List of fatal dog attacks in the United States
Fatalities in 2015
Table:
Date
Location
Victim's name
Victim's age
Category of dog
Circumstances

January 7

Frederick, Maryland

Eugene Smith

87 years

Pit bull

The man died after suffering bites to his head and left arm from his son's dog. He was taking down a Christmas tree when the dog attacked him.[355]

January 19

Brooksville, Florida

Declan Moss

1½ years

pit bull (2)

Playing on his family's porch when the family's two dogs attacked. His grandfather tried to pull the dogs off, but when the ambulance arrived, he was already dead. Before the attack, the two dogs had played with Declan since they were puppies and they had never shown any aggression. After the attack, the two dogs were removed by animal control.[356]

January 22

College Springs, Iowa

Malaki Mildward

7 years

pit bull mix (2)

Playing in his yard with the six-month-old dogs[357] — a 25-pound female and a 35-pound male — as he had done with no problems since they were small puppies. There were no witnesses; relatives came outside and found him unresponsive. The dogs stood calmly by while EMTs tried to revive him. They were calm and friendly as they were taken away until they along with the family's third dog were put down, just as they had reportedly always been with everyone before the attack.[358] When his father sold their litter-mates, he described them as "pitbull English bulldog-types." Malaki was pronounced dead 50 minutes after the attack. No charges were filed.

February 4

Coal Hill, Arkansas

Fredrick Crutchfield

63 years

unknown (3)

Found dead by a family member.[359]

February 22

West Mifflin, Pennsylvania

TayLynn DeVaughn

2 years

pit bull mix

The family had been staying with the residents for days and the dog had shown no sign of aggression. At about 8:45 p.m. the dog suddenly bit her face and shook her, killing her very quickly.[360] She was pronounced dead at the hospital; the dog was euthanized, and no charges were filed.[361]

March 8

Ohio County, West Virginia

Roy Higgenbotham Jr.

63 years

pit bull

Victim was killed while trying to revive his roommate, the dog's owner, from a heart attack. A woman who witnessed the attack was found hiding from the dog on the roof. The dog was not registered with the city, despite ordinance requiring all pit bulls in the city be registered. Both men were pronounced dead at a local hospital.[362] The dog was ultimately sent to a Pennsylvania rescue.[363]

March 12

Sulphur Springs, Texas

Betty Wood

78 years

Rottweiler

Found dead by her daughter in the home where she lived alone. Investigation concluded she had been killed by the dog that she had owned for five years. The dog was scheduled to be destroyed and tested for rabies.[364]

March 14

Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota

Julia Charging Whirlwind

49 years

Pack of reservation dogs

The woman was attacked early in the morning near her property. The sheriff arrived and shot and killed the dogs.[365]

March 21

Jefferson County, Arkansas

De'Trick Johnson

38 years

pit bull (7 or 8)

Arrived at a garage for a car repair appointment, when seven guard dogs got under the fence and attacked him. He ran and got on the roof of his car, but was not saved. Police arrived and tazed a dog, but it had no effect, so he shot it dead. Animal control tried a tranquilizer gun on another, but that failed, so three more were shot dead, one escaped, and animal control captured and euthanized two. Before the attack, reports had been filed with the police about the dogs. After the attack, the escaped dog returned to the garage, showed aggression towards a deputy and was shot. An eighth dog found on the property that had not participated in the attack was captured.[366][367] The owner pleaded guilty to a felony manslaughter charge on April 1, 2016.[368]

March 31

Washington, Georgia

Neta Lee Adams

81 years

unknown

The woman's body was found in a ditch and autopsy determined she had died from a dog attack.[369]

April 14

Pahrump, Nevada

Kenneth Ford

79 years

pit bull (3)

The victim went to his neighbor's two-home property to feed his cats when a tenant's three dogs jumped the six foot fence and attacked him. Two men ran to help the screaming victim and the dogs attacked them. The men were able to drag the victim next door and close the gate, but the pit bulls found a hole in the fence and resumed the attack. The dogs had chewed off the victim's left hand and his face, leaving an eye hanging out. One of the men got a gun and shot two of the three pit bulls, but the dogs continued attacking, undeterred, until police and EMS arrived, at which point the dogs fled. Authorities arrested the dogs' owner immediately. The victim was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition and died a month later. Both assisting men were seriously injured; one spent 23 days in hospital. The three dogs were caught and put down. The dogs had a history of aggression and being at large. Ricky Davidson, 40, tenant of the neighbor's house, pleaded guilty to one count of reckless endangerment, a gross misdemeanor. Davidson was sentenced to 364 days in jail in connection to the death of Kenneth Ford. The sentence also included other dog-related and drug-related charges against Davidson that were bundled together in plea negotiations.[370][371][372][373]

April 19

Dallas, Texas

Brayden Lamar Wilson

10 weeks

pit bull

Victim was killed by his family's dog. The child was sitting in a bouncing seat while the parents were outside. The victim's two older siblings had grown up playing and sleeping with the 8-year old dog. The father shot the dog after the incident.[374]

