Randall County, Texas

Randall County, Texas
Randall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 140,753. Its county seat is Canyon. The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1889. It is named for Horace Randal, a Confederate brigadier general killed at the Battle of Jenkins Ferry. The reason the county name differs from his is because the bill creating the county misspelled Randal's name.
Randall County, alongside adjacent Potter County is part of the Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
At one time, the large JA Ranch, founded by Charles Goodnight and John George Adair, which reached into six counties, held acreage in Randall County.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is covered by water.
Palo Duro Canyon, the second-largest canyon in the United States, is located in Randall County.
Major highways
Interstate 27
U.S. Highway 60
U.S. Highway 87
State Highway 217
Loop 335
Adjacent counties
Potter County (north)
Oldham County (northwest)
Armstrong County (east)
Carson County (northeast)
Swisher County (south)
Briscoe County (southeast)
Castro County (southwest)
Deaf Smith County (west)
National protected area
Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Demographics
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 of 2000, 104,312 people, 41,240 households, and 28,785 families resided in the county. The population density was . The 43,261 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 90.44% White, 1.50% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.71% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. About 10.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 41,240 households, 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were not families; 25.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49, and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county, the population was distributed as 26.10% under the age of 18, 11.20% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,712, and for a family was $52,420. Males had a median income of $36,333 versus $25,358 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,840. About 5.70% of families and 8.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.50% of those under age 18 and 6.60% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Although once more Democratic-leaning, the county has become solidly Republican. The Republican candidate has carried the county in every presidential election since 1952, usually by overwhelming margins. In the last thirteen elections, no Republican candidate has received less than 61% of the county's vote, and since 2000, Randall has been the nation's most Republican "metropolitan" county outside of predominantly Mormon counties in Utah.
Randall County was one of the more than 200 counties in Texas to cast the majority of its votes for Republican John McCain. McCain received 41,895 votes, which was 81% of the total, while Democrat Barack Obama received 9,461 votes, or 18% of the total, far below his national percentage.
Communities
Cities
Amarillo (partly in Potter County)
Canyon (county seat)
Towns
Happy (mostly in Swisher County)
Villages
Lake Tanglewood
Palisades
Timbercreek Canyon
Unincorporated communities
Ogg
Umbarger
Zita
Ghost towns
Cita
Education
School districts include:
Amarillo Independent School District
Bushland Independent School District
Canyon Independent School District
Happy Independent School District
Wildorado Independent School District
All of the county is in the service area of Amarillo College.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Randall County, Texas
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Randall County
References
External links
Randall County government’s website
Randall County TX Genealogy
Randall County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas
Historic Randall County materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
http://www.city-data.com/county/Randall_County-TX.html
Randall County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties
List of museums in the Texas Panhandle
National Register of Historic Places listings in Randall County, Texas
Texas State Historical Association | Randall County (tshaonline.org)
1889 establishments in Texas
Populated places established in 1889
Texas Panhandle