Childress County

Childress County, Texas

Childress County, Texas

Veterans Memorial and backdrop of the Childress County Courthouse in Childress, Texas. Photograph by Billy Hathorne.
Childress County, Texas

Childress County, Texas

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

Childress County, on the eastern edge of the Panhandle, is bounded on the east by Oklahoma, on the south by Cottle County, on the West by Hall County, and on the north by Collingsworth County. The county is named for George C. Childress, author of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The county seat, Childress, is located 116 miles southeast of Amarillo, on the Fort Worth and Denver Railway and U.S. Highway 287. The center of the county lies at approximately 34°35' north latitude and 100°13' west longitude. The county comprises 699 square miles of rolling prairies and rough riverbottoms. Its soils are a mix, usually a sandy loam mixed with alluvial sands from the county's many creeks and rivers. These soils support a variety of native grasses as well as cotton, wheat, and sorghum. Shin oak, mesquite, salt cedar, and hackberry grow in the bottoms. The county has a small yearly production of oil and gas, but minerals do not play a major role in the local economy. The elevation of the county ranges from 1,600 to 1,900 feet above sea level; the annual growing season averages 217 days, and annual precipitation averages 20.67 inches. The average minimum temperature is 26° F in January, and the average maximum is 99° in July. The major water feature of the county is the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River, which bisects the county as it flows eastward towards the main channel of the Red River. This stream and its tributary creeks (Dry Salt Creek, East Salt Creek, and Spiller, or Buck, Creek) render much of the central and northern part of the county unfit for farming. Thus ranching retains a significant role in the local economy. Baylor Lake and Lake Childress, two small bodies of water, lie to the northwest of Childress and provide recreation.

Archeological discoveries along the banks of the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River indicate that permanent Indian farming communities existed in the area now known as Childress County between A.D. 1000 and 1600. The Indians lived in half dugouts and used stone and bone tools; they made pottery and supplemented their diet with buffalo, deer, dogs, turtles, and mussels.

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Donald R. Abbe | © 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

Childress County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

1560 ft – 2060 ft

Size

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

  • Land Area: 696.4 mi²
  • Total Area: 713.7 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 26.8°F
July mean maximum: 95.7°F

Rainfall, 2019

26.4 inches

Population Count, 2019

7,306

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

2,722

Unemployment, 2019

4.5%

Property Values, 2019

$770,587,929 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$30,084 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$117,500,129 USD

Wages, 2019

$27,884,247 USD

Childress County

Highlighted:
  • Childress County
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Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
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Town 20 (2014) Yes
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