View source for Texas panhandle

{{short description|Region in Texas, United States}}
{{distinguish|Panhandle, Texas}}
{{for|the western panhandle-like area of Texas|Trans-Pecos}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Texas panhandle
| native_name              = 
| other_name               = 
| settlement_type          = Region
| image_skyline            = Buffalo Lake Texas Windmill 2009.jpg
| image_caption            = Windmill on the level plains of the Texas Panhandle
| nickname                 = 
| etymology                = 
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = {{flagu|United States|name=United States|size=23px}}
| subdivision_type1        = State
| subdivision_name1        = {{flag|Texas|size=23px}}
| subdivision_type2        = Region
| subdivision_name2        = [[High Plains (United States)|High Plains]]
| subdivision_type3        = 
| subdivision_name3        = 
| subdivision_type4        = 
| subdivision_name4        = 
| image_map                = Texas Panhandle.PNG
| map_caption              = Map of the Texas Panhandle
| pushpin_map              = 
| pushpin_relief           = 
| pushpin_map_caption      = 
| coordinates              = {{Wikidatacoord|Q2297417|region:US-TX|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes    = 
| established_title        = 
| established_date         = 
| area_footnotes           = 
| area_total_km2           = 67046
| area_total_sq_mi         = 
| area_land_sq_mi          = 
| area_water_sq_mi         = 
| elevation_footnotes      = 
| elevation_m              = 
| elevation_ft             = 
| population_as_of         = 2020
| population_footnotes     = 
| population_total         = 434,358
| population_density_km2   = auto
| population_density_sq_mi = 
| population_demonym       = 
| timezone1                = [[Central Time Zone|Central]]
| utc_offset1              = −6
| timezone1_DST            = 
| utc_offset1_DST          = 
| postal_code_type         = 
| postal_code              = 
| area_code_type           = 
| area_codes               = 806, 940 (Childress County)
| geocode                  = 
| iso_code                 = 
| website                  = [http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ryp01 ''Handbook of Texas'': "Panhandle"]
}}

The '''Texas panhandle''' is a region of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Texas]] consisting of the northernmost 26 [[List of Texas counties|counties]] in the state. The [[Salient (geography)|panhandle]] is a square-shaped area bordered by [[New Mexico]] to the west and [[Oklahoma]] to the north and east. It is adjacent to the [[Oklahoma Panhandle]], land which Texas previously claimed. The 1820 [[Missouri Compromise]] declared no [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]] would be allowed in states admitted from the [[Louisiana Purchase]] above [[Parallel 36°30′ north|36°30′ north latitude]]. Texas was annexed in 1845 from still more westerly land. The [[Compromise of 1850]] removed territory north of this line from Texas, and set the border between the Texas Panhandle and the [[New Mexico Territory]] at the [[103rd meridian west]]. The eastern border at the [[100th meridian west]] was inherited from the [[Adams–Onís Treaty]] of 1819, which defined the border between the United States and [[New Spain]]. ''[[The Handbook of Texas]]'' defines the southern border of [[Swisher County, Texas|Swisher County]] as the southern boundary of the Texas Panhandle region.

Its land area is {{cvt|66883.58|km2|sqmi|order=flip}}, or nearly 10% of the state's total. The Texas Panhandle is slightly larger in size than the US [[state of West Virginia]]. An additional {{cvt|162.53|km2|sqmi|order=flip}} is covered by water. Its population as of the [[United States Census, 2010|2010 census]] was 427,927 residents, or 1.7% of the state's total population. As of the 2010 census, the population density for the region was {{convert|16.6|/sqmi}}. However, more than 72% of the Panhandle's residents live in the Amarillo Metropolitan Area, which is the largest and fastest-growing urban area in the region. Despite being geographically the northernmost part of Texas, the Panhandle is distinct from the region commonly called "[[North Texas]]", which is to the south and east.

West of the [[Caprock Escarpment]] and north and south of the [[Canadian River]] breaks, the surface of the [[Llano Estacado]] is rather flat. South of the city of [[Amarillo, Texas|Amarillo]], the level terrain gives way to [[Palo Duro Canyon]], the second-largest canyon in the United States. This colorful canyon was carved by the [[Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River]], a tributary of the [[Red River of the South|Red River]]. North of Amarillo lies [[Lake Meredith]], a [[Reservoir (water)|reservoir]] created by Sanford Dam constructed on the main stem of the [[Canadian River]]. Lake Meredith and the [[Ogallala Aquifer]] are the primary sources of [[fresh water]] in this [[semi-arid]] region of the [[High Plains (United States)|High Plains]].

