Deaf Smith County, Texas

History The county was named for Erasmus "Deaf" Smith[?] (1787-1837), a hearing impaired scout and soldier who served in the Texas Revolution. He was the first to reach the Alamo after its fall.

This county was also selected as an alternate site for a possible nuclear waste disposal repository but was later dropped as an official alternate site after funding was shifted to Yucca Mountain.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,880 km² (1,498 mi²). 3,878 km² (1,497 mi²) of it is land and 2 km² (1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.06% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 18,561 people, 6,180 households, and 4,832 families residing in the county. The population density is 5/km² (12/mi²). There are 6,914 housing units at an average density of 2/km² (5/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 72.28% White, 1.51% African American, 0.80% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 22.92% from other races, and 2.11% from two or more races. 57.40% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 6,180 households out of which 41.00% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.00% are married couples living together, 12.60% have a female householder with no husband present, and 21.80% are non-families. 19.70% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.00% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.96 and the average family size is 3.41.

In the county, the population is spread out with 33.30% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 25.50% from 25 to 44, 19.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $29,601, and the median income for a family is $32,391. Males have a median income of $26,090 versus $19,113 for females. The per capita income for the county is $13,119. 20.60% of the population and 19.30% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 26.30% are under the age of 18 and 15.70% are 65 or older.

Cities and Towns

• Hereford

External Links

• Biography of Erasmus "Deaf" Smith (http://www.lsjunction.com/people/smith.htm)