Congressional district 19th Website www.co.terry.tx.us Founded 1876 County seat Brownfield Largest city Brownfield | Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5 Area 2,308 km² Population 12,743 (2013) Unemployment rate 4.3% (Apr 2015) | |
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Named for Benjamin Franklin Terry Cities Brownfield, Wellman, Meadow, Need, Terry County, Texas | ||
Terry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 12,651. Its county seat is Brownfield. The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1904. It is named for Benjamin Franklin Terry, a colonel in the Confederate Army. Terry County is one of 46 dry counties in the state of Texas.
Contents
- Map of Terry County TX USA
- History
- Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
- Demographics
- Media
- Cities and towns
- Town
- Unincorporated communities
- References
Map of Terry County, TX, USA
History
In 1877, the ill-fated Nolan Expedition crossed the county in search of livestock stolen by Comanche renegades. The various Indian tribes had moved on by the time of white settlement, due to the depletion of the buffalo herds by hunters.
Terry County was formed from Bexar County in 1876 and named for Col. Benjamin Franklin Terry, who commanded the Terry's Texas Rangers in the Civil War.
Terry County was organized in 1904. Brownfield as became the county seat.
The county was settled by ranchers such as Ira J. Coulver, J. R. Quinn, Englishman Q. Bone and Marion V. Brownfield. By 1910 Terry County had 235 farms and 23,000 acres (93 km2) of improved land, with corn being the most important crop.
Oil was discovered in the county in 1940 Terry County lies in the oil-rich north Permian Basin, and the discovery of oil quickly led to production. By 1991 almost 363,143,000 barrels (57,735,100 m3) of crude had been extracted from Terry County lands since 1940.
In 1991 Terry County was among the leading cotton counties in Texas.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 891 square miles (2,310 km2), of which 889 square miles (2,300 km2) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) (0.2%) is water.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,761 people, 4,278 households, and 3,247 families residing in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 5,087 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.55% White, 5.00% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 14.28% from other races, and 3.40% from two or more races. 44.09% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,278 households out of which 35.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.70% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.10% were non-families. 22.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the county, the population was spread out with 28.40% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 108.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,090, and the median income for a family was $33,339. Males had a median income of $24,321 versus $20,131 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,860. About 19.20% of families and 23.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.50% of those under age 18 and 13.90% of those age 65 or over.
Media
The county is served by a weekly newspaper, nearby stations KBXJ (FM) and KPET (AM), and the various Lubbock radio and TV stations. KKUB (AM) and KTTU-FM are licensed to Brownfield but operate primarily from offices and studios in Lubbock.