I-40 [[Interstate 40 in Texas|passes through]] the Panhandle, and also passes through Amarillo. The freeway passes through [[Deaf Smith County, Texas|Deaf Smith]], [[Oldham County, Texas|Oldham]], [[Potter County, Texas|Potter]], [[Carson County, Texas|Carson]], [[Gray County, Texas|Gray]], [[Donley County, Texas|Donley]], and [[Wheeler County, Texas|Wheeler]] counties.<ref>''The Tascosa Pioneer'', October 11, 1890, quoted in Lester Fields Sheffy, ''The Life and Times of [[Timothy Dwight Hobart]], 1855–1935: Colonization of West Texas'' (Canyon, TX: Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, 1950), p. 156</ref>

[[File:Caprock Canyons Haynes Ridge 2005.JPG|thumb|right|[[Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway|Caprock Canyons]] of [[Briscoe County, Texas|Briscoe County]]]]
[[File:Buffalo Lake Texas Canyon 2009.jpg|thumb|right|A canyon formed by [[Tierra Blanca Creek]]]]
[[File:Palo Duro 2002.jpg|thumb|right|The rugged country of [[Palo Duro Canyon]]]]

==Demographics==
As of the [[2020 United States Census|census of 2020]], about 434,358 people lived in the Panhandle. Of these, 53.6% were [[non-Hispanic White]], 35.2% were [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]], 4.8% were [[African American]], 2.8% were [[Asian Americans|Asian]]. Only 4.1% were of some other ethnicity.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Regions of Texas |url=http://www.texascounties.net/statistics/regions.htm |publisher=Texas Counties.net |access-date=July 26, 2022 |archive-date=August 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813024921/http://www.texascounties.net/statistics/regions.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> About 92.3% of inhabitants claimed [[Native born|native birth]], and 8.9% were [[veteran]]s of the [[United States armed forces]]; 49.9% of the population was male, and 50.1% was female. Around 13.2% of the population was [[Senior citizen|65 years of age or older]], whereas 27.8% of the population was [[Minor (law)|under 18 years of age]].

== Politics ==
[[File:This is a Prectint by prectint map of the texas panhandle in the 2024 presdintal electio.svg|thumb|Texas Panhandle in the 2024 presidential election]]
Panhandle Election Results
{| class="wikitable" style="float:center; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ '''Texas Panhandle Presidential election results'''<ref>{{cite web |title=DRA 2020 |url=https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::1c2c1e0d-2fd1-43a8-a039-73e7023124d1 |access-date=February 8, 2025 |website=Daves Redistricting |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228051204/https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::1c2c1e0d-2fd1-43a8-a039-73e7023124d1 |url-status=live}}</ref>
!Year
![[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
![[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
![[Third party (United States)|Third parties]]
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |[[2024 United States presidential election in Texas|2024]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |18.3% ''29,045''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''80.8%''' ''128,237''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |0.9% ''1,441''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |[[2020 United States presidential election in Texas|2020]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |19.5% ''31,110''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''79.9%''' ''126,349''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |1.5% ''2,453''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |[[2016 United States presidential election in Texas|2016]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |17.0% ''24,039''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''79.0%''' ''111,825''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |4.0% ''5,606''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |[[2012 United States presidential election in Texas|2012]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |17.4% ''22,774''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''82.6%''' ''108,050''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |0% ''0''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |[[2008 United States presidential election in Texas|2008]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |20.3% ''29,564''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''78.3%''' ''114,202''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |1.4% ''2,094''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |[[2004 United States presidential election in Texas|2004]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |18.9% ''26,628''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''81.1%''' ''114,570''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |0% ''0''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |[[2000 United States presidential election in Texas|2000]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |21.2% ''27,180''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''78.8%''' ''101,241''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |0% ''0''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |[[1996 United States presidential election in Texas|1996]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |28.6% ''36,886''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''65.0%''' ''83,879''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |8.6% ''8,356''
|}

==Counties==
The twenty-six counties of the Panhandle (west to east, from the northwest corner) are:<ref>[https://www.census.gov|b=50|l=en|t=4001|zf=0.0|ms=sel_00dec|dw=1.9557697048764706E7|dh=1.4455689123E7|dt=gov.census.aff.domain.map.LSRMapExtent|if=gif|cx=-1159354.4783500005|cy=7122022.5|zl=10|pz=10|bo=318:317:316:314:313:323:319|bl=362:393:358:357:356:355:354|ft=350:349:335:389:388:332:331|fl=403:381:204:380:369:379:368|g=01000US Counties of the Texas Panhandle] United States Census Bureau</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=PANHANDLE |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ryp01 |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |access-date=October 13, 2014 |archive-date=October 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018050526/https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ryp01 |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=10em}}
<ol type="1" start="1">
<li> [[Dallam County, Texas|Dallam]]
<li> [[Sherman County, Texas|Sherman]]
<li> [[Hansford County, Texas|Hansford]]
<li> [[Ochiltree County, Texas|Ochiltree]]
<li> [[Lipscomb County, Texas|Lipscomb]]
<li> [[Hartley County, Texas|Hartley]]
<li> [[Moore County, Texas|Moore]]
<li> [[Hutchinson County, Texas|Hutchinson]]
<li> [[Roberts County, Texas|Roberts]]
<li> [[Hemphill County, Texas|Hemphill]]
<li> [[Oldham County, Texas|Oldham]] 
<li> [[Potter County, Texas|Potter]]
<li> [[Carson County, Texas|Carson]]
<li> [[Gray County, Texas|Gray]]
<li> [[Wheeler County, Texas|Wheeler]]
<li> [[Deaf Smith County, Texas|Deaf Smith]]
<li> [[Randall County, Texas|Randall]]
<li> [[Armstrong County, Texas|Armstrong]]
<li> [[Donley County, Texas|Donley]]
<li> [[Collingsworth County, Texas|Collingsworth]]
<li> [[Parmer County, Texas|Parmer]] 
<li> [[Castro County, Texas|Castro]]
<li> [[Swisher County, Texas|Swisher]]
<li> [[Briscoe County, Texas|Briscoe]]
<li> [[Hall County, Texas|Hall]]
<li> [[Childress County, Texas|Childress]]</ol>
{{Div col end}}

