and agricultural practices, especially center-pivot irrigation.
Since records began in 1948, the hottest temperature in Dalhart has been on June 26, 2011, and the coldest on January 4, 1959. On average, 65 afternoons each year will reach or top , 133.8 mornings will fall to or below freezing, 10.1 afternoons will fail to top freezing, and two mornings will fall to or below , giving a hardiness zone
A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...
of 6b to 7a. The hottest complete month has been July 2011 with a mean maximum of and the coldest January 1963 with a mean minimum of . The wettest calendar year has been 1985 with and the driest 2011 with only .
Demographics
In December 2015, the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States.
Th ...
'' voted Dalhart number eight of the 10 "most conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
" cities in the United States in regard to campaign contributions. Other West Texas communities in the most conservative lineup are Hereford
Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
(number one), Monahans (number five), and Childress (number nine). In contrast, Vashon Island, Washington
Vashon () is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon–Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. Before the construc ...
, was named the "most liberal" city in the nation regarding political donations.
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,447 people, 2,956 households, and 2,041 families residing in the city.
2010 census
As of the 2010 Census, Dalhart had a population of 7,930 living in 2,957 housing locations; 50.3% of the population was male, with 49.7% being female. The census revealed that 28.9% of the population was under the age of 18, while 12.4% of citizens were over the age of 65. With an area of 4.78 square miles, the City of Dalhart has a population density of 1659.0 persons/square mile.
Census data showed that 84.0% of the population identified as White, while 1.2% identified as Black/African American, 0.7% identified as Asian, 0.9% identified as Native American, and 0.1% were Pacific Islander. About 10.5% of the remaining population identified themselves as some other race, while 2.5% considered themselves to be of two or more races, and 34.0% of the population identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In 2010, 9.9% of the population identified as being foreign-born, with 25.4% of households in Dalhart speaking a primary language other than English at home. Data demonstrated that 79.6% of residents over 25 had earned at least a high-school diploma, while 16.4% had obtained a bachelor's degree or higher.
Over the 4-year period between 2007 and 2011, the median household income was $53,210, with a larger mean (average) household income of $69,190. The median per-capita income was $24,979. The census showed that 6.4% of the population lived below the federal poverty line, and 3.4% of the population was unemployed. Around 71.1% of Dalhart residents owned a home, with the median home value being $91,800. As of 2010, 829 businesses were registered in the city.
Economy
Dalhart's economy is centered around agribusiness
Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy,
in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise.
The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit ...
, including farming, ranching, feedlot
A feedlot or feed yard is a type of animal feeding operation (AFO) which is used in intensive animal farming, notably beef cattle, but also swine, horses, sheep, turkeys, chickens or ducks, prior to slaughter. Large beef feedlots are called conc ...
operations, large-scale pig farms, and more recently, a cheese processing plant. Dalhart is also home to a state prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
.
During the peak operating period of the XIT Ranch, the land was in native grass. Some land was diverted into dry farmland, but the rain was insufficient to make it productive. A few irrigation wells were drilled in areas where the soil was not sandy and was level enough for row irrigation. Later, center pivot irrigation, credited to Colorado farmer Frank Zybach in 1949, was introduced and was found to be ideal for the area's rolling sandy soils. About the same time, large feedlots were built due to the low-humidity climate. This created a good market for corn
Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...
, which is the major crop grown by farmers in the area.
In the mid-2000s, a combination of tax incentives, Texas' relatively unrestricted environmental regulations, and Dalhart's existing agricultural infrastructure attracted industrial dairy farms to the area. In 2007, Hilmar Cheese Company of California capitalized on the resulting milk availability, opening a major production plant in Dalhart. Texas Governor Rick Perry
James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 in the first administration of Donald Trump. He previously served as the 47th governor of Texas fr ...
visited Dalhart to speak at the company's official welcoming ceremony, reiterating the company's projection that 2000 new jobs would be created in the region by the emerging dairy product production industry. This factory and the surrounding dairies are a significant emerging subsector of Dalhart's established agribusiness culture.
The international agribusiness company Cargill
Cargill, Incorporated is an American multinational food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865 by William Wallace Cargill, it is the largest privately held c ...
owns a 21,500-acre hog-production site near Dalhart.
Arts and culture
Dalhart is known as the "XIT City" because of its relationship with the historic XIT Ranch. The ranch was a plot of land traded in exchange for the construction of the Texas State Capitol in Austin
Austin refers to:
Common meanings
* Austin, Texas, United States, a city
* Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
* Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...
. The ranch was dissolved in 1912, but its history is celebrated with the city's XIT Museum and the XIT Rodeo and Reunion. Held annually on the first full Thursday through Sunday weekend of August, the event includes the world's largest free barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque (often shortened to BBQ worldwide; barbie or barby in Australia and New Zealand) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that employ live fire and smoke to coo ...
, junior rodeo
Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...
, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the N ...
events, and three nights of live music.
The Muscle Car Party Weekend is held each year in May, and includes a classic car show, bicycle drag races, and dinner and dance. The events are sponsored by the Dalhart Cruzers Car Club, and each year, the club raffles a classic car.
Education
The Dalhart Independent School District serves the city of Dalhart. The district has an elementary school, intermediate school, junior high school, and high school. Students attend Dalhart High School, which competes athletically and scholastically in District 1 Division 3A of Texas' University Interscholastic League.
Dallam County is in the service area of Frank Phillips College (known in legislation as Borger Junior College). In 2012, Frank Phillips College opened a branch in Dalhart, offering both credit and community-education classes.
Media
The '' Dalhart Texan'' was established in 1901, and is published in Dalhart. The newspaper is currently published twice a week and has been owned by the Hogue family for the past 60 years.
Infrastructure
Prison system
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...
's Dalhart Unit prison is located in unincorporated Hartley County, near Dalhart.[Dalhart Unit]
(). Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...
. Retrieved on June 4, 2010.
See also
* Dalhart Municipal Airport
Explanatory notes
References
Further reading
* Timothy Egan, ''The Worst Hard Time'' (Mariner Books, 2006). .
External links
City of Dalhart official website
Dalhart Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control
Articles containing video clips
Cities in Dallam County, Texas
Cities in Hartley County, Texas
Cities in Texas
County seats in Texas