Archer County, Texas

Archer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 9,054.[1] Its county seat is Archer City.[2] The county was formed in 1858 and later organized in 1880.[3] It is named for Branch Tanner Archer, a commissioner for the Republic of Texas.

Archer County
U.S. county
The Archer County Courthouse in Archer City. The Romanesque style structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Location within the U.S. state of 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
 (2010)
 • Total9,054
 • Density10/sq mi (4/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district13th
Websitewww.co.archer.tx.us
Edaphosaurus boanerges fossil skeleton from Archer County, on display in Harvard Museum of Natural History .
Edaphosaurus boanerges life restoration

Archer County is part of the Wichita Falls, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Archer County is represented in the Texas House of Representatives by the Republican James Frank, a businessman from Wichita Falls.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 925 square miles (2,400 km2), of which 903 square miles (2,340 km2) are land and 22 square miles (57 km2) (2.4%) are covered by water.[4]

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. The fossils of Permian period vertebrates in the Texas Red Beds were first discovered by Edward Drinker Cope in 1877.[5][6] Subsequent research has revealed rare fossils of Permian period amphibians such as Trimerorhachis,[7] and rich deposits of other Permian tetrapods such as Dimetrodon and Diadectes.[8] One of the most prominent fossil sites in the red beds is the Geraldine Bonebed, which is located in Archer County.[9]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
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%
2019 (est.)8,553[10]−5.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1850–2010[12] 2010–2014[1]

As of the census[13] of 2000, 8,854 people, 3,345 households, and 2,515 families resided in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile (4/km2). The 3,871 housing units averaged 4 per square mile (2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.54% White, 0.08% Black or 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 the age of 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 living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the population was distributed as 28.20% under the age of 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 years of age 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:

Megargel Independent School District once served portions of Archer County, but it closed after the fall of 2006.

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 and part of Archer County. The Seymour Division consists of 34,000 acres (120 km2) which was formerly 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 extends over much of Pecos County and portions of Reeves, Brewster, Archer, and Baylor Counties. It is known for its herd of Black Angus cattle and its abundant wildlife.

Joseph Sterling Bridwell, the Wichita Falls philanthropist and oilman, also owned a ranch in Archer County.[14]


Dairy Industry

Archer county is one of the more prominent areas of dairy product production in the state of Texas. The two southeastern Archer County cities of Scotland and Windthorst share 37 functioning dairy farms 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 amounts 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 where most of the economy of the two cities derives from.

Politics

Archer County is heavily Republican, it has voted for the presidential candidate of that party in every election since 1980.

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 88.4% 3,786 9.2% 394 2.4% 103
2012 86.5% 3,600 12.6% 525 0.9% 39
2008 82.4% 3,595 17.0% 740 0.7% 30
2004 79.9% 3,556 19.7% 878 0.4% 17
2000 73.8% 2,951 24.8% 993 1.3% 53
1996 54.0% 1,974 33.8% 1,235 12.2% 446
1992 39.3% 1,560 32.4% 1,284 28.3% 1,123
1988 55.1% 2,010 44.6% 1,627 0.3% 9
1984 69.3% 2,487 30.4% 1,089 0.3% 11
1980 54.9% 1,804 43.9% 1,444 1.2% 41
1976 37.7% 966 61.6% 1,577 0.7% 18
1972 69.4% 1,494 29.4% 632 1.2% 26
1968 27.0% 636 55.5% 1,308 17.5% 413
1964 20.0% 441 80.0% 1,766
1960 33.6% 680 66.3% 1,341 0.1% 2
1956 43.4% 825 56.2% 1,067 0.4% 7
1952 42.4% 937 57.5% 1,272 0.1% 3
1948 10.3% 191 86.2% 1,599 3.5% 65
1944 9.3% 194 79.8% 1,674 10.9% 229
1940 12.7% 276 87.3% 1,904 0.1% 1
1936 8.0% 146 91.8% 1,672 0.2% 4
1932 5.9% 97 94.0% 1,555 0.1% 2
1928 48.0% 799 52.0% 865
1924 13.1% 146 79.1% 883 7.9% 88
1920 26.2% 169 69.6% 449 4.2% 27
1916 15.5% 104 78.5% 527 6.0% 40
1912 4.7% 25 86.4% 457 8.9% 47

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Henry, Randy. NRCS and Landowner Team Up With Houston Museum after Rare Species Discovery. Natural Resources Conservation Service. Accessed on August 28, 2017.
  8. Caulfield, Dave. Prehistoric Predators: Fossil Findings in Seymour 'Redefining'. Newschannel 6: October 25, 2015. Accessed on August 28, 2017.
  9. The Book Of Life: An Illustrated History of the Evolution of Life on Earth. W.W. Norton: 2001, pg. 94. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  10. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  11. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  12. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  14. "Jack O. Loftin, "Joseph Sterling Bridwell"". Texas State Historical Association online. 2010-06-12. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-07-19.

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