==Cities and towns==
Major cities of the Texas Panhandle with populations greater than 10,000 include: 
{{Div col|colwidth=10em}}
* [[Amarillo, Texas|Amarillo]]
* [[Borger, Texas|Borger]]
* [[Canyon, Texas|Canyon]]
* [[Dumas, Texas|Dumas]]
* [[Hereford, Texas|Hereford]]
* [[Pampa, Texas|Pampa]]
{{Div col end}}
Some of the smaller towns with populations less than 10,000 include: 
{{Div col|colwidth=10em}}
* [[Booker, Texas|Booker]]
* [[Bovina, Texas|Bovina]]
* [[Cactus, Texas|Cactus]]
* [[Canadian, Texas|Canadian]]
* [[Channing, Texas|Channing]]
* [[Childress, Texas|Childress]]
* [[Clarendon, Texas|Clarendon]]
* [[Claude, Texas|Claude]]
* [[Dalhart, Texas|Dalhart]]
* [[Darrouzett, Texas|Darrouzett]]
* [[Dimmitt, Texas|Dimmitt]]
* [[Dodson, Texas|Dodson]]
* [[Follett, Texas|Follett]]
* [[Friona, Texas|Friona]]
* [[Fritch, Texas|Fritch]]
* [[Groom, Texas|Groom]]
* [[Gruver, Texas|Gruver]]
* [[Happy, Texas|Happy]]
* [[Hartley, Texas|Hartley]]
* [[Higgins, Texas|Higgins]]
* [[Kress, Texas |Kress ]]
* [[Lefors, Texas|Lefors]]
* [[Masterson, Texas|Masterson]]
* [[McLean, Texas|McLean]]
* [[Memphis, Texas|Memphis]]
* [[Mobeetie, Texas|Mobeetie]]
* [[Panhandle, Texas|Panhandle]]
* [[Perryton, Texas|Perryton]]
* [[Sanford, Texas|Sanford]]
* [[Shamrock, Texas|Shamrock]]
* [[Silverton, Texas|Silverton]]
* [[Spearman, Texas|Spearman]]
* [[Stinnett, Texas|Stinnett]]
* [[Stratford, Texas|Stratford]]
* [[Sunray, Texas|Sunray]]
* [[Texline, Texas|Texline]]
* [[Tulia, Texas|Tulia]]
* [[Turkey, Texas|Turkey]]
* [[Vega, Texas|Vega]]
* [[Wellington, Texas|Wellington]]
* [[Wheeler, Texas|Wheeler]]
* [[White Deer, Texas|White Deer]]
{{Div col end}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Amarillo Texas Downtown.jpg|[[Amarillo, Texas|Amarillo]] is the largest city in the Texas Panhandle.
File:Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon Texas USA.jpg|[[Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum]] in [[Canyon, Texas]]
File:Dallam County, TX, Courthouse IMG 0555.JPG|The [[Dallam County, Texas|Dallam County]] Courthouse in [[Dalhart, Texas]]
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Antelope Creek phase]]
* [[Big Die-Up]] 
* [[Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge]]
* [[Caprock Escarpment]]
* [[List of geographical regions in Texas]]
* [[List of airports in the Texas Panhandle]]
* [[Llano Estacado]]
* [[Oklahoma Panhandle]]
* [[Palo Duro Canyon]]
* [[Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River]]
* [[Texas State Highway 207]]
* [[West Texas]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in the High Plains region of Texas]]
{{Div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Texas Panhandle}}
* {{Handbook of Texas|id=ryp01|name=Panhandle}}
* {{url|https://www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/lubbock-tx/cropping-systems-research-laboratory/wind-erosion-and-water-conservation-research/docs/llano/|Public domain images of the Llano Estacado and West Texas}}

{{Texas}}
{{American panhandles}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Texas Panhandle| ]]
[[Category:Regions of Texas]]