Wheeler County, Texas
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Wheeler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,990.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Its county seat is Wheeler.<ref name="GR6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The county was formed in 1876 and organized in 1879.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is named for Royall Tyler Wheeler, a chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court.
Wheeler County was formerly one of 30 entirely dry counties in the state of Texas.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, circa 2010, the community of Shamrock, located in Wheeler County at the intersection of Interstate 40 and U.S. Highway 83, voted to allow liquor sales. Within the city limits of Shamrock is the only place to purchase liquor in Wheeler County.
The Pioneer West Museum, the Wheeler County historical museum, is located in Shamrock off U.S. Highway 83.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are land and Template:Convert (0.1%) is covered by water.<ref name="GR1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Hemphill County (north)
- Roger Mills County, Oklahoma (northeast)
- Beckham County, Oklahoma (east)
- Collingsworth County (south)
- Gray County (west)
- Donley County (southwest)
- Roberts County (northwest)
Demographics
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% 2000 | % 2010 | Template:Partial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 4,386 | 3,847 | 3,469 | 83.01% | 71.11% | 69.52% | |||
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 137 | 112 | 81 | 2.59% | 2.07% | 1.62% | |||
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 29 | 20 | 33 | 0.55% | 0.37% | 0.66% | |||
| Asian alone (NH) | 29 | 23 | 24 | 0.55% | 0.43% | 0.48% | |||
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0.08% | 0.00% | 0.04% | |||
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0.00% | 0.06% | 0.24% | |||
| Mixed or multiracial (NH) | 35 | 61 | 142 | 0.66% | 1.13% | 2.85% | |||
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 664 | 1,344 | 1,227 | 12.57% | 24.84% | 24.59% | |||
| Total | 5,284 | 5,410 | 4,990 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the census<ref name="GR8">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> of 2000, 5,284 people, 2,152 households, and 1,487 families resided in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. The 2,687 housing units had an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 87.83% White, 2.78% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 6.64% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. About 12.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 2,152 households, 29.6% had children under 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were not families. About 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county, the age distribution was 24.9% under 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 22.50% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 20.90% who were 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,029, and for a family was $36,989. Males had a median income of $26,790 versus $19,091 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,083. About 11.6% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under 18 and 16.8% of those 65 or over.
Politics
Wheeler County is located in Texas House of Representatives District 88. The county was previously in District 68 from 2013 to 2023. Republican Ken King, a businessman from Canadian in Hemphill County, has represented Wheeler County in the Texas House of Representatives since the redistricting.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The representative from 1971 to 1979 was the Democrat Phil Cates, later a lobbyist in Austin.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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Communities
Cities
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated communities
Education
School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite map - Text list</ref> Template:Div col
- Fort Elliott Consolidated Independent School District
- Kelton Independent School District
- McLean Independent School District
- Shamrock Independent School District
- Wheeler Independent School District
FECISD formed on August 10, 1991 by the merger of Briscoe ISD and Mobeetie ISD.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The Texas Legislature assigns all of Wheeler County to Clarendon College.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
See also
- List of museums in the Texas Panhandle
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Wheeler County, Texas
- Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Wheeler County
References
External links
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- Wheeler County Official Website Template:Webarchive
- Template:Handbook of Texas
- Wheeler County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties Template:Webarchive
- Entry for Royal T. Wheeler from the Biographical Encyclopedia of Texas published 1880, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
- Historic Wheeler County materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
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