Roberts County, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roberts County
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Roberts County courthouse in Miami
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Location within the U.S. state of Texas
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 Texas's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| Founded | 1889 |
| Named for | John S. Roberts and Oran Milo Roberts |
| Seat | Miami |
| Largest city | Miami |
| Area | |
| • Total | 924 sq mi (2,390 km2) |
| • Land | 924 sq mi (2,390 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2) 0.01% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 827  |
| • Density | 1/sq mi (0.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 13th |
Roberts County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 827, making it the eighth-least populous county in Texas. Its county seat is Miami, which is also the county's only incorporated community. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1889. It is named for Oran Milo Roberts, a governor of Texas. Roberts County is one of four prohibition (entirely dry) counties in the state of Texas.
History
The Plains Apache inhabited the Texas Panhandle until they were displaced by the Comanche who dominated the area until the 1870s. The Comanche hunted the large herds of buffalo, which grazed on the prairie. In the Red River War of 1874–75, United States Army troops led by Ranald S. Mackenzie drove out the Comanches. Simultaneously, buffalo hunters killed the large herds in the area, destroying the food supply and livelihood of the Plains tribes, making way for permanent settlement by Anglo-Americans.
In 1876, Roberts County was carved from the Bexar Territory and the Clay Land District. In 1887, the Southern Kansas Railway was built through Roberts County, and settlers followed.
Roberts County is the scene of a recent battle for water rights, where the City of Amarillo, Texas, the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority, and T. Boone Pickens have sought to purchase the water rights within the county. Between the three, they own 80% of the water rights.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 924 sq mi (2,390 km2), of which 0.1 sq mi (0.26 km2) (0.01%) is covered by water.
The county is relatively flat except for the Canadian River valley. Most of the land is used for cattle ranching. The county contains the 68,000-acre (280 km2) Mesa Vista Ranch, which seeks to protect quail, dove, and pheasant habitat along the creek beds south of the Canadian River.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 60
State Highway 70
Adjacent counties
- Ochiltree County (north)
- Lipscomb County northeast)
- Hemphill County (east)
- Gray County (south)
- Carson County (southwest)
- Hutchinson County (west)
- Hansford County (northwest)
- Wheeler County (southeast)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 32 | — | |
| 1890 | 326 | 918.8% | |
| 1900 | 620 | 90.2% | |
| 1910 | 950 | 53.2% | |
| 1920 | 1,469 | 54.6% | |
| 1930 | 1,457 | −0.8% | |
| 1940 | 1,289 | −11.5% | |
| 1950 | 1,031 | −20.0% | |
| 1960 | 1,075 | 4.3% | |
| 1970 | 967 | −10.0% | |
| 1980 | 1,187 | 22.8% | |
| 1990 | 1,025 | −13.6% | |
| 2000 | 887 | −13.5% | |
| 2010 | 929 | 4.7% | |
| 2020 | 827 | −11.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020 |
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| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White alone (NH) | 850 | 929 | 717 | 95.83% | 90.53% | 86.70% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0.34% | 0.00% | 0.24% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0.00% | 0.32% | 0.24% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.11% | 0.22% | 0.00% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.12% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 5 | 9 | 55 | 0.56% | 0.97% | 6.65% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 28 | 74 | 50 | 3.16% | 7.97% | 6.05% |
| Total | 887 | 929 | 827 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the census of 2000, 887 people, 362 households, and 275 families were residing in the county. The population density was less than 1/km2 (2.6/sq mi). The 449 housing units averaged less than 1 per square mile (0.39/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.51% White, 0.34% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 1.35% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. About 3.16% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 362 households, 31.8% had children under 18 living with them, 70.7% were married couples living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were not families. About 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.45, and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county, the age distribution was 25.0% under 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,792, and for a family was $50,400. Males had a median income of $33,125 versus $23,611 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,923. About 5.00% of families and 7.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.50% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or over.
The largest self-reported ancestry groups in Roberts County, Texas are:
- 23.7% English
- 18.4% German
- 15.2% Irish
- 8.8% American
- 2.0% Scots-Irish
- 1.0% Polish
- 1.0% Russian
- 0.9% Czech
- 0.9% Welsh
- 0.7% Dutch
- 0.5% French
Communities
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Roberts (Texas) para niños
