Crane County
County
Crane County Courthouse in Crane
Crane County Courthouse in Crane
Map of Texas highlighting Crane County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°25′N 102°31′W / 31.41°N 102.52°W / 31.41; -102.52
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1927
Named forWilliam Carey Crane
SeatCrane
Largest cityCrane
Area
 • Total786 sq mi (2,040 km2)
 • Land785 sq mi (2,030 km2)
 • Water0.7 sq mi (2 km2)  0.08%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total4,675
 • Density5.9/sq mi (2.3/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district23rd
Websitewww.co.crane.tx.us
Road to Castle Gap between Crane and McCamey, Texas
Graves at Crane County Cemetery off U.S. Route 385

Crane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,675.[1][2] The county seat is Crane.[3] The county was created in 1887 and later organized in 1927.[4] It was named for William Carey Crane, a president of Southern Baptist-affiliated Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

History

Native Americans

Indigenous peoples were the first inhabitants of the area. Later Indian tribes included Comanches, Lipan Apache, and Kiowa.[5]

County establishment and growth

Crane County was formed in 1887 from Tom Green County, and named after William Carey Crane, former president of Baylor University. Settlement came years later, and the county was not organized until 1927. In 1900, the United States census enumerated only 51 people and 12 ranches in the county. As late as 1918, the county had no roads.[6]

Church and Fields Exploration Company obtained a permit late in 1925 to drill for oil. The first well came in March 1926.[7]

By 1927, an estimated 6,000 people were in the county, with 4,500 of them within the city of Crane.[8] Water was trucked in and brought from $1.00 to $2.25 a barrel, though at times the rates could be as high as $5.00 a barrel. A barrel of drinking water would typically last a month if used judiciously, and barrels of nonpotable water were available for cleaning and washing purposes. Crane City was incorporated in the early 1930s, and with that came state funds for the building of a city water system. At the same time, the Texas Rangers were working to clean up oil towns, and the population in Crane began to include more families. As such, numerous raids by law enforcement closed the red light district centered on Alford Street. By the beginning of 1991, almost 1,552,324,000 barrels (246,799,800 m3) of oil had been produced in the county since discovery in 1926.

County history is preserved in the Museum of the Desert Southwest, which opened in Crane in 1980.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 786 sq mi (2,040 km2), of which 785 sq mi (2,030 km2) are land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (0.08%) is covered by water.[9]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
189015—
190051240.0%
1910331549.0%
192037−88.8%
19302,2215,902.7%
19402,84127.9%
19503,96539.6%
19604,69918.5%
19704,172−11.2%
19804,60010.3%
19904,6521.1%
20003,996−14.1%
20104,3759.5%
20204,6756.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1850–2010[11] 2010[12] 2020[13]
Crane County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[12] Pop 2020[13] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 1,761 1,342 40.25% 28.71%
Black or African American alone (NH) 122 70 2.79% 1.50%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 34 14 0.78% 0.30%
Asian alone (NH) 13 22 0.30% 0.47%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 10 1 0.23% 0.02%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 26 68 0.59% 1.45%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2,409 3,158 55.06% 67.55%
Total 4,375 4,675 100.00% 100.00%

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 can be of any race.

As of the census[14] of 2000, 3,996 people, 1,360 households, and 1,082 families resided in the county. The population density was five people per square mile (1.9 people/km2). The 1,596 housing units averaged two units per square mile (0.77 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 73.70% White, 2.90% Black or African American, 0.98% Native American, 0.35%, 19.49% from other races, and 2.58% from two or more races. About 43.87% of the population were Hispanic/Latino of any race.

Of the 1,360 households, 43.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.80% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.40% were not families. About 18.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91, and the average family size was 3.35.

In the county, the population was distributed as 31.90% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 10.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,194, and for a family was $36,820. Males had a median income of $33,438 versus $16,806 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,374. About 12.40% of families and 13.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.30% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The largest segment of the local economy is oil and gas production. The Waddell Ranch contains the single biggest portion of the Permian Basin Royalty Trust, with over 800 producing oil wells as of 2007. Crane County is one of the largest oil-producing counties in Texas, with a total of 1.5 billion barrels (240,000,000 m3) of oil pumped since oil was first discovered there. Cattle ranching and local government are other large employers; over 503,000 acres (2,040 km2) of land are used for livestock grazing.[6]

Communities

Education

All of the county is in the Crane Independent School District.[15]

All of the county is in the service area of Odessa College.[16]

Politics

Crane County has been dominated by the Republican Party since 1972.

United States presidential election results for Crane County, Texas[17]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 1,247 82.97% 241 16.03% 15 1.00%
2016 1,049 75.79% 299 21.60% 36 2.60%
2012 985 76.77% 275 21.43% 23 1.79%
2008 1,119 76.96% 319 21.94% 16 1.10%
2004 1,314 83.48% 254 16.14% 6 0.38%
2000 1,246 75.33% 387 23.40% 21 1.27%
1996 984 54.21% 616 33.94% 215 11.85%
1992 918 49.76% 514 27.86% 413 22.38%
1988 1,219 67.05% 596 32.78% 3 0.17%
1984 1,473 78.60% 392 20.92% 9 0.48%
1980 1,310 67.15% 607 31.11% 34 1.74%
1976 963 57.32% 664 39.52% 53 3.15%
1972 1,123 73.78% 349 22.93% 50 3.29%
1968 493 28.95% 498 29.24% 712 41.81%
1964 637 40.86% 919 58.95% 3 0.19%
1960 678 43.24% 848 54.08% 42 2.68%
1956 626 46.44% 707 52.45% 15 1.11%
1952 621 41.73% 857 57.59% 10 0.67%
1948 70 7.60% 812 88.17% 39 4.23%
1944 58 9.08% 552 86.38% 29 4.54%
1940 68 7.69% 815 92.19% 1 0.11%
1936 25 3.86% 622 96.14% 0 0.00%
1932 37 8.15% 416 91.63% 1 0.22%
1928 127 44.41% 159 55.59% 0 0.00%

See also

References

  1. ↑ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Crane County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Crane County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  5. ↑ Newcomb Jr, W W (1972). "From Foot to Horse". The Indians of Texas: From Prehistoric to Modern Times. University of Texas Press. pp. 85–102. ISBN 978-0-292-78425-3.
  6. 1 2 Leffler, John. "Crane County, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  7. ↑ Warner, C.A.; Thompson, Ernest O (2007). Texas Oil & Gas Since 1543. Copano Bay Press. p. 295. ISBN 978-0-9767799-5-7.
  8. ↑ Texas Escapes, Crane
  9. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Decennial Census by Decade". US Census Bureau.
  11. ↑ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  12. 1 2 "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Crane County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  13. 1 2 "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Crane County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  14. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  15. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Crane County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022. - Text list
  16. ↑ Texas Education Code, Section 130.193, "Odessa College District Service Area".
  17. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 21, 2018.

31°25′N 102°31′W / 31.41°N 102.52°W / 31.41; -102.52

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