Reeves County

Reeves County, Texas

Reeves County, Texas

The Reeves County Courthouse is located in Pecos, Texas, the county seat. Photograph by Aualliso.

Reeves County is on Interstate Highway 20 in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas with the northern edge of its irregular shape touching New Mexico. On the northeast it borders the Pecos River, which separates it from Loving and Ward counties. It is bounded on the southeast by Pecos County, on the southwest by Jeff Davis County, and on the west by Culberson County. Pecos, the county seat, is seventy-four miles southwest of Odessa. The center of the county lies at 31°20' north latitude and 103°40' west longitude. Reeves County comprises 2,626 square miles of land with flat and undulating terrain in its northern part and mountainous topography in the extreme south. Altitudes, including those in the Davis Mountains, vary from 2,538 to 4,210 feet above sea level. The Barrilla Hills rise abruptly with steep slopes to a height of 150 to 200 feet above the surrounding plain. About 85 percent of the county is covered by a broad gently-sloping plain topped by outwash material from the mountains. Surface geology is mostly Quaternary, except for the extreme southeastern corner, which is Igneous, and the western and eastern edges, which are Cretaceous. Soils are light reddish-brown to brown sands, clay loams, clays, and rough stony lands. The average annual temperature is 64° F. The growing season extends 226 days. Rainfall, which averages ten inches per year, runs into several intermittent lakes in the west central area of the county. These shallow playas fill with water after downpours, but shrink and sometimes disappear through evaporation between rains. Toyah Lake is the largest playa in the county, with walls formed by cliffs of ten to forty feet in height. The entire county is drained by the Pecos River. The main tributaries are Salt and Toyah creeks and Four Mile, Horsehead, and Salt draws. Two lakes provide water for recreation and irrigation: Red Bluff Reservoir on the Pecos River in extreme northwestern Reeves County and Balmorhea Lake in the southwest. Vegetation consists of sparse grasses, scrub brush, creosotebush, cacti, oak, juniper, and mesquite, which provides the area's only timber. Natural resources include gypsum, limestone, salt, oil, gas, and volcanic ash. Other minerals include brine, sand, gravel, and recovered sulphur. Less than 1 percent of the land is considered prime farmland.

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.

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County Map of Texas

Reeves County

Highlighted:
  • Reeves County

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Reeves County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

2460 ft – 5115 ft

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Reeves County by the Numbers

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Population Counts

Reeves County
Pop. Year Source
15,976 2019 United States Census Bureau

Civilian Labor Counts

Reeves County
People Year Source
12,013 2019 Texas Workforce Commission

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Per Capita Income (USD) Year Source
$39,418 2019 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

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Property Values

Reeves County
USD ($) Year Source
12,240,360,214 2019 State Property Tax Board

Retail Sales

Reeves County
USD ($) Year Source
497,565,617 2019 State Comptroller of Public Accounts

Wages

Reeves County
USD ($) Year Source
154,483,242 2019 Texas Workforce Commission

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Unemployment Percentage Year Source
6.3 2019 Texas Workforce Commission

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Rainfall (inches) Year Source
13.5 2019 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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Min. (January Average, °F) Max. (July Average, °F) Year Source
30.3 94.4 2019 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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Land Area

Reeves County
Area (square miles) Year Source
2,635.4 2019 United States Census Bureau

Total Area

Reeves County
Area (square miles) Year Source
2,642.1 2019 United States Census Bureau