Happy is a town in Randall and Swisher 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 ...

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 ...

. The population was 602 at the 2020 census. The Randall County portion of Happy is part of the

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Toponymy

Happy derives its name from Happy Draw, a stream named in the 19th century by the team of cowboys who were happy to find water there. It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names. The town's motto is "The Town Without a Frown".

Geography

Happy is located primarily within Swisher County. 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 town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km), all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, 602 people, 226 households, and 111 families resided in the town.

2010 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 2010, 678 people, 267 households, and 182 families resided in the town. The population density was . The 295 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the town was 88.05% White, 0.29% African American, 1.77% Native American, 8.11% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 17.31% of the population. Of the 267 households, 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were not families; 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42, and the average family size was 2.97. In the town, the population was distributed as 25.8% under 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,393, and for a family was $39,375. Males had a median income of $26,964 versus $17,917 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 town was $14,618. About 10.9% of families and 13.4% 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 12.1% of those under 18 and 10.0% of those 65 or over. As of 2011, the population of Happy was decreasing by 10% annually because of water shortage.

Education

The City of Happy is served by the Happy Independent School District and home to the Happy High School Cowboys.

Notable people

* Barry G. Clark, one of the pioneers of the

Very Large Array The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is a centimeter-wavelength radio astronomy observatory in the southwestern United States built in the 1970s. It lies in central New Mexico on the Plains of San Agustin, between the towns of Magdalena, Ne ...

, was born in Happy. * Joe Cephis Fortenberry was the captain of the first U.S. Olympic men's basketball team. *

Buddy Knox Buddy Wayne Knox (July 20, 1933 – February 14, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, best known for his 1957 rock & roll hit song, " Party Doll". Early life Knox was born on July 20, 1933 in the tiny farming community of Happy, Texas, ...

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

musician, was born in Happy.

The Uncle Sam Band

Happy is the home of the Uncle Sam Band which was organized in the 1930s and directed by Happy High School Band Director James Douglass Forbus. The Uncle Sam Band led a parade in Amarillo, Texas, during a visit by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

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 ...

, Happy has 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 ...

, ''BSk'' on climate maps. The town has been hit by two (E)F2 tornadoes – the first on May 5, 2002, and a second on March 13, 2021.

Environment

The former Attebury Grain Storage Facility within the town was added to the

Superfund Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the United States Environmental Pro ...

National Priorities List by the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...

in April 2009 because hazardous chemicals were found in the soil and groundwater.

Carbon tetrachloride Carbon tetrachloride, also known by many other names (such as carbon tet for short and tetrachloromethane, also IUPAC nomenclature of inorganic chemistry, recognised by the IUPAC), is a chemical compound with the chemical formula CCl4. It is a n ...

, which was used to extinguish a fire at the storage facility in 1962, was found in a municipal water well, and several private wells.EPA Records Collection
/ref>

In popular culture

The film '' Happy, Texas'', which was named for the town and set there, was not filmed there.

References

External links

"HAPPY, TX", Handbook of Texas Online
{{Authority control Towns in Randall County, Texas Towns in Swisher County, Texas Towns in Texas Towns in Amarillo metropolitan area