Custom Search

Texas State...

Texas Landscape

Texas

Texas Counties

Click Image to Enlarge

Texas Counties

Texas is divided into 254 counties, more than any other U.S. state Texas was originally divided into municipalities, a unit of local government under Spanish and Mexican rule. When the Republic of Texas gained its independence in 1836, there were 23 municipalities, which became the original Texas counties. Many of these would later be divided into new counties. The most recent county to be created was Kenedy County in 1921. The most recent county to be organized was Loving County in 1931

Deaf Smith County, Texas

Deaf Smith County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Hereford
Year Organized: 1876
Square Miles: 1,497

Court House:

235 East 3rd, Room 201
County Courthouse
Hereford, TX 79045-5542

Etymology - Origin of County Name

The county was named for Erastus "Deaf" Smith (1787–1837), a partially-deaf scout and soldier who served in the Texas Revolution. (The pronunciation of "Deaf", like that of Smith, is "Deef".) He was the first to reach the Alamo after its fall.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Deaf Smith County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Its county seat is Hereford. In 1876 the state legislature identified and named the county, but it was not organized until 1890, with the town of LaPlata as the original county seat. The county was named for Erastus "Deaf" Smith (1787–1837), a partially-deaf scout and soldier who served in the Texas Revolution. (The pronunciation of "Deaf", like that of Smith, is "Deef".) He was the first to reach the Alamo after its fall.

As the cattle industry in the county developed, the rising population created a need for local government. Accordingly, after an election on December 1, 1890, the county was organized with the new town of La Plata as county seat. Jerry R. Dean was elected the first county judge, and the colorful Jim Cook^qv became the first county sheriff. In 1898 the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway, a subsidiary of the Santa Fe line, built tracks from Amarillo to the Texas-New Mexico border at Farwell. This railroad crossed the southeastern corner of Deaf Smith County and brought easy and economical transportation to the local ranchers. The coming of the railroad also brought forth a new town, Hereford, which quickly outstripped the other local hamlets. As a result Hereford became the county seat after an election on November 8, 1898, and La Plata soon faded into oblivion. By 1900 the county had ninety-seven ranches and farms and a population of 843.

More at Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/DD/hcd4.html (accessed November 5, 2008).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,880 square kilometers (1,498 sq mi). 3,878 km2 (1,497 sq mi) of it is land and 2 km2 (1 sq mi) of it (0.06%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Oldham County (north)
Randall County (east)
Castro County (southeast)
Parmer County (south)
Curry County, New Mexico (southwest)
Quay County, New Mexico (west)

Cities and Towns:

- Hereford (County Seat)

city

Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

Online High Schools

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

Custom Search