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 ...
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 ...
, United States. It is located in the northeastern portion of the county, and the population was 511 as of the 2020 census.
History
Jayton's history begins in the 1880s. Originally known as "Jay Flat", it was established northeast of its present location and named after a local ranching family. A post office was granted in 1886, and Daniel Jay served as the community's first postmaster. In 1907, the townsite was moved to its present location for improved proximity to
rail service
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...
, and it was officially renamed "Jayton" later that same year. The community's first newspaper, the Jayton ''Herald'', was established the following year, and the city incorporated in February 1910. By 1925, Jayton was home to 750 residents.
From the community's inception, the local economy had originally been supported mainly by the
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
industry, but 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 ...
of the 1930s had a dire effect on production. The community's economy was stabilized by the discovery of
oil
An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...
later that same decade, and while its population never exceeded 750, Jayton remained stable throughout 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 ...
. In 1954, following a lengthy and heated court battle, the city wrested the title of
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 ...
from the declining nearby community of Clairemont, and in 1957, a courthouse was constructed. Jayton's population remained around 600 from the 1950s through the
1980 census
The 1980 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 226,545,805, an increase of 11.4% over the 203,184,772 persons enumerated during the 1970 census. It was the first ce ...
before declining to 513 in 1990 and 441 in 2000, but a resurgence in the local oil industry led to a rebound, and the 2010 census counted 534 residents.
Geography
Jayton is located in eastern Kent County.
U.S. Route 380
U.S. Route 380 (US 380) is an east–west United States highway. The highway's eastern terminus is in Greenville, Texas at an intersection with Interstate 30, of which the easternmost 3–4 miles are concurrent with US 69 in a loop around ...
touches the southern border of the city; the highway leads southeast to Aspermont and southwest to Clairemont.
Texas State Highway 70
State Highway 70 (SH 70) is a state highway in Texas. The route runs approximately from US 277 near Blackwell to US 83 south of Perryton.
Route description
SH 70 begins in far northeastern Coke County at a junction with US ...
is Jayton's Main Street and leads northwest to
Spur
A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...
. The closest large cities are
Lubbock
Lubbock ( )
is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...
, to the northwest, and Abilene, to the southeast.
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 ...
, Jayton has a total area of , all land.
Kent County Airport is south of the city. The airport has one asphalt runway in length. The nearest airport with commercial service is approximately 100 miles away, in Lubbock.
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 ...
system, Jayton 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.
Demographics
2020 census
''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 511 people, 207 households, and 108 families residing 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, 513 people, 209 households, and 144 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 277 housing units averaged 162.9/sq mi (62.9/km). The racial makeup of the city was 96.69% White, 0.19% African American, 0.39% Native American, 2.53% from other races, and 0.19% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 10.92% of the population.
Of the 209 households, 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were not families. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the city, the population was distributed as 19.7% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 20.7% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 26.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,396, and for a family was $39,375. Males had a median income of $25,000 versus $21,875 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 $17,314. About 9.6% of families and 8.8% 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 5.5% of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.
Texas Legislature
The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a p ...
designated the county as being in the
Western Texas College District
Western Texas College (WTC) is a Public college, public community college in Snyder, Texas. It was established in 1969 and has two downtown Snyder locations in addition to the main campus. With an enrollment around 2,300, Western Texas College ...
.
Notable people
* Jim W. Corder (1929–1998), a scholar of rhetoric.
*