Archer County, Texas

Archer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 8,560.[1][2] Its county seat is Archer City.[3] It is part of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area.

Archer County
County
The Archer County Courthouse in Archer City: The Romanesque style structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
The Archer County Courthouse in Archer City: The Romanesque style structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Map of Texas highlighting Archer County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°37′N 98°41′W
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1880
Named forBranch Tanner Archer
SeatArcher City
Largest cityArcher City
Area
 • Total925 sq mi (2,400 km2)
 • Land903 sq mi (2,340 km2)
 • Water22 sq mi (60 km2)  2.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total8,560
 • Density9.3/sq mi (3.6/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district13th
Websitewww.co.archer.tx.us
This Edaphosaurus boanerges fossil skeleton from Archer County is on display in Harvard Museum of Natural History.
Edaphosaurus boanerges life restoration

History

In 1858, the Texas Legislature established Archer County from portions of Fannin County, and it organized in 1880.[4] It is named for Branch Tanner Archer, a commissioner for the Republic of Texas.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 925 sq mi (2,400 km2), of which 903 sq mi (2,340 km2) are land and 22 sq mi (57 km2) (2.4%) are covered by water.[5]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Geology
See also: Geology of Wichita Falls, Texas

Archer County is part of the Texas Red Beds, which are strata of red-colored sedimentary rock from the Early Permian. One of the most prominent red-bed fossil sites in the county is the Geraldine Bonebed.[6] The fossils of Permian-period vertebrates in the Texas Red Beds were first discovered by Edward Drinker Cope in 1877.[7][8] Subsequent research has revealed rare fossils of Permian period amphibians such as Trimerorhachis,[9] and rich deposits of other Permian tetrapods such as Dimetrodon and Diadectes.[10]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880596—
18902,101252.5%
19002,50819.4%
19106,525160.2%
19205,254−19.5%
19309,68484.3%
19407,599−21.5%
19506,816−10.3%
19606,110−10.4%
19705,759−5.7%
19807,26626.2%
19907,9739.7%
20008,85411.0%
20109,0542.3%
20208,560−5.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1850–2010[12] 2010[13] 2020[14]
Archer County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
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 may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[13] Pop 2020[14] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 8,182 7,356 90.37% 85.93%
Black or African American alone (NH) 34 30 0.38% 0.35%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 47 71 0.52% 0.83%
Asian alone (NH) 18 18 0.20% 0.21%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 3 0 0.03% 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 4 21 0.04% 0.25%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 91 322 1.01% 3.76%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 675 742 7.46% 8.67%
Total 9,054 8,560 100.00% 100.00%

As of the census[15] of 2000, 8,854 people, 3,345 households, and 2,515 families resided in the county. The population density was 10 people/sq mi (3.9 people/km2). The 3,871 housing units averaged 4 per square mile (1.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.54% White, 0.08% African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.28% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. About 4.87% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 3,345 households, 37.20% had children under 18 living with them, 65.00% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% were not families. Of all unmarried partner households, 89.8% were heterosexual, 1.9% were same-sex male, and 8.3% were same-sex female. About 21.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.20% had someone who was 65 or older living alone. The average household size was 2.63, and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the age distribution was 28.20% under 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,514, and for a family was $45,984. Males had a median income of $31,386 versus $22,119 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,300. About 6.80% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.90% of those under age 18 and 10.80% of those age 65 or over.

Education

These school districts serve Archer County:[16]

Megargel Independent School District once served portions of Archer County,[17] but it closed in 2006.[18]

The county is in the service area of Vernon College.[19]

Ranching industry

The Seymour Division of the sprawling 320,000-deeded-acre (1400 km2) La Escalera Ranch is located north of Seymour, Texas in Baylor County with portions in Archer County. The Seymour Division consists of 34,000 acres (14,000 hectares), which formerly was known as the Cross Bar Ranch when it was owned by the Claude Cowan Sr. Trust. The ranch was purchased in January, 2005 by the Gerald Lyda family and La Escalera Limited Partnership, and is managed by partner Jo Lyda Granberg and her husband K. G. Granberg of Seymour. La Escalera Ranch also extends over much of Pecos County and portions of Reeves and Brewster Counties. It is known for its herd of Black Angus cattle and its abundant wildlife.

