Comanche County, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Comanche County
U.S. county
The Comanche County Courthouse in Comanche
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1856
Named for	Comanche tribe
Seat	Comanche
Largest city	Comanche
Area
• Total	948 sq mi (2,460 km²)
• Land	938 sq mi (2,430 km²)
• Water	9.9 sq mi (26 km²) 1.0%
Population (2020)
• Total	13,594
• Density	14.340/sq mi (5.5366/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	25th

Comanche County is a county located in Central Texas, on a high area called the Edwards Plateau. In 2020, about 13,594 people lived here. The main town and county seat is Comanche. The county was started in 1856 and is named after the Comanche Native American tribe, who were among the first people to live in this area.

History of Comanche County
Geography
- Neighboring Counties
People of Comanche County (Demographics)
Getting Around (Transportation)
- Main Roads
- Airport
News and Media
Communities
Education
See also

History of Comanche County

Early Days and Founding

The Comanche Native American tribe were some of the first people to live in this region. In 1854, a group led by Jesse M. Mercer started a new community near what would become Newburg. This area was part of lands given by Mexico to early Texas settlers like Stephen F. Austin. The first log house in the county was built by Frank M. Collier.

In 1856, the Texas government officially created Comanche County. It was formed from parts of Coryell and Bosque counties. The first county seat was a place called Cora. However, in 1859, the town of Comanche became the new county seat. By 1860, about 709 people lived in the county.

Growth and Changes

Newspapers started in the county, with the Comanche Chief beginning in 1873. A famous geologist named Robert T. Hill even worked on this newspaper for a time.

In 1885, the Texas Central Railroad began running through Comanche County. This was a big deal because it helped farmers and ranchers send their goods, like cattle and cotton, to markets.

Cotton became a very important crop in the county by 1890. However, a small insect called the boll weevil caused a lot of damage to the cotton farms for about 30 years. Because of this, farmers started looking for other crops. In 1907, they began trying to grow peanuts.

Oil was discovered in a town called Desdemona in 1910, which led to an "oil boom" in the county. The busiest year for oil production was 1920. Around this time, more than 70,000 fruit trees were also grown in the county.

Modern Times

In the early 1950s, the county faced a very bad drought. People even tried to make it rain! To help with water supply and prevent floods, Proctor Lake was built in 1963.

Comanche County became a major peanut-producing area. By 1982, it was ranked second in Texas for peanut production, growing over 45 million pounds!

A person from Comanche County named Jim Reese became the mayor of Odessa from 1968 to 1974. He also tried to become a member of Congress.

Geography

Comanche County covers about 948 square miles. Most of this area is land (938 square miles), and a small part is water (about 9.9 square miles). The county is located about 60 miles north of the very center of Texas.

A notable feature in the county is Proctor Lake, which is important for water and recreation.

Neighboring Counties

Comanche County shares its borders with several other counties:

Erath County (to the northeast)
Hamilton County (to the southeast)
Mills County (to the south)
Brown County (to the southwest)
Eastland County (to the northwest)

People of Comanche County (Demographics)

In 2020, the population of Comanche County was 13,594 people. The county has a mix of different backgrounds, with people of various races and ethnicities living together.

The average household in 2000 had about 2.48 people, and the average family had about 2.98 people. About 29.8% of households had children under 18 living with them.

The median age in the county in 2000 was 40 years old. This means half the people were younger than 40 and half were older. About 25.3% of the population was under 18, and 20.3% was 65 or older.