Donley County, Texas

Donley County, Texas
Renovated Donley County Courthouse in Clarendon.
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1882
Seat	Clarendon
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	933 sq mi (2,416 km²) 930 sq mi (2,409 km²) 3 sq mi (8 km²), 0.35%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	3,677 5/sq mi (2/km²)

Donley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,677. It is named for Stockton P. Donley, a frontier lawyer. Its county seat is Clarendon.

The legendary cattle baron Charles Goodnight spent his later years in Donley County. It was also the home of historian Harley True Burton, author of A History of the JA Ranch, which Goodnight formerly co-owned. Burton was president of Clarendon College and the mayor of Clarendon from 1955-1963. The JA Ranch is located in the counties of Donley, Hall, Briscoe, and Armstrong.

Donley County is also the home of Republican U.S. Representative Mac Thornberry.

Aviation historian Randy Acord (1919-2008) was originally from Donley County.

The Harold Dow Bugbee Ranch, formerly owned by the Western artist and his second wife, Olive Vandruff Bugbee, also an artist, is located in Donley County.

On U.S. Highway 287, which runs through the county, there is a modern rest area with free wi-fi. [1]

See also: Saints' Roost Museum in Clarendon.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 933 square miles (2,416.5 km²), of which 930 square miles (2,408.7 km²) is land and 3 square miles (7.8 km²) (0.35%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 287
• State Highway 70
• State Highway 273

Adjacent counties

• Gray County (north)
• Collingsworth County (east)
• Hall County (south)
• Briscoe County (southwest)
• Armstrong County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	160		—
1890	1,056		560.0%
1900	2,756		161.0%
1910	5,284		91.7%
1920	8,035		52.1%
1930	10,262		27.7%
1940	7,487		−27.0%
1950	6,216		−17.0%
1960	4,449		−28.4%
1970	3,641		−18.2%
1980	4,075		11.9%
1990	3,696		−9.3%
2000	3,828		3.6%
2010	3,677		−3.9%
U.S. Decennial Census Texas Almanac: 1850-2010

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,828 people, 1,578 households, and 1,057 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 2,378 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.41% White, 3.94% Black or African American, 0.89% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 2.72% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 6.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,578 households out of which 24.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.00% were non-families. 31.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.40% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 20.60% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 21.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,006, and the median income for a family was $37,287. Males had a median income of $24,375 versus $18,882 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,958. About 10.50% of families and 15.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.90% of those under age 18 and 15.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Veterans Memorial at Donley County Courthouse

Cities

• Clarendon
• Hedley
• Howardwick

Unincorporated community

• Lelia Lake

See also

• List of museums in the Texas Panhandle
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Donley County, Texas

External links

• Donley County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas

• Donley County