Potter County, Texas

Potter County
	Potter County, Texas
	Potter County District Courts Building in downtown Amarillo.
	; Seal
	; Seal
	; Location in the state of Texas
	; Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1887
Seat	Amarillo
Area; - Total; - Land; - Water	; 922 sq mi (2,388 km²); 909 sq mi (2,354 km²); 13 sq mi (34 km²), 1.38%
Population; - (2010); - Density	; 121,073; 124/sq mi (48/km²)
Website	www.co.potter.tx.us

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Potter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It forms part of the Amarillo metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 121,073.^[1] Its seat is Amarillo^[2]. Potter County is named for Robert Potter, a politician, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and the Secretary of the Texas Navy.

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 922 square miles (2,390 km²), of which 909 square miles (2,350 km²) is land and 13 square miles (34 km²) (1.38%) is water.

[edit] Major highways

[edit] Adjacent counties

Moore County (north)
Carson County (east)
Randall County (south)
Oldham County (west)

[edit] National protected areas

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	28	—
1890	849	2,932.1%
1900	1,820	114.4%
1910	12,424	582.6%
1920	16,710	34.5%
1930	46,080	175.8%
1940	54,265	17.8%
1950	73,366	35.2%
1960	115,580	57.5%
1970	90,511	−21.7%
1980	98,637	9.0%
1990	97,874	−0.8%
2000	113,546	16.0%
2010	121,073	6.6%
U.S. Decennial Census^[3] Texas Almanac: 1850-2010^[4]

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 113,546 people, 40,760 households, and 27,472 families residing in the county. The population density was 125 people per square mile (48/km²). There were 44,598 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile (19/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.60% White, 9.96% Black or African American, 0.87% Native American, 2.49% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 15.44% from other races, and 2.60% from two or more races. 28.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 40,760 households out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.40% were married couples living together, 15.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.60% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the county, the population was spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 11.10% from 18 to 24, 30.10% from 25 to 44, 19.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 100.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,492, and the median income for a family was $35,321. Males had a median income of $26,123 versus $20,275 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,947. About 15.20% of families and 19.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.30% of those under age 18 and 12.30% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Politics

Potter County strongly supports Republican candidates, especially at the federal level. It has supported Republican presidential candidates in every election since 1968, usually by lopsided margins. In 2004, George W. Bush received 21,401 votes (74% of the total) in the county to just 7,489 votes (25%) for his opponent, John Kerry. In 2008, John McCain fared nearly as well, garnering 20,741 votes (69% of the total) to 8,932 votes (30%) for Barack Obama.