In 7000 BC,Paleo-Indians were the first county inhabitants. Later Native American inhabitants included theComanche.[5] The Texas Legislature formed Hale County fromBexar County in 1876.[5] A few years later (1881), brothers T.W. and T.N. Morrison, and W.D. Johnson, established the Cross L Ranch and the XIT to raise cattle.[6] In 1883, New YorkMethodist minister Horatio Graves became the first white permanent settler in the county.[6]
The city of Plainview has its beginnings in 1886 when rancher Zachery Taylor Maxwell moved his family and 2,000 sheep fromFloyd County to the site of two hackberry groves[7] on the old military trail established by Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie. The city's name comes from the area's vista.[8] The county was organized in 1888, with Plainview as the county seat.[9] By 1900, the county had 259 farms and ranches, with a population of 1,680.[5]
The Santa Fe Railway came to Plainview in 1906,[10]andWayland Baptist College was founded the same year.[11]In 1909, businessman Levi Schick opened the Schick Opera House.[12]The county's first motor-driven irrigation well was drilled five years later.[5] The Texas Land and Development Company was organized in Plainview in 1912. Its purpose was to entice settlers by dividing a large tract of land into individual farms, and preparing each farm for occupancy.[13]
ThePlainview Site was discovered in 1944. In addition to bone and man-made artifacts, archeologists found the remains of 100 extinctbison about twice the size of modern "buffalo".[14]
Oil was discovered in 1946 in the Anton-Irish field ofLamb and Hale Counties.[15]
Country artistJimmy Dean, his brother Don Dean, and cousin-in-law Troy Pritchard founded theJimmy Dean Sausage Company and opened the Jimmy Dean Meat Company in 1969.[16]As of 2010, Hale County was one of 62 counties in Texas still legally barring the sale of alcohol.[17]As of March 7, 2008, Plainview has allowed the sale of packaged alcohol within the city limits.[18]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,005 square miles (2,600 km2), of which 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.01%) is covered by water.[19]
U.S. Decennial Census[21] 1790–1960[22] 1900–1990[23] 1990–2000[24] 2010–2020[25]
Hale 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 the2000 census, there were 36,602 people, 11,975 households, and 9,136 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 36 people/sq mi (14 people/km2). The 13,526 housing units averaged 14 units per square mile (5.4/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 66.77% White, 5.79% African American, 0.92% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 23.80% from other races, and 2.42% from two or more races. About 47.90% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 11,975 households, 40.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.70% were not families. About 21% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the county, the population was distributed as 30.20% under the age of 18, 11.40% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 18.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 102.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,280, and for a family was $35,250. Males had a median income of $26,007 versus $20,057 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $13,655. About 14.30% of families and 18.00% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 23.30% of those under age 18 and 14.80% of those age 65 or over.
^abcdLeffler, John."Hale County, Texas".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. RetrievedDecember 16, 2010.
^ab"Minister Horatio Graves".Plainsview and Hill County History. Plainview Chamber of Commerce. Archived fromthe original on June 18, 2011. RetrievedDecember 16, 2010.
^Turner, Matt Warnock (2009).Remarkable Plants of Texas: Uncommon Accounts of Our Common Natives. University of Texas Press. p. 19.ISBN978-0-292-71851-7.
^Davis, Charles G."Plainview".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Society. RetrievedDecember 16, 2010.
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