Cottle County

Cottle County, Texas

Cottle County, Texas

Cottle County Courthouse in the Town of Paducah, Texas. Photograph by Aualliso.
Cottle County, Texas

Cottle County, Texas

Map of Cottle County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

Cottle County, in the rolling prairieland of Northwest Texas below the High Plains, is bordered on the north by Childress County, on the west by Motley County, on the south by King County, and on the east by Foard and Hardeman counties. U.S. highways 62/70 (east to west) and 62/83 (north to south) are its main roads. The county was named for George Cottle, who died at the Alamo. Cottle County has an area of 900 square miles; its center point is at 34°05' north latitude and 100°15' west longitude, midway between Lubbock and Wichita Falls. The terrain is rough in the west and level in the east. Gray, black, sandy, and loam soils predominate. The county drains through the Pease, Tongue, and Little Wichita rivers. Elevations vary between 1,600 and 2,100 feet above sea level. The average annual rainfall in the county is 22.12 inches. The average minimum temperature in January is 27° F, and the average maximum in July is 97°. The growing season lasts 219 days. The county produces an annual average income of $33 million from cotton, grains, guar, beef cattle, and alfalfa. Irrigated acres total 10,000. The county produces modest amounts of oil—135,489 barrels, for instance, in 1990.

The area that is now Cottle County was occupied by Apache Indians until about 1700, when Comanches moved into the region. Comanches of the Wanderers-Who-Make-Bad-Camps band controlled the area until the 1870s, when they were driven away by the United States Army. The buffalo herds that once roamed the area were exterminated by intensive hunting during the mid-1870s. The Texas legislature established Cottle County in 1876 and attached it for administrative purposes to Fannin County until 1887, when it became attached to Childress County.

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John Leffler | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Cottle County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

1470 ft – 2260 ft

Size

Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does

  • Land Area: 900.6 mi²
  • Total Area: 901.6 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 27.9°F
July mean maximum: 97.2°F

Rainfall, 2019

24.9 inches

Population Count, 2019

1,398

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

489

Unemployment, 2019

5.3%

Property Values, 2019

$574,976,110 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$57,288 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$7,692,261 USD

Wages, 2019

$5,251,100 USD

Cottle County

Highlighted:
  • Cottle County
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Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
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Town 45 (2009) Yes
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Town 1,060 (2021) Yes
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