Joseph Sterling Bridwell, a Wichita Falls philanthropist and oilman, also owned a ranch in Archer County.[20]

Dairy industry

Archer County is one of the more prominent areas of dairy product production in Texas. The two southeastern Archer County cities of Scotland and Windthorst have 37 functioning dairy farms nearby as of 2019. The dairy industry moved to the area in the early 1900s and has persisted through the years. Though this area has many operating dairies, the number of dairy cattle makes up a fractions of the numbers that are raised in the other dairy pockets of Texas such as Dalhart/Dumas and the Stephenville area. Every dairy farm in the Scotland/Windthorst area is family owned, and this is from where most of the economy of the two cities derives.

Politics

Archer County is represented in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican James Frank, a businessman from Wichita Falls. Archer County is heavily Republican, and has voted for the presidential candidate of that party in every election since 1980.

United States presidential election results for Archer County, Texas[21]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 4,300 89.66% 446 9.30% 50 1.04%
2016 3,786 88.40% 394 9.20% 103 2.40%
2012 3,600 86.46% 525 12.61% 39 0.94%
2008 3,595 82.36% 740 16.95% 30 0.69%
2004 3,556 79.89% 878 19.73% 17 0.38%
2000 2,951 73.83% 993 24.84% 53 1.33%
1996 1,974 54.01% 1,235 33.79% 446 12.20%
1992 1,560 39.32% 1,284 32.37% 1,123 28.31%
1988 2,010 55.13% 1,627 44.62% 9 0.25%
1984 2,487 69.33% 1,089 30.36% 11 0.31%
1980 1,804 54.85% 1,444 43.90% 41 1.25%
1976 966 37.72% 1,577 61.58% 18 0.70%
1972 1,494 69.42% 632 29.37% 26 1.21%
1968 636 26.98% 1,308 55.49% 413 17.52%
1964 441 19.98% 1,766 80.02% 0 0.00%
1960 680 33.61% 1,341 66.29% 2 0.10%
1956 825 43.44% 1,067 56.19% 7 0.37%
1952 937 42.36% 1,272 57.50% 3 0.14%
1948 191 10.30% 1,599 86.20% 65 3.50%
1944 194 9.25% 1,674 79.83% 229 10.92%
1940 276 12.65% 1,904 87.30% 1 0.05%
1936 146 8.01% 1,672 91.77% 4 0.22%
1932 97 5.86% 1,555 94.01% 2 0.12%
1928 799 48.02% 865 51.98% 0 0.00%
1924 146 13.07% 883 79.05% 88 7.88%
1920 169 26.20% 449 69.61% 27 4.19%
1916 104 15.50% 527 78.54% 40 5.96%
1912 25 4.73% 457 86.39% 47 8.88%

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

See also

References
  1. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Archer County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  2. "Archer County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  6. The Book Of Life: An Illustrated History of the Evolution of Life on Earth. W.W. Norton: 2001, pg. 94. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  7. Cope, E. D. Descriptions of extinct vertebrata from the Permian and Triassic formations of the United States. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 1877. Volume 17:182–195. JSTOR. Accessed on August 28, 2017.
  8. Case, E.C.The Red Beds between Wichita Falls, Texas, and Las Vegas, New Mexico, in Relation to Their Vertebrate Fauna. The Journal of Geology, vol. 22, no. 3, 1914, pp. 243–259. JSTOR. Accessed on August 28, 2017.
  9. Henry, Randy. NRCS and Landowner Team Up With Houston Museum after Rare Species Discovery. Natural Resources Conservation Service. Accessed on August 28, 2017.
  10. Caulfield, Dave. Prehistoric Predators: Fossil Findings in Seymour 'Redefining'. Newschannel 6: October 25, 2015. Accessed on August 28, 2017.
  11. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  12. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  13. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Archer County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  14. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Archer County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  15. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  16. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Archer County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022. - Text list
  17. Texas Education Agency: See map of Archer County. Retrieved on April 9, 2020.
  18. "Mergargel School Closes Its Doors". KAUZ-TV. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  19. Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.207. VERNON REGIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
  20. "Jack O. Loftin, "Joseph Sterling Bridwell"". Texas State Historical Association online. June 12, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  21. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
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