Kent County, Texas

Kent County, Texas
Kent County Courthouse in Jayton, Texas.
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1876
Named for	Andrew Kent
Seat	Jayton
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	903 sq mi (2,339 km²) 902 sq mi (2,336 km²) 1 sq mi (3 km²), 0.06%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	808 1/sq mi (0/km²)
Website	www.co.kent.tx.us

Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 808. Its county seat is Jayton, and the county is named for Andrew Kent, who died at the Battle of the Alamo. Kent County is one of 30 prohibition or entirely dry counties in the state of Texas.

History Timeline

• 8000 b.c. Paleo-Indians first inhabitants. Later native American inhabitants include the Wanderers band of Comanche.
• 1872 Ranald S. Mackenzie and his soldiers trounce the Comanches at Treasure Butte, southeast of Clairemont.
• 1876 The Texas legislature forms Kent County from Young and Bexar districts. The new county is named after Alamo defender Andrew Kent.
• 1888 Cattleman R. L. Rhomberg settles in the new county and names a settlement Clairemont for his daughter, Claire.
• 1890 County census 324 residents.
• 1891 A conflict arises between cattle ranchers and farmers who try to fence their farms against cattle.
• 1892 Kent County is organized. Clairemont is the county seat.
• 1900 County population is 899.
• 1909 The Stamford and Northeastern Railway builds a line across the county's northeast corner. The railroad, which connects Stamford and Spur, later becomes part of the Wichita Valley Railroad. Jayton community is founded.
• 1930 The county's population peaks at 3,851.
• 1946-1991 Oil is discovered in Kent County in 1946. By 1991, more than 448,448,000 barrels (71,297,500 m³) of oil have been produced in the county since 1946.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 903 square miles (2,338.8 km²), of which 902 square miles (2,336.2 km²) is land and 1 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.06%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 380
• State Highway 70
• State Highway 208

Adjacent counties

• Dickens County (north)
• Stonewall County (east)
• Fisher County (southeast)
• Scurry County (south)
• Garza County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	92		—
1890	324		252.2%
1900	899		177.5%
1910	2,655		195.3%
1920	3,335		25.6%
1930	3,851		15.5%
1940	3,413		−11.4%
1950	2,249		−34.1%
1960	1,727		−23.2%
1970	1,434		−17.0%
1980	1,145		−20.2%
1990	1,010		−11.8%
2000	859		−15.0%
2010	808		−5.9%
U.S. Decennial Census Texas Almanac: 1850-2010

As of the census of 2000, there were 859 people, 353 households, and 247 families residing in the county. The population density was less than 1/km² (1/sq mi). There were 551 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.46% White, 0.23% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 3.73% from other races, and 0.23% from two or more races. 9.08% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 353 households out of which 26.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.20% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the county, the population was spread out with 20.60% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 21.80% from 25 to 44, 26.80% from 45 to 64, and 25.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 91.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,433, and the median income for a family was $35,568. Males had a median income of $23,875 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,626. About 9.20% of families and 10.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.10% of those under age 18 and 6.10% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Girard
• Jayton
• Clairemont

See also

• Dry counties
• Double Mountain Fork Brazos River
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Kent County, Texas

External links

• Kent County government’s website
• Kent County from the Handbook of Texas Online