Bailey County, Texas

Bailey County, Texas
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	November 5, 1918
Named for	Peter James Bailey
Seat	Muleshoe
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	827 sq mi (2,143 km²) 826 sq mi (2,141 km²) 1 sq mi (2 km²), 0.08%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	7,165 3/sq mi (1/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.bailey.tx.us

Bailey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population is 7,165. Its county seat is Muleshoe. Bailey is named for Peter James Bailey, a defender of the Alamo. (See List of Texas county name etymologies.)

Bailey County is one of 30 prohibition or entirely dry counties in the state of Texas.

The Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge, located in the county, was founded in 1935 and is the oldest such refuge in Texas.

Bailey County history is highlighted in the Muleshoe Heritage Center located off U.S. Highways 70 and 64 in Muleshoe.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 827 square miles (2,141.9 km²), of which 827 square miles (2,141.9 km²) is land and 1 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.08%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 70
• U.S. Highway 84
• State Highway 214

Adjacent counties

• Parmer County (north)
• Lamb County (east)
• Cochran County (south)
• Roosevelt County, New Mexico (west)
• Curry County, New Mexico (northwest)

National protected areas

• Grulla National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	4		—
1910	312		7,700.0%
1920	517		65.7%
1930	5,186		903.1%
1940	6,318		21.8%
1950	7,592		20.2%
1960	9,090		19.7%
1970	8,487		−6.6%
1980	8,168		−3.8%
1990	7,064		−13.5%
2000	6,594		−6.7%
2010	7,165		8.7%
U.S. Decennial Census Texas Almanac: 1850-2010

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,594 people, 2,348 households, and 1,777 families residing in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 2,738 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 66.68% White, 1.27% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 28.60% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. 47.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,348 households out of which 37.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.90% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.30% were non-families. 22.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the county, the population was spread out with 30.30% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 24.70% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,901, and the median income for a family was $32,898. Males had a median income of $25,150 versus $18,309 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,979. About 13.50% of families and 16.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

• Bula
• Enochs
• Maple
• Muleshoe
• Needmore
• Virginia City

Education

Most of Bailey County is served by the Muleshoe Independent School District, which extends into neighboring counties.

Farwell Independent School District and Sudan Independent School District, which are based in nearby counties, extend into Bailey County and serve small portions of it.

See also

• Dry counties

External links

• Bailey County government's website
• Handbook of Texas Online article