Castro County

Castro County is located in the western Panhandle on the Texas High Plains, bordered on the west by Parmer County, on the north by Deaf Smith and Randall Counties, on the east by Swisher County, and on the south by Lamb and Hale counties. The county was named for Henri Castro, the empresario who was consul general to Paris for the Republic of Texas. The center of the county lies at approximately 34°32' north latitude and 102°20' west longitude. Dimmitt, the county seat, is near the center of the county, approximately fifty miles southwest of Amarillo. Castro County comprises 900.33 square miles of level plains. Its sandy loam and black soils once supported native grasses but now produce abundant corn, wheat, sorghum, cotton, sugarbeets, and soybeans. Seasonally waterless draws or arroyos drain the county; Frio Draw runs southeasterly into Swisher County, and Running Water Draw, which begins about twenty-five miles northwest of Clovis, New Mexico, meanders southeasterly across Castro County into Lamb and then Hale counties. More than 500 playas dot the surface of the county. Elevation ranges from 3,500 to 4,000 feet above sea level, and annual precipitation averages 17.72 inches. The average minimum temperature of 22° F occurs in January, and the average maximum of 93° in July. The growing season averages 193 days a year.

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