Seminole, Texas

Seminole is a city in and the county seat of Gaines County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Seminole had a population of 6,988. Seminole and Gaines County are home to a large population of Low German Mennonites from Russia that came to West Texas in the 1980s. It is the birthplace of country music singers Larry Gatlin and Tanya Tucker. History The land for Seminole was donated by nonresident landowners to become the county seat for Gaines County. In 1906, the first move to Seminole was made by W. B. Austin and his wife Emma, who moved their general store there, which was located in Caput, Texas. During this time, several post offices found a new home in Seminole. Seminole National Bank opened its doors in 1906, followed by First State Bank in 1907. In 1912, Seminole National Bank lost over $3,000 when it was robbed. In 1914, the two banks merged to form First State Bank. In 1950, Seminole's population surpassed Seagraves, Texas, for the first time. In 1977, some 100 families of Plautdietsch-speaking "Russian" Mennonites from Mexico bought land southwest of Seminole to settle there, but faced difficulties with immigration. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed legislation allowing the original 100 families to gain full citizenship. These Mennonites are of German, Flemish and Frisian ancestry and became an ethnoreligious group in the Russian Empire in the 19th century. They migrated from there to Canada in the 1870s and then to Mexico in 1922. In 2016, about 6,000 of these Plautdietsch speakers lived around Seminole. On April 6, 2025, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr flew to Seminole to investigate a measle epidemic and attended the funeral of Daisy Hildebrand, 8. Geography Seminole is located at 32°43′7″N 102°39′00″W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km2), all land. Climate The climate is cold semiarid (Köppen: BSk) affected by elevation with well defined seasons, more extreme and drier than most of the great cities of Texas. The lowest temperature measured in the state of Texas (which tied an 1899 mark set in Tulia) was set in Seminole with −23 °F (−31 °C), recorded on February 8, 1933. Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 census, 6,988 people, 2,471 households, and 1,727 families were residing in the city. The median age was 32.4 years, with 29.4% of residents under the age of 18 and 12.7% aged 65 or older. This relative young population is the result of typical Conservative Mennonite family traditions. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.2 males age 18 and over. One hundred percent of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas. There were 2,471 households in Seminole, of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.3% were married-couple households, 17.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 2,778 housing units, of which 11.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.7%. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, 5,910 people, 2,082 households, and 1,590 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,762.3 inhabitants per square mile (680.4/km2) . The 2,337 housing units had an average density of 696.9 per square mile (269.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 80.64% White, 1.98% African American, 0.98% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 13.52% from other races, and 2.57% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 39.59% of the population. Of the 2,082 households, 41.3% had children under 18 living with them, 61.6% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were not families. About 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.79, and the average family size was 3.28. In the city, the population was distributed as 31.9% under 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,063, and for a family was $36,019. Males had a median income of $31,563 versus $17,010 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,624. About 14.6% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under 18 and 13.4% of those 65 or over. Education and library The City of Seminole is served by the Seminole Independent School District. The Gaines County Library celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008. Notable people Mary Ann Almager, world champion boxer, was born in Seminole Andrew Alvidrez, Professional Bull Rider, was born in Seminole La Costa (born 1951), country music artist and the older sister of Tanya Tucker, was born in Seminole Larry Gatlin, country and gospel music artist, was born in Seminole Tanya Tucker (born 1958), country music artist, the younger sister of La Costa and two-time 2020 Grammy winner (Best Country Album and Best Country Song), was born in Seminole Chris Ogden, An American college basketball coach and former player at Texas, was born in Seminole Notes References