Foard County, Texas

Foard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,095.[1] Its county seat is Crowell,[2] which is also the county's only incorporated community. The county is named for Robert Levi Foard, an attorney who served as a major with the Confederate Army,[3][4] in the American Civil War.

Foard County
County
The Foard County Courthouse in Crowell, Texas
The Foard County Courthouse in Crowell, Texas
Map of Texas highlighting Foard 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°59′N 99°47′W
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1891
Named forRobert Levi Foard
SeatCrowell
Largest cityCrowell
Area
 • Total708 sq mi (1,830 km2)
 • Land704 sq mi (1,820 km2)
 • Water3.3 sq mi (9 km2)  0.5%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,095
 • Density1.5/sq mi (0.60/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district13th

Foard County was one of 46 prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in the state of Texas until voters approved a referendum to permit the legal sale of alcoholic beverages in May 2006.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 708 square miles (1,830 km2), of which 704 sq mi (1,820 km2) are land and 3.3 sq mi (8.5 km2) (0.5%) are covered by water.[5]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19001,568—
19105,726265.2%
19204,747−17.1%
19306,31533.0%
19405,237−17.1%
19504,216−19.5%
19603,125−25.9%
19702,211−29.2%
19802,158−2.4%
19901,794−16.9%
20001,622−9.6%
20101,336−17.6%
20201,095−18.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1850–2010[7] 2010[8] 2020[9]
Foard County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[8] Pop 2020[9] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 1,087 845 81.36% 77.17%
Black or African American alone (NH) 53 19 3.97% 1.74%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 1 0 0.07% 0.00%
Asian alone (NH) 4 3 0.30% 0.27%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 1 0.00% 0.09%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 0 2 0.00% 0.18%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 4 28 0.30% 2.56%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 187 197 14.00% 17.99%
Total 1,336 1,095 100.00% 100.00%

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 can be of any race.

As of the census[10] of 2000, 1,622 people, 664 households, and 438 families resided in the county. The population density was two people per square mile (0.77 people/km2). The 850 housing units averaged one units per square mile (0.39 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.16% White, 3.27% Black or African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 10.23% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. About 16.34% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 664 households, 29.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.10% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were not families; 31.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38, and the average family size was 3.02. As of the 2010 census, about seven same-sex couples per 1,000 households were in the county.[11]

In the county, the population was distributed as 25.80% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 22.30% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 23.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,813, and for a family was $34,211. Males had a median income of $21,852 versus $16,450 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,799. About 9.90% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.50% of those under age 18 and 16.20% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Foard County is represented in the Texas House of Representatives by the Republican James Frank, a businessman from Wichita Falls. Foard County was once a stronghold for the Democratic Party at both the state and federal levels, both by Solid South standards and as the rest of North Texas and the rural parts of the state trended towards the Republican Party. The county last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate when it gave its votes to Bill Clinton in 1996. Since 1996, the vote share of Republican presidential candidates has steadily increased in every election, jumping to a record high of nearly 81% for Donald Trump in 2020. Despite this, it remains somewhat more liberal than the rest of West Texas, albeit very conservative by nationwide standards.

United States presidential election results for Foard County, Texas[12]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 445 80.76% 99 17.97% 7 1.27%
2016 383 74.66% 113 22.03% 17 3.31%
2012 348 70.30% 140 28.28% 7 1.41%
2008 327 60.78% 198 36.80% 13 2.42%
2004 347 59.11% 235 40.03% 5 0.85%
2000 286 51.44% 263 47.30% 7 1.26%
1996 166 28.97% 355 61.95% 52 9.08%
1992 207 26.01% 435 54.65% 154 19.35%
1988 306 37.32% 513 62.56% 1 0.12%
1984 472 51.03% 448 48.43% 5 0.54%
1980 349 35.69% 617 63.09% 12 1.23%
1976 240 25.26% 706 74.32% 4 0.42%
1972 369 53.87% 312 45.55% 4 0.58%
1968 216 22.09% 594 60.74% 168 17.18%
1964 146 14.90% 833 85.00% 1 0.10%
1960 270 27.14% 723 72.66% 2 0.20%
1956 243 26.07% 687 73.71% 2 0.21%
1952 418 33.28% 830 66.08% 8 0.64%
1948 90 10.27% 751 85.73% 35 4.00%
1944 84 7.78% 925 85.65% 71 6.57%
1940 142 12.47% 997 87.53% 0 0.00%
1936 74 7.36% 928 92.34% 3 0.30%
1932 53 5.59% 882 93.04% 13 1.37%
1928 430 47.51% 466 51.49% 9 0.99%
1924 95 13.29% 585 81.82% 35 4.90%
1920 101 16.06% 491 78.06% 37 5.88%
1916 41 6.79% 475 78.64% 88 14.57%
1912 18 3.66% 429 87.20% 45 9.15%

At the statewide level, most notably in recent gubernatorial races, the county was one of the few rural ones that continued to give its votes to Democratic candidates in this area, even as it trended Republican on the national level. For instance, in the landslide re-election of then-governor George W. Bush in 1998, it was one of only 14 counties that gave its votes to Bush's Democratic challenger Garry Mauro, albeit by one vote, as Mauro won 206 votes (49.6%) to Bush's 205 votes (49.4%). The county continued this trend through all of Rick Perry's three gubernatorial landslide elections in 2002, 2006, and 2010, the most recent one when it gave its votes to Bill White. This streak ended in 2014, when the county gave its votes to then-Attorney General Greg Abbott, who won 66% of the popular vote over Wendy Davis's 33%.

Foard County vote
by party in gubernatorial elections[12]
Year GOP DEM
2022 85.44% 452 13.04% 69
2018 75.9% 331 23.2% 101
2014 66.1% 205 32.9% 102
2010 47.0% 148 48.6% 153
2006 22.9% 87 43.7% 166
2002 37.4% 136 62.4% 227
1998 49.4% 205 49.6% 206
1994 34.9% 187 64.7% 347
1990 28.3% 182 70.6% 454

Attractions
  • Copper Breaks State Park[13] is located near the Pease River about 8 miles north of Crowell off State Highway 6. The park is located in neighboring Hardeman County.
  • Comanche Springs Astronomy Campus is located 10 miles west of Crowell off U.S. Highway 70. It is operated by the 3 Rivers Foundation for the Arts & Sciences, which is based in Crowell.

Communities

Education

School districts serving sections of the county include:[14]

The county is in the service area of Vernon College.[15]

See also

References
  1. "Foard County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. "TSHA | Foard, Robert Levi".
  4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 128.
  5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  6. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  7. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  8. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Foard County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  9. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Foard County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  11. Leonhardt, David; Quealy, Kevin (June 26, 2015), "Where Same-Sex Couples Live", The New York Times, retrieved July 6, 2015
  12. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  13. "Texas State Parks: Official Guide — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department".
  14. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Foard County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022. - Text list
  15. Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.207. VERNON REGIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.

33.98°N 99.78°W / 33.98; -99.78

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