Scurry County, Texas

History

This county, lying directly north of Mitchell County, was created in 1876, and was organized June 28, 1884. It was named for William Read Scurry, lawyer and Confederate Army general. Until 1909, it was without railroad facilities, and the nearest shipping points were Colorado City to the south and still later the railroad towns in Fisher County to the east.

The first railroad was the Roscoe, Snyder and Pacific Railway, built from Roscoe on the Texas & Pacific in Nolan County, to Snyder, the county seat of Scurry County, about 1909, and subsequently extended to Fluvanna, also in Scurry County. In 1911, the Texico-Coleman division of the Santa Fe system was built through the county, giving it a trunk line of railway. Development has been particularly rapid during the early 1900s.

Some of the important pioneer facts concerning Scurry County are found in a sketch of W. H. Snyder, after whom the county seat town was named. In 1877, he opened a trading camp in the county, hauling lumber on wagons from Dallas to build his store and also hauling a good portion of his goods from the same place. He used what was known as trail wagons, with seven yoke of oxen to a team, each wagon having a capacity of 50,000 pounds. Mr. Snyder erected a house in Scurry County and began dealing in general merchandise and supplies for buffalo hunters. Other parties moved into the same locality, and that was the beginning of the town of Snyder.

In 1882, Mr. Snyder laid out the town, and two years later, it became the county seat. Snyder has had an enterprising citizenship, and 10 years later had an independent school district and four churches, and was an important center for trade.

Its importance has greatly increased since the coming of the railway, and in 1910, its population was 2,154. Other towns have sprung up along the railway, the most important of which is Fluvanna, at the terminus of the Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific, and Hermleigh.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 908 sqmi, of which 905 sqmi are land and 2.1 sqmi (0.2%) are covered by water.

Since 1952, Lake J. B. Thomas has operated in Scurry County covering up to 7,282 acres when filled to the morning glory spillway at elevation of 2,258 ft above sea level.

Major highways

• [[Image:US 84.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 84
• [[Image:US 180.svg|25px]] U.S. Highway 180
• [[Image:Texas 208.svg|20px]] State Highway 208
• [[Image:Texas 350.svg|20px]] State Highway 350

Adjacent counties

• Kent County (north)
• Fisher County (east)
• Mitchell County (south)
• Borden County (west)
• Garza County (northwest)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–2010 2010 2020

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 16,932. The median age was 36.6 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 111.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 113.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 64.2% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian,

68.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 31.8% lived in rural areas.

There were 5,925 households in the county, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.1% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 6,889 housing units, of which 14.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.7% were owner-occupied and 28.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 14.4%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, 16,361 people, 5,756 households, and 4,161 families resided in the county. The population density was 18 /mi2. The 7,112 housing units averaged 8 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 81.27% White, 6.06% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 10.51% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. About 27.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 5,756 households, 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were not families; 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55, and the average family size was 3.05.

In the county, the population was distributed as 25.20% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,646, and for a family was $38,467. Males had a median income of $30,399 versus $18,061 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,871. About 12.60% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Snyder (county seat)

Census-designated place

• Fluvanna
• Hermleigh

Unincorporated communities

• Dunn
• Ira

Ghost Town

• Pyron

Politics

Education

School districts include:

• Colorado Independent School District
• Hermleigh Independent School District
• Ira Independent School District
• Roscoe Collegiate Independent School District
• Snyder Independent School District

The Texas Legislature designated the county as being in the Western Texas College District.

Gallery

Image:Veterans Monument at Snyder, TX IMG 4561.JPG|Veterans Monument at the Scurry County Courthouse Image:Scurry County Museum, Snyder, TX IMG 1769.JPG|Scurry County Museum is located on the campus of Western Texas College in Snyder. Image:Scurry County Library, Snyder, TX IMG 4605.JPG|Scurry County Library in Snyder Image:West Texas State Bank in Snyder, TX IMG 4581.JPG|West Texas State Bank in Snyder serves Scurry County. Image:Abandoned building in Scurry County, TX IMG 1759.JPG|Abandoned buildings, such as this one located off US Route 84 in northern Scurry County, are seen throughout the South Plains. This building was the Dermott Post Office located in Dermott, Scurry County, TX. It had an attached home for the postmaster. File:Development Corp of Snyder - water tank.jpg|Water tank in Scurry County, Texas, near Snyder, on north side of Hwy 84

References

References

1. "Scurry County, Texas".
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. (2008). "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". [[Newberry Library.
4. [[T. R. Fehrenbach]]. "Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans" [[Da Capo Press]], 2000.
5. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
6. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". [[US Census Bureau]].
7. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010". Texas Almanac.
8. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Scurry County, Texas".
9. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Scurry County, Texas".
10. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Scurry County, Texas".
11. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
13. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
14. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
16. (November 5, 2024). "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)".
17. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Kent County, TX". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
18. "Sec. 130.210. WESTERN TEXAS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.".