Roberts County, Texas

Roberts County, Texas
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1889
Seat	Miami
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	924 sq mi (2,393 km²) 924 sq mi (2,393 km²)  , 0.01%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	929
Website	www.co.roberts.tx.us

Roberts County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 929. Its seat is Miami. Roberts is named for Oran Milo Roberts, a governor of Texas. Roberts County is one of 30 prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in the state of Texas.

Roberts County is part of the Pampa, Texas, Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 924 square miles (2,394 km²), virtually all of which is land.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 60
• State Highway 70

Adjacent counties

• Ochiltree County (north)
• Lipscomb County (northeast)
• Hemphill County (east)
• Gray County (south)
• Carson County (southwest)
• Hutchinson County (west)
• Hansford County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	32		—
1890	326		918.8%
1900	620		90.2%
1910	950		53.2%
1920	1,469		54.6%
1930	1,457		−0.8%
1940	1,289		−11.5%
1950	1,031		−20.0%
1960	1,075		4.3%
1970	967		−10.0%
1980	1,187		22.8%
1990	1,025		−13.6%
2000	887		−13.5%
2010	929		4.7%
U.S. Decennial Census Texas Almanac: 1850-2010

As of the census of 2000, there were 887 people, 362 households, and 275 families residing in the county. The population density was less than 1/km² (1/sq mi). There were 449 housing units at an average density of 0 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.51% White, 0.34% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 1.35% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 3.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 362 households out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.70% were married couples living together, 3.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.00% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 4.80% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 30.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,792, and the median income for a family was $50,400. Males had a median income of $33,125 versus $23,611 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,923. About 5.00% of families and 7.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.50% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Miami
• Wayside

Government and politics

Roberts County voters supported Democratic presidential candidates in all elections from 1892 through 1948, with the exception of Al Smith in 1928. It voted Republican in every presidential election from 1952. In 2008 92% of voters voted for Republican John McCain versus only 7.92% for Democrat Barack Obama making it one of the most Republican counties in the United States.

The county is governed by an elected County Judge and four Commissioners (each elected by a precinct with the county).

History

Plains Apaches inhabited the Texas Panhandle until they were displaced by the Comanches who dominated the area until the 1870s. The Comanches hunted the large herds of Buffalo, which grazed on the prairie. In the Red River War of 1874-75, United States Army troops led by Ranald S. Mackenzie drove out the Comanches. Simultaneously, buffalo hunters killed the large herds in the area, making way for permanent settlements. In 1876, Roberts County was carved from Bexar County and the Clay Land District. In 1887, the Southern Kansas Railway was built through Roberts County, and settlers followed. The town of Miami was platted out along the railroad in the southeastern part of the county in the summer of 1887. Miami area residents as well as settlers in the northern part of the county in Parnell petitioned for county government, with each group proposing their town as the county seat. Texas recognized the county in January 1889, with Miami as the county seat, but the election was declared fraudulent in December, and Parnell was chosen county seat instead. Parnell remained the county seat until 1898, when another election relocated the seat of county government back to Miami. As of 1890, Roberts County had a population of 326 and thirty-four farms and ranches.

Cattle ranching dominated the county economy, and the number of cattle increased from 30,259 in 1900 to a peak of 48,959 in 1930. From the 1880s to 1930, the county also developed a farming economy, increasing the improved area from 3,576 acres (14.5 km²) in 1900 to 44,751 acres (181.1 km²) in 1930, primarily growing wheat. Roberts County's population was relatively static in the 1920s, with 1,457 inhabitants in 1930. The dust bowl had a severe impact on Roberts County, and its population continued to drop until it hit 887 in 2000. Expensive irrigation is required for farming, and the land also suffers from over-grazing by cattle. Currently, beef cattle is the area's most important agricultural product, but the county also grows corn, wheat, sorghum, and soybeans.

Oil was discovered in Roberts County in 1945, and 40,126,321 barrels (6,379,575.2 m³) had been produced through 1990. Almost 412,600 barrels (65,600 m³) of oil and 23,574,562 cubic feet (667,557.3 m³) of gas-well gas were produced in the county in 2000; by the end of that year a cumulative total of 44,937,568 barrels (7,144,502.4 m³) of oil had been produced from county lands since 1945.

Highlights

The county is relatively flat except for the Canadian River valley. Most of the land is used for cattle ranching. The county also contains the 68,000-acre (280 km²) Mesa Vista Ranch, which seeks to protect quail, dove and pheasant habitat along the creek beds south of the Canadian River.

Roberts County is also the scene of a recent battle for water rights, where the City of Amarillo, Texas, the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority, and T. Boone Pickens have sought to purchase the water rights within the county. Between the three, they own 80% of the water rights.

The annual National Cow Calling Contest has been held in Miami since 1949.

See also

• Dry counties
• List of museums in the Texas Panhandle
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Roberts County, Texas

External links

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