# Lajitas, Texas

Lajitas is an unincorporated community in Brewster County, Texas, United States, near the Big Bend National Park. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 75 in 2010.

## History

The settlement is named after the Boquillas flagstone found in the area. "Lajitas" translates to "little flat rocks" in Spanish.
Starting in the 1980s as a joke, for many years the purported mayor of Lajitas was Clay Henry III, a "beer-drinking" goat. After two replacements of the original Clay Henry, the trading post and stable where the actual mayor lived is now closed and the goat no longer resides there. The election included incumbent human mayor Tommy Steele, as well as a trading post wooden Indian, and a dog named Buster. Since Clay Henry, goats have been mayors of the community ever since.

## Geography

Lajitas is located on the eastern end of the Big Bend Ranch State Park. It is located on a bluff overlooking the Rio Grande at San Carlos ford of the old Comanche Trail, in the northern part of the Chihuahuan Desert in southwestern Brewster County. It is also located 95 mi (153 km) south of Alpine and 50 mi (80 km) east of Presidio.
Columnar basalt that is similar to that of the Devils Postpile National Monument in California can be found in a high desert dry river falls area just north of Lajitas.

### Climate

Lajitas has a hot arid climate with very hot summers and mild winters.
Climate data for Lajitas, Texas, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1978–present :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 89 (32) | 98 (37) | 103 (39) | 109 (43) | 115 (46) | 115 (46) | 113 (45) | 113 (45) | 110 (43) | 104 (40) | 97 (36) | 92 (33) | 115 (46) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 83.5 (28.6) | 89.9 (32.2) | 95.5 (35.3) | 101.5 (38.6) | 107.8 (42.1) | 110.8 (43.8) | 108.5 (42.5) | 106.3 (41.3) | 104.0 (40.0) | 99.7 (37.6) | 90.1 (32.3) | 83.0 (28.3) | 111.4 (44.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 67.9 (19.9) | 74.0 (23.3) | 82.0 (27.8) | 90.3 (32.4) | 97.5 (36.4) | 102.4 (39.1) | 100.6 (38.1) | 99.6 (37.6) | 94.7 (34.8) | 88.1 (31.2) | 76.4 (24.7) | 68.1 (20.1) | 86.8 (30.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 50.5 (10.3) | 55.9 (13.3) | 63.7 (17.6) | 72.1 (22.3) | 80.9 (27.2) | 87.9 (31.1) | 87.4 (30.8) | 86.4 (30.2) | 81.1 (27.3) | 72.0 (22.2) | 59.5 (15.3) | 50.7 (10.4) | 70.7 (21.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 33.0 (0.6) | 37.9 (3.3) | 45.4 (7.4) | 53.9 (12.2) | 64.3 (17.9) | 73.4 (23.0) | 74.3 (23.5) | 73.2 (22.9) | 67.5 (19.7) | 55.9 (13.3) | 42.7 (5.9) | 33.3 (0.7) | 54.6 (12.5) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 23.1 (−4.9) | 26.2 (−3.2) | 32.5 (0.3) | 41.1 (5.1) | 51.4 (10.8) | 64.7 (18.2) | 68.4 (20.2) | 66.8 (19.3) | 56.9 (13.8) | 41.2 (5.1) | 30.1 (−1.1) | 21.6 (−5.8) | 19.3 (−7.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 12 (−11) | 5 (−15) | 19 (−7) | 29 (−2) | 35 (2) | 59 (15) | 61 (16) | 53 (12) | 47 (8) | 27 (−3) | 21 (−6) | 4 (−16) | 4 (−16) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.36 (9.1) | 0.24 (6.1) | 0.30 (7.6) | 0.31 (7.9) | 0.88 (22) | 1.28 (33) | 1.86 (47) | 1.22 (31) | 1.32 (34) | 0.90 (23) | 0.37 (9.4) | 0.25 (6.4) | 9.29 (236.5) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.4 (1.0) | 0.5 (1.25) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 2.1 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 6.3 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 37.7 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Source 1: NOAA ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service ||||||||||||||

## Economy

The Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa is a 20,000-acre golf resort business in Lajitas owned by Texas businessman Kelcy Warren, who bought the resort from previous owner Steve Smith while the business was going through financial distress. It is located on the Rio Grande, bordering Mexico, between Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. The Robert E. Lee on Traveller statue is on display at the resort.

## Education

Lajitas is zoned to schools in the Terlingua Common School District. In 1912, Lajitas had a school with 50 students.

## Media

In the 1970s the community had one telephone, and newspapers were delivered one day later than their normal dates. Additionally, there were no televisions, the latter a rarity among communities in the decade.
Frank Q. Dobbs directed his first film, Enter the Devil, in Lajitas in 1972.

## Infrastructure
### Airport

Due to the remoteness of the resort, Lajitas is served by the Lajitas International Airport, a private airport with a 6,503-foot (1,982 m) concrete runway. There is regular service between Lajitas and Dallas Love Field on JSX.

### Military bases

The 90th Fighter Squadron of the United States Army Border Air Patrol had a sector that traveled to Lajitas from Eagle Pass. The 11th Bomb Squadron operated from Marfa Field along the Rio Grande to El Paso.