Silverton 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 Briscoe County,

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. The population was 629 at the 2020 census.

History

Silverton was established when Thomas J. Braidfoot and associates formed a townsite company, with the name reportedly derived from the silvery reflections of nearby lakes. The town quickly developed with a post office, stores, a blacksmith shop, and a school by the fall of 1891. In 1892, Silverton won a special election, becoming the county seat over two rival townsites. The construction of a two-story courthouse and a stone jail followed. The town saw the opening of the first bank in 1909 and the construction of a new brick schoolhouse in 1911. Silverton became the northern terminus of the Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway in 1928, leading to its incorporation. A F4 tornado in 1957 killed twenty-one people and injured 80 others.

Geography

Silverton is located in west-central Briscoe County at (34.471256, –101.304749).

Texas State Highway 86 State Highway 86 (SH 86) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas that runs from Texico to Estelline. This route was designated on August 21, 1923 as the renumbered SH 5A. On September 17, 1923, the section from Estelline to Turkey ...

passes through the city, leading southeast to Quitaque and west to Tulia near

Interstate 27 Interstate 27 (I-27) is an Interstate Highway, entirely in the US state of Texas, running north from Lubbock, Texas, Lubbock to Interstate 40 in Texas, I-40 in Amarillo, Texas, Amarillo. These two cities are the only control cities on I-27 ...

. Texas State Highway 207 leads south from Silverton to Floydada and north to

Claude Claude may refer to: People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Callegari (1962–2021), English Arsenal supporter * Claude Debussy (1862–1918), ...

. 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 ...

, Silverton has a total area of , all land. It is the

of Briscoe County.

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, Silverton has a

semi-arid 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 ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 629 people, 277 households, and 165 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, there were 771 people, 303 households, and 217 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 362 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 79.51%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.52%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.78% Native American, 15.69% from other races, and 3.50% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 28.15% of the population. There were 303 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.09. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,014, and the median income for a family was $32,308. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $16,750 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 $13,416. About 12.1% of families and 17.6% 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 29.4% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The community of Silverton is served by the Silverton Independent School District and home to the Silverton High School Owls. Briscoe County is in the service area of Clarendon College.Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.173. CLARENDON COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
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References

External links

Silverton school district
{{authority control Cities in Briscoe County, Texas Cities in Texas County seats in Texas