Hardeman County ( ) is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located 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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,549. 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 ...

and largest city is Quanah. The county was created in 1858 and later organized in 1884. It is named for two brothers, Bailey Hardeman and Thomas Jones Hardeman, early

politicians and legislators. Hardeman County was one of 46 prohibition or entirely

dry counties In the United States, a dry county is a county whose local government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. The vast majority of counties no ...

in the state of Texas until November 2006, when voters approved referendums to permit the legal sale of alcoholic beverages for on- and off-premises consumption.

Geography

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 ...

, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (0.3%) are covered by water. The

Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River () is a sandy-braided stream about long, formed at the confluence of Palo Duro Creek and Tierra Blanca Creek, about northeast of Canyon, Texas, Canyon in Randall County, Texas, and flowing east-southeastward to th ...

joins with Buck Creek in the northwestern corner of the county to form the Red River, which flows east to form the northern border of the county, separating it from

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 ...

. Hardeman County is the northernmost county in Texas that is not part of the Texas Panhandle.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 287 * State Highway 6

Adjacent counties

Harmon County, Oklahoma Harmon County is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 2,488, making it the second-least populous county in Oklahoma, behind only Cimarron County. It has lost population in ...

(north) *

Jackson County, Oklahoma Jackson County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,785. Its county seat is Altus. According to the ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', the c ...

(northeast) * Wilbarger County (east) * Foard County (south) * Cottle County (southwest) * Childress County (west)

Demographics

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, 4,724 people, 1,943 households, and 1,319 families were residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . The 2,358 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 85.4% White, 4.8% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 7.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. About 14.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 1,943 households, 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were not families. About 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40, and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the population distribution was 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 22.60% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 20.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,312, and for a family was $33,325. Males had a median income of $26,683 versus $18,566 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 county was $16,824. About 14.6% of families and 17.8% 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 26.0% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Georgia-Pacific Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of Tissue paper, tissue, Pulp (paper), pulp, paper, toilet and paper towe ...

operates a gypsum plant in the small community of Acme, located west of Quanah on U.S. Highway 287.

Attractions

Copper Breaks State Park Copper Breaks State Park is a state park in Hardeman County, Texas, Hardeman County, Texas, located approximately south of Quanah, Texas, Quanah, the county seat. It covers and contains two small lakes and of trails. History Originally, Copp ...

, which is operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, is located in far southern Hardeman County near the Pease River just off State Highway 6, about south of Quanah. The park features a portion of the state

Texas Longhorn The Texas Longhorn is an American breed of beef cattle, characterized by its long horns, which can span more than from tip to tip. It derives from cattle brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the Americas by Spanish conquistadors from the ti ...

herd. * Lake Pauline is located off U.S. Highway 287, east of Quanah.

Communities

Cities

* Chillicothe * Quanah (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

* Goodlett

Ghost towns

Acme Acme is Ancient Greek (ἀκμή; English transliteration: ''akmē'') for "the peak", "zenith" or "prime". It may refer to: Arts, entertainment and games * ''Acme'' (album), an album by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion * Acme and Septimius, a fic ...

* Medicine Mound

Politics

Republican Drew Springer, Jr., a businessman from

Muenster Muenster may refer to: * Münster, Germany * Muenster, Saskatchewan * Muenster, Texas Muenster ( ) is a city in western Cooke County, Texas, Cooke County, Texas, United States, along U.S. Route 82 in Texas, U.S. Route 82. The population was 1,53 ...

in Cooke County, has represented Hardeman County in the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

since 2021, and previously in the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

from 2013 to 2021. Hardeman County formerly leaned Democratic, however in recent years it has swung to become solidly Republican.

Education

School districts serving sections of the county include: * Childress Independent School District * Chillicothe Independent School District * Quanah Independent School District The county is in the service area of

Vernon College Vernon College is a public community college in Vernon, Texas. History The two-year Vernon Regional Junior College welcomed its first student body of 608 in 1972, and had a board of trustees of seven members. In 1970, the Wilbarger County voter ...

.Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.207. Vernon Regional Junior College District Service Area

References

External links

Texas Cooperative Extension, Hardeman County office

Texas School Districts: School Districts in Hardeman County
*
Hardeman County profile from the Texas Association of Counties

Historic Hardeman County materials
hosted by th
Portal to Texas History
{{authority control 1884 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1884