King County, Texas

King County, Texas
King County Courthouse in Guthrie, Texas
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1876
Seat	Guthrie
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	913 sq mi (2,365 km²) 912 sq mi (2,362 km²) 1 sq mi (3 km²), 0.11%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	286 0.31/sq mi (0.12/km²)
Website	www.kingcountytx.com

King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 286. Its county seat is Guthrie. King County has the third smallest population of any county in the United States, ranking behind only Loving County, Texas, and Kalawao County, Hawaii. The county was named for William Philip King, who died at the Battle of the Alamo.

The Pitchfork Ranch, founded 1883, is situated in King and adjacent Dickens County. It was managed from 1965-1986 by Jim Humphreys, who was also affiliated with the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 913 square miles (2,364.7 km²), of which 912 square miles (2,362.1 km²) is land and 1 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.11%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 82
• U.S. Highway 83
• State Highway 114
• State Highway 222

Adjacent counties

• Cottle County (north)
• Foard County (northeast)
• Knox County (east)
• Stonewall County (south)
• Dickens County (west)

History

Native Americans

Apache and Comanche were early tribes in the area. The Red River War of 1874-1875 was a United States Army campaign to force the removal of Indians in Texas and their relocation to reservations, to open the region to white settlers.

County established

On August 21, 1876, the Texas legislature formed King County from Bexar County. By 1880 the United States Census counted forty residents in the county. In 1891, the county was organized. Guthrie was designated as the county seat.

Monument off U.S. Highway 83 to George Preston Humphreys (1899-1979), the manager of the 6666 Ranch, who also served as King County sheriff from 1928-1948

Some of the earliest settlers were Isom Lynn, A. C. Tackett, Brants Baker, and Bud Arnett. The Four Sixes Ranch. was established in 1902 by Samuel Burk Burnet. The formerly-named Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company was organized in 1883, and SMS ranches were established during the same time frame.

Early ranchers preserved water by damming canyons and draws to hold the heavy spring rains. In the 1890s windmills became the method of water preservation.

Dumont was formed in the late 19th century. By that time, farmers began to share the land with ranchers. Cotton was the leading crop for a time, followed by corn, sorghum, and fruit trees.

Oil was discovered in the county in 1943. By January 1, 1991, almost 114,403,000 barrels (18,188,600 m³) of oil had been pumped from King County lands since the first wells were drilled.

Economy

The primary industries are raising beef cattle (since the late 19th century), and oil production (since 1943). Corn and cotton are the leading planted farm crops.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	40		—
1890	173		332.5%
1900	490		183.2%
1910	810		65.3%
1920	655		−19.1%
1930	1,193		82.1%
1940	1,066		−10.6%
1950	870		−18.4%
1960	640		−26.4%
1970	464		−27.5%
1980	425		−8.4%
1990	354		−16.7%
2000	356		0.6%
2010	286		−19.7%
U.S. Decennial Census Texas Almanac: 1850-2010

As of the census of 2000, there were 356 people, 108 households, and 88 families residing in the county. The population density was 0.39 people per square mile (0.15/km²). There were 174 housing units at an average density of 0.19 per square mile (0.07/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.10% White, 1.12% Native American, 3.09% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. 9.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 108 households out of which 41.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 79.60% were married couples living together, 1.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.60% were non-families. 16.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was spread out with 33.70% under the age of 18, 3.70% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $36,875. Males had a median income of $21,389 versus $30,179 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,321. 20.70% of the population and 17.90% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 23.00% are under the age of 18 and 31.60% are 65 or older.

Politics

King County was once a strongly Democratic county even by Solid South standards. In 1948, 95.85 percent of voters supported Harry S. Truman, in 1960 76.9 percent of voters choose John F. Kennedy and in 1964, 84.1 percent of voters supported Lyndon Johnson. The county also voted for Hubert Humphrey by a pluraity in 1968, with 48.7 percent supporting Humphrey while 31.7 percent voted for George Wallace and a mere 19.6 percent voting for Richard Nixon.

However, the county has shifted strongly Republican since the 1980s. In 2008, 93.2 percent (151 votes) supported U.S. Senator John S. McCain, whereas only 4.9 percent (8 votes) backed Senator Barack Obama. Of all United States counties, King had the largest percent of support for McCain. By that measurement, King County is currently the most Republican county in the United States. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win over twenty percent of the vote in King County was Bill Clinton in 1996.

Communities

• Dumont
• Finney
• Grow
• Guthrie

External links

• King County from the Handbook of Texas Online