Hereford ( ) 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
Deaf Smith County, Texas, United States. It is 48 miles southwest of
Amarillo. Its population was 14,972 at the
2020 census. It is the only incorporated locality named "
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 ...
" in the United States.
The area is known for its
semiarid climate, with heavy farming and ranching throughout the area sustained by irrigation from the
Ogallala Aquifer
The Ogallala Aquifer () is a shallow water table aquifer surrounded by sand, silt, clay, and gravel located beneath the Great Plains in the United States.
As one of the world's largest aquifers, it underlies an area of approximately in po ...
and the saltier Santa Rosa Aquifer beneath it.
Hereford's local water supply contains an unusually high level of naturally occurring
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an Inorganic chemistry, inorganic, Monatomic ion, monatomic Ion#Anions and cations, anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose ...
. Because fluoride is used to protect against tooth decay, Hereford earned the title "The Town Without a Toothache".
It is also known as the "Beef Capital of the World" because of the large number of cattle
feedlots in the area. The city is named for the
Hereford breed. The local economy is affected significantly by growth in the dairy and
ethanol
Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...
industries.
Hereford is also home to the headquarters of the
Deaf Smith Electric Cooperative, which serves Deaf Smith,
Castro,
Parmer, and
Oldham
Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...
Counties.
History
Hereford was founded as "Blue Water" in 1899 after the
Pecos and Northern Texas Railway connected Amarillo to
Farwell. After a town already named Blue Water was discovered, residents renamed the town "Hereford" in honor of the cattle of the local ranchers and the city,
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 ...
, in the United Kingdom.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, a
prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war.
There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...
existed there for Italian prisoners of war. It was dismantled in 1947.
In 1975, popular high school teacher Wayne Woodward was fired for his efforts to establish a local branch of the
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million.
T ...
. Mr. Woodward won a subsequent legal suit, that gained national attention, against the
Hereford Independent School District. The events were documented in the 2022 book ''You Will Never Be One of Us'' by Timothy P. Bowman.
A rich Western heritage includes the Las Escarbadas ranch house of the
XIT Ranch, once located southwest of Hereford. The restored historic structure can now be seen at the
National Ranching Heritage Center at
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...
in
Lubbock. The
Deaf Smith County Historical Museum at 400 Sampson Street in Hereford offers indoor and outdoor exhibits on the settlement of West Texas.
Hereford was once known as the "Windmill City" due to its many windmills supplying fresh water from the Ogallala Aquifer.
Geography
Hereford is located in southeastern Deaf Smith County and on the
Llano Estacado
The Llano Estacado (), sometimes translated into English as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. One of the largest mesas or tablelands on the North A ...
. 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.
U.S. Highway 60 passes through the city as 1st Street, leading northeast to Amarillo and southwest to
Clovis, New Mexico
Clovis is a city in and the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico. The population was 38,567 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Clovis is located in the New Mexico portion of the Llano Estacado, in the eastern part of the state.
A ...
.
U.S. Highway 385 (25 Mile Avenue) runs north–south through the city, leading north to
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west transcontinental Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States, southeastern and Southwestern United States, southwestern portions of the United States. At a leng ...
at
Vega
Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, and ...
and south to
Dimmitt.
Climate
Hereford's climate is classified as a
steppe 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 semi ...
(''BSk'') using the 2006 map of
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 ...
, meaning it is
semiarid. Hereford was named as the "coolest" city in Texas with an average summer temperature of .
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 14,972 people, 4,776 households, and 3,593 families residing in the city.
2010 census
As of the
2010 United States Census, 15,370 people resided in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 71.7% Hispanic or Latino, 26.3% White, 0.9% Black, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% from some other race, and 0.5% from two or more races.
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, 14,597 people, 4,839 households, and 3,730 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 5,323 housing units averaged 948.4 per square mile (366.3/km). The
racial makeup of the city was 69.86% White, 1.76% African American, 0.82% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 24.77% from other races, and 2.41% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 61.37% of the population.
Of the 4,839 households, 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were not families. About 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.44.
In the city, the population was distributed as 34.0% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,599, and for a family was $33,387. Males had a median income of $26,488 versus $18,920 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 $12,787. About 19.4% of families and 20.2% 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 25.9% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.
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 Hereford not only the "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 ...
" city in Texas, but also in the United States, in terms of political contributions.
Education
The first public school was opened in 1900. Today, Hereford's seven public schools serve around 4,000 students and are directed by the
Hereford Independent School District.
Hereford ISD
retrieved 2009-12-30
Notable people
* Parker Bridwell, pitcher for MLB's New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
, was born in Hereford.
* Ron Ely
Ronald Pierce Ely (June 21, 1938 – September 29, 2024) was an American actor and novelist, best known for portraying Tarzan in the 1966–1968 NBC series ''Tarzan (1966 TV series), Tarzan'' and playing the lead role in the film ''Doc Savage: ...
, actor, best remembered for his role as Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer.
Creat ...
on an NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
television series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
in the 1960s, was born in Hereford in 1938
* Lon L. Fuller (1902–1978), American legal philosopher known for his advocacy of a secular form of natural law theory, was born in Hereford
* Rip Hawk, professional wrestler, lived in Hereford, after retiring from wrestling.
* Edgar Mitchell
Edgar Dean "Ed" Mitchell (September 17, 1930 – February 4, 2016) was a United States Navy officer and United States Naval Aviator, aviator, test pilot, Aerospace engineering, aeronautical engineer, Ufology, ufologist, and NASA astronaut. ...
(1930–2016), who on Apollo 14
Apollo 14 (January 31February 9, 1971) was the eighth crewed mission in the United States Apollo program, the third to Moon landing, land on the Moon, and the first to land in the Geology of the Moon#Highlands, lunar highlands. It was the las ...
in 1971 became the sixth astronaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...
to walk on the Moon, was born in Hereford.
* Skeeter Skelton, lawman and firearms writer
Gallery
Image:Downtown Hereford, TX IMG 4850.JPG, Downtown Hereford, with the grain elevator
A grain elevator or grain terminal is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lowe ...
to the rear
Image:Hereford, TX, City Hall IMG 4852.JPG, Hereford City Hall
Image:First Bank Southwest, Hereford, 'TX IMG 4848.JPG, First Bank Southwest in Hereford
Image:St. Anthony's Catholic Church, Hereford, TX IMG 4895.JPG, St. Anthony's Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
Church in Hereford is located off U.S. Highway 385.
Image:Hereford Swimming Pool, Hereford, TX IMG 4896.JPG, Swimming in Hereford
Image:Hereford depot IMG 4844.JPG, Hereford train depot
Image:"Hereford Brand" newspaper office, Hereford, TX IMG 4894.JPG, ''Hereford Brand'' newspaper office
Image:Mills' Ranch Store, Hereford, TX IMG 4849.JPG, The former Mills Ranch Western Store, once a fixture of downtown Hereford
References
External links
City of Hereford official website
Historic photographs of Hereford from the Deaf Smith County Library hosted by the Portal to Texas History
{{authority control
Cities in Texas
County seats in Texas
Micropolitan areas of Texas
Cities in Deaf Smith County, Texas