Turkey is a city in

Hall County, Texas Hall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population is 2,825. Its county seat is Memphis. The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1890. It is named for Warren D. C. Hall, a secreta ...

, United States. The population was 317 at the 2020 census, down from 421 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Turkey is located in southwestern Hall County.

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 ...

runs through the east side of the city as 9th Street, leading north to Clarendon and south to

Matador A bullfighter or matador () is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activ ...

. Texas State Highway 86 runs through the center of Turkey as Main Street, leading east to Estelline and west to Tulia. 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 ...

, Turkey has a total area of , all land. Several of the state's largest ranches are near the town.

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, Turkey 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.

History

Turkey was

platted In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

(formal surveyed property lots, streets, etc. defined and mapped) in 1907. The Bob Wills Festival, named in honor of

western swing Western swing, country jazz or smooth country is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which att ...

legend

Bob Wills James Robert "Bob" Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although Spade C ...

(who grew up in Turkey) has been held annually since 1972, featuring western swing and country music performances ranging from notable bands at the dance hall to impromptu jam sessions around town. The festival drew 10,000 people in 2022. In November 2011, animal rights organization

PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...

petitioned the town to temporarily change its name to "

Tofurky Tofurky is the brand name of an American vegan turkey replacement (also known as a meat analogue, or, more specifically, tofurkey) made from a blend of wheat protein and organic tofu. Tofurky brand was officially introduced in 1995. Tofurky is ...

Notable buildings

The first

Phillips 66 The Phillips 66 Company is an American Multinational corporation, multinational energy company headquartered in Westchase, Houston, Texas. Its name, dating back to 1927 as a trademark of the Phillips Petroleum Company, assisted in establishing ...

service station built in Texas opened on July 27, 1928, on the corner of 5th Street and Main in Turkey, Texas. In January 2019, this service station was recognized by the

Texas Historical Commission The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the U.S. state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas. The commission also identifies Recorded Texas Histor ...

as a

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...

and a marker dedication ceremony to unveil the state historical marker was planned to take place at the service station in April 2020.January 25, 2019, Texas Historical Commission email correspondence from Lynnette Cen to Historical Marker sponsor Michael Goldsby The Hotel Turkey opened in 1927.Carmack, Liz
''Historic Hotels of Texas''
, Texas A&M University Press: College Station, Texas, 2007. pp 129-131. The building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on October 24, 1991. The hotel traditionally hosts the musicians who come to Turkey for the annual Bob Wills Festival held over several days centered on the last Saturday in April. Turkey_city_limits

The Bob Wills Museum is located in Turkey, in the old elementary school. A monument at the city limits of Turkey honors Wills.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 317 people, 134 households, and 99 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, 494 people, 207 households, and 127 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 274 housing units averaged 332.2 per square mile (129.0/km). The racial makeup of the city was 71.86% European-American, 5.67% black, 0.40% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 21.26% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 31.17% of the population. Of the 207 households, 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were not families; 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.20. In the city, the population was distributed as 28.3% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,833, and for a family was $24,423. Males had a median income of $20,125 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,809. About 28.4% of families and 32.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.5% of those under age 18 and 22.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Joe Barnhill, country music singer-songwriter *

Amarillo Slim Thomas Austin Preston Jr. (December 31, 1928 – April 29, 2012), known as Amarillo Slim, was an American professional gambler known for his poker skills and proposition bets. He won the 1972 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and was indu ...

, professional gambler *

, western swing founder, grew up in Turkey

Education

The city is served by the Turkey-Quitaque Independent School District. Hall 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

Hall County TXGenWeb

Bob Wills Day website
{{authority control Cities in Hall County, Texas Cities in Texas