Guthrie, Texas | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The old King County Courthouse in Guthrie | |
  Guthrie Location in Texas and the United States Show map of Texas Guthrie Guthrie (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:33°37′34″N100°19′49″W / 33.62611°N 100.33028°W /33.62611; -100.33028 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | King |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.78 sq mi (4.61 km2) |
| • Land | 1.78 sq mi (4.61 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,772 ft (540 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 151 |
| • Density | 84.8/sq mi (32.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 79236 |
| Area code | 806 |
| FIPS code | 48-31640 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2584647[1] |
Guthrie is anunincorporated town andcensus-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat ofKing County in theU.S. state ofTexas. It is in the northern part of the state, 93 miles (150 km) east ofLubbock and 117 miles (188 km) west ofWichita Falls. It serves as the principal headquarters of theFour Sixes Ranch.[2] As of the2020 census, its population was 151, down from 160 at2010.[3]
Guthrie's recorded history begins in 1883, when the Louisville Land and Cattle Company inLouisville, Kentucky, purchased several hundred acres in what later became King County. Named after Louisville Land and Cattle stockholder W.H. Guthrie, the community's townsite was platted in 1891 by Andrew Chester Tackitt (son of Rev.Pleasant Tackitt, who had built Guthrie's first residence). When King County was organized that same year, Louisville Land and Cattle proposed the platting of a company townsite, to be named "Ashville", to serve as the county's seat. Tackitt strongly opposed this proposition and led a charge to bring the seat to Guthrie, instead. Tackitt's hotly contested campaign ultimately proved successful, and he not only succeeded in making Guthrie the county seat, but was also elected to serve as King County's first county judge. Late in 1891, the Guthrie post office opened to the public.
The next year, Tackitt and a man by the name of Charlie Bradford brought in lumber from the neighboring community ofSeymour and constructed Guthrie's first school, a small, one-room building. A larger school followed in 1895, though the lone teacher continued to depend upon schools in Seymour andBenjamin for curriculum. Proprietor John Gibson began to keep a stock of school books at his Guthrie general store in 1897, decreasing the school's dependence upon other districts.
In 1904, Guthrie claimed 101 residents, and though hurt by the effects of theGreat Depression and theDust Bowl, remained stable through to the mid-20th century, with the 1950 Census also reporting 101 residents. In 1959, schools in nearbyDumont were consolidated with Guthrie's schools, and by 1963, its population had more than doubled to 210.
The mid- to late 1960s brought an end to Guthrie's growth; the population had fallen to 125 by 1970. It increased to 140 in 1980 and 160 in 1990, a figure it maintained through to the 2010 census. Being acompany town, very few homes in Guthrie are privately owned; most residents live in housing provided by the 6666 (Four Sixes) or Pitchfork ranches, or the school district.[4]
Guthrie is located in west-central King County, on the north side of theSouth Wichita River.U.S. Route 82 passes through the western side of the community, andU.S. Route 83 passes through the center of Guthrie.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the Guthrie CDP has an area of 11,000 acres (4,600 ha), of which 7.1 acres (2.87 ha), or 0.06%, is covered by water.[5]
According to theKöppen climate classification, Guthrie has ahumid subtropical climate, denoted asCfa on climate maps, though it closely borders acool semi-arid climate (BSk).[6]
Guthrie has aUSDA hardiness zone of 7b, with minimum temperatures ranging from 5 to 10 °F or −15.0 to −12.2 °C.[7]
| Climate data for Guthrie, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1964–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 86 (30) | 95 (35) | 103 (39) | 109 (43) | 113 (45) | 119 (48) | 116 (47) | 114 (46) | 111 (44) | 107 (42) | 93 (34) | 89 (32) | 119 (48) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 78.5 (25.8) | 82.9 (28.3) | 90.1 (32.3) | 95.3 (35.2) | 100.5 (38.1) | 103.5 (39.7) | 105.7 (40.9) | 104.5 (40.3) | 100.3 (37.9) | 95.0 (35.0) | 85.2 (29.6) | 77.9 (25.5) | 108.1 (42.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 56.6 (13.7) | 60.6 (15.9) | 69.5 (20.8) | 78.4 (25.8) | 86.4 (30.2) | 93.9 (34.4) | 97.6 (36.4) | 97.1 (36.2) | 88.9 (31.6) | 78.8 (26.0) | 66.7 (19.3) | 57.4 (14.1) | 77.7 (25.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 42.0 (5.6) | 45.4 (7.4) | 53.9 (12.2) | 62.4 (16.9) | 72.0 (22.2) | 80.6 (27.0) | 84.2 (29.0) | 83.3 (28.5) | 75.1 (23.9) | 63.8 (17.7) | 52.0 (11.1) | 43.1 (6.2) | 63.2 (17.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 27.4 (−2.6) | 30.3 (−0.9) | 38.4 (3.6) | 46.4 (8.0) | 57.7 (14.3) | 67.2 (19.6) | 70.7 (21.5) | 69.4 (20.8) | 61.4 (16.3) | 48.9 (9.4) | 37.3 (2.9) | 28.9 (−1.7) | 48.7 (9.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 12.4 (−10.9) | 15.4 (−9.2) | 21.4 (−5.9) | 30.5 (−0.8) | 41.4 (5.2) | 56.9 (13.8) | 63.2 (17.3) | 60.8 (16.0) | 47.4 (8.6) | 32.1 (0.1) | 20.4 (−6.4) | 14.3 (−9.8) | 8.5 (−13.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 0 (−18) | −5 (−21) | 8 (−13) | 19 (−7) | 31 (−1) | 46 (8) | 56 (13) | 52 (11) | 34 (1) | 16 (−9) | 10 (−12) | −10 (−23) | −10 (−23) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.95 (24) | 1.19 (30) | 1.48 (38) | 2.04 (52) | 3.18 (81) | 3.28 (83) | 2.05 (52) | 2.83 (72) | 2.46 (62) | 2.00 (51) | 1.38 (35) | 0.97 (25) | 23.81 (605) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.8 (2.0) | 1.6 (4.1) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.4 (1.0) | 1.0 (2.5) | 4.0 (10) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 3.1 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 6.7 | 6.5 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 55.4 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 2.1 |
| Source:NOAA[8][9] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 160 | — | |
| 2020 | 151 | −5.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1850–1900[11] 1910[12] 1920[13] 1930[14] 1940[15] 1950[16] 1960[17] 1970[18] 1980[19] 1990[20] 2000[21] 2010[22] 2020[23] | |||
Guthrie was designated as acensus designated place in the2010 U.S. census.[22]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[24] | Pop 2020[23] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 145 | 141 | 90.63% | 93.38% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 1 | 0 | 0.63% | 0.00% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 1 | 0.00% | 0.66% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 0 | 1 | 0.00% | 0.66% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 14 | 8 | 8.75% | 5.30% |
| Total | 160 | 151 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 151 people, 63 households, and 50 families residing in the CDP.
Guthrie is served by theGuthrie Common School District, which consistently ranks as a "recognized" school district by theTexas Education Agency.
AuthorMitch Cullin graduated fromGuthrie School in 1986, and while the setting of his early writings was often the town ofClaude inArmstrong County, Cullin said in interviews that his novelsWhompyjawed andBranches were based on Guthrie.[26]
Municipalities and communities ofKing County, Texas,United States | ||
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| CDP |  | |
| Other communities | ||