Post Dispatchnewspaper covers local events of Garza County.Wells Fargo Bank serves Garza County through its outlet inPost.
Garza County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofTexas. As of the2020 census, its population was 5,816, of which most of the population were residing in itscounty seat, and only incorporated municipality,Post.[1][2] The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1907.[3] Garza is named for a pioneerBexar County family, as it was once a part of that county.
In 1875, W. C. Young ofFort Worth andIrishman Ben Galbraith of Illinois established the beginnings of the Curry Comb Ranch in the northwestern part of Garza County.[5]
Garza County was formed in 1876 fromBexar County, and named for Lieutenant Joseph de la Garza and his family who were prominent in Bexar County and decedened fromJosé Antonio de la Garza.[6][7]
By 1880, the county census count was 36 people.[4] The Square and Compass Ranch was started 2 years later by theNave and McCord Cattle Company. They put up the firstbarbed-wire fence in 1884.[8] That same year, OS Ranch was founded by brothers Andrew J. and Frank M. Long ofLexington, Kentucky.[9]The county's population reached 185 persons by the last year of the 19th century.[4]Post was founded in 1907 as a utopian venture by, and named for, cereal kingC.W. Post.[4][10] From 1909 to 1913, C.W. Post built a cotton gin and a cotton mill, and attempted to improve agriculture production through rainmaking, involving the heavy use of explosives fired from kites and towers along the rim of theCaprock Escarpment.[4][11]
In 1926, oil was discovered in the county.[4][12] Quanah and Bryan Maxey discovered a 16-foot-long tusk of a prehistoric imperialmammoth in 1934. This tusk is currently located in the American Museum of Natural History, New York City.[4]
In 1957, aprehistoric Indian site was recorded at Cowhead Mesa by Emmet Shedd of Post.[13] In 1960–1965, South Plains Archaeological Society excavations of Cowhead Mesa found artifacts to date inhabitation back to 2000 BC.[13]
The most important businesses in the county by 1980 were agribusiness, oil and gas extraction, and textile mills.[4]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 896 sq mi (2,320 km2), of which 893 sq mi (2,310 km2) are land and 2.8 sq mi (7.3 km2) (0.3%) are covered by water.[14] It is located southeast ofLubbock in the Canyonlands of the Llano Estacado Escarpment.
Garza County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 5,816. The median age was 40.4 years. 17.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 182.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 204.3 males age 18 and over.[20]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[22]
There were 1,636 households in the county, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.5% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[20]
There were 2,126 housing units, of which 23.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.2% were owner-occupied and 27.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.1%.[20]
As of the2000 census, 4,872 people, 1,663 households, and 1,217 families resided in the county.[23] Thepopulation density was 5 people/mi2 (1.9 people/km2). The 1,928 housing units averaged 2 per square mile (0.77/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 56.7% White, 4.8 African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 17.1% from other races, and 3.00% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 37.2% of the population.
Of the 1,663 households, 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were not families. About 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the county, the population was distributed as 28.00% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,206, and for a family was $31,173. Males had a median income of $26,604 versus $18,105 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $12,704. About 17.50% of families and 22.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.6% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.
^Orozco, Cynthia E (June 15, 2010)."José Antonio de la Garza".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. RetrievedDecember 17, 2010.
^Holden, William Curry (June 15, 2010)."Square and Compass Ranch".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. RetrievedDecember 17, 2010.
^Woolley, Bryan (2004). "Pack Rat".Texas Road Trip. Texas Christian University Press. pp. 25–36.ISBN978-0-87565-291-7.
