Potter County, Texas

Potter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 118,525. Its county seat is Amarillo. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1887. It is named for Robert Potter, a politician and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and the Texas Secretary of the Navy. Potter County is included in the Amarillo metropolitan area.

History

LX Ranch

The LX Ranch was established in the county by W.H. "Deacon" Bates and David T. Beals by 1877. In July 1876, Bates, along with some cowboys, who included Charlie Siringo, established a herd of steers and ranch headquarters along Ranch Creek on the north bank of the Canadian River. The headquarters eventually included a bunkhouse, kitchen, storeroom, stables, corrals, blacksmith shop, wagon sheds, and a post office named Wheeler. The LX also established the county's first cemetery. The ranch eventually extended from Dumas to the Palo Duro Canyon and 35 miles east to west. By 1884, the ranch encompassed 187,000 acres, 45,000 cattle, and 1000 horses, when the operation was sold to the American Pastoral Company. In 1902, the ranch headquarters were moved to Bonita Creek, on the south bank of the Canadian River. On October 6, 1910, that company sold 30,354 acres south of the river to Lee Bivins, and on June 1, 1911, R.B. "Ben" Masterson acquired 89,139 acres on the north side. On May 19, 1915, Bivins bought an additional 53,329 LX acres, which included the LX brand.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (1.5%) are covered by water.

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

* Moore County (north)
* Hutchinson County (northeast)
* Carson County (east)
* Armstrong County (southeast)
* Randall County (south)
* Deaf Smith County (southwest)
* Oldham County (west)
* Hartley County (northwest)

National protected areas

* Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument
* Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (part)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, 113,546 people, 40,760 households, and 27,472 families were residing in the county. The population density was . The 44,598 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 68.60% White, 9.96% African American, 0.87% Native American, 2.49% Asian, 15.48% from other races, and 2.60% from two or more races. About 28.11% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Of the 40,760 households, 34.7% had children under 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were not families. About 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.61, and the average family size was 3.21.

In the county, the age distribution was 28.0% under 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.90 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 100.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,492, and for a family was $35,321. Males had a median income of $26,123 versus $20,275 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,947. About 15.2% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.3% of those under 18 and 12.3% of those 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice Clements Unit and Neal Unit are located in unincorporated Potter County, east of the City of Amarillo.Clements (BC)
" Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on June 23, 2013. "Unit Address and Phone Number: 9601 Spur 591, Amarillo, TX 79107-9606"

Politics

Potter County is strongly conservative for an urban county. It has supported Republican presidential candidates in every election since 1968 and all but once since 1952, usually by lopsided margins. Indeed, Jimmy Carter is the last Democrat to reach 40 percent of the vote, and one of only three to do so since Harry Truman. In every election since 1996, the county has given the Republican candidate over two-thirds of its vote.

However, as the county's population has increased, so too has the percentage of Democratic voters. According to the 2020 Election, it is the most Democratic-leaning county in the Texas Panhandle. In 2004, George W. Bush received 21,401 votes (74% of the total) in the county to just 7,489 votes (25%) for his opponent, John Kerry. In 2020, Donald J. Trump received 22,820 votes (69%) in the county as opposed to Joseph R. Biden, who received 9,921 votes (30% of the total). Yet in 2024 Donald Trump received the highest percentage of the vote (over 71%) in the county since Texas favorite George W. Bush in 2004.

Communities

Cities

* Amarillo (county seat) (partly in Randall County)

Towns

* Bishop Hills

Census-designated places

* Bushland (shared with Randall County)

Unincorporated communities

* Ady
* Cliffside
* Gentry
* St. Francis

Historical communities

* Folsom
* Pleasant Valley
* Pullman
* Soncy

Education

School districts include:
* Amarillo Independent School District
* Bushland Independent School District
* Highland Park Independent School District
* River Road Independent School District

All of the county is in the service area of Amarillo College.Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.164. AMARILLO COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.

See also

* List of museums in the Texas Panhandle
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Potter County, Texas
* Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Potter County

References

External links

Potter County government's website
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Historic Potter County materials
hosted by th
Portal to Texas History.

Potter County, TX Genealogy

Potter County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties

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1887 establishments in Texas
Populated places established in 1887
Texas Panhandle
Majority-minority counties in Texas