May 2

Canyon Lake, Texas

Gaege Anthony Ramirez

7 years

Unspecified (5)

Mauled to death by up to five dogs while visiting friends.[375]

May 24

Rochester, New York

Anthony Wind

26 years

Rottweiler

Victim was mauled to death by his girlfriend's dog which allegedly assisted the victim when he had epileptic seizures. The dog, however, had previously attacked the victim four times, injuring both ears. Three of those incidents were reported.[376][377][378]

May 25

Chicago, Illinois

James Nevils III

5 years

pit bull or Dogo Argentino

Boy was killed by his cousin's dog while visiting his home. The cousin was not at home at the time of the attack. The dog latched onto the boy's throat and the child's mother dragged the dog and child outside to get help. Several witnesses intervened and beat the dog with sticks and bricks and also stabbed it, trying to get the dog to let go of the boy. Once the dog let go, they beat the dog to death. The cousin was cited with two tickets for not having the dog inoculated for rabies and not having a city license.[379][380][381][382]

June 28

Lawton, Oklahoma

Jordan Collins-Tyson

3 years old

pit bull

Killed by dog while under the care of his babysitter. The dog fatally bit the boy's throat. Police said the child had been around the dog before without any problems.[383]

July 2

Pecos, Texas

Norberto Legarda

83 years old

pit bull (3)

Victim was attacked and killed by three dogs belonging to his daughter's next door neighbor while feeding his daughter's Labrador Retriever. The neighbor's dogs somehow entered into the backyard and began attacking Legarda and the Labrador. When police arrived, the dogs were still attacking the Labrador and a man was lying in the backyard. Police had to pepper spray and Taser the pit bulls to reach the injured man. Shortly thereafter, Legarda was pronounced dead.[384][385][386]

July 7

Hendersonville, North Carolina

Joshua Strother

6 years

pit bull

Killed by a dog belonging to his neighbor, who had adopted the neutered male pit bull from the Asheville Humane Society three weeks earlier. The attack occurred after Joshua climbed the fence to enter his neighbor's yard. Joshua had been climbing over the fence to visit the dog since its arrival, as well to play with his neighbor's young daughter.[387]

July 12

Shaker Heights, Ohio

Annie Williams

71 years

pit bull

Attacked and killed by a dog that had escaped from the back yard just after she exited her car in a residential neighborhood. Annie was picking up her two great granddaughters from a home in Shaker Heights, where they were with their father, when the dog belonging to someone living in the home attacked her in the driveway.[388] The dog's owner pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. His mother pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and received a six-month suspended jail sentence.[389]

July 24

Redbird, Oklahoma

Carolyn Lamp

67 years

pit bull (3), Rottweiler (1)

The victim was killed by up to four dogs. Witnesses said she was walking down South Main Street in the small town of Redbird when the animals attacked. One man chased the dogs away, but it was too late. The dogs attacked the woman's face and ripped off all of her clothing. Witnesses said she was left unrecognizable. She died on scene.

Taking into account the tabular data together with the supporting evidence below.

Respond to the question below: What purpose was the category of dog developed for that has the location that is the city with the highest population in the U.S. state of Illinois ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Use only the information given.

Frederick is a city in , and the county seat , of Frederick County in the U.S. state of Maryland . It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area . Frederick has long been an important crossroads , located at the intersection of a major north-south Indian trail and east-west routes to the Chesapeake Bay , both at Baltimore and what became Washington , D.C. and across the Appalachian mountains to the Ohio River watershed . It is a part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria , DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area , which is part of a greater Washington-Baltimore-Arlington , DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area . The city 's population was 65,239 people at the 2010 United States Census , making it the second-largest incorporated city in Maryland , behind Baltimore . Frederick is home to Frederick Municipal Airport ( IATA : FDK ) , which accommodates general aviation , and to the county 's largest employer U.S. Army 's Fort Detrick bioscience/communications research installation .
Pit bull is the common name for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers . The pit bull-type is particularly ambiguous , as it encompasses a range of pedigree breeds , informal types and appearances that can not be reliably identified . Formal breeds often considered to be of the pit bull-type include the American Pit Bull Terrier , American Staffordshire Terrier , American Bully , and Staffordshire Bull Terrier . The American Bulldog is also sometimes included . Mixed-breed dogs which physically resemble these breeds often get labelled as pit bulls by shelters . Many of these breeds were originally developed as fighting dogs from crossbreeding bull-baiting dogs ( used to hold the faces and heads of larger animals such as bulls ) and terriers . After the use of dogs in blood sports was banned , such dogs were used as catch dogs in the United States for semi-wild cattle and hogs , to hunt and drive livestock , and as family companions . Despite dog fighting now being illegal in the United States , it still exists as an underground activity , and pit bulls are a common type used . According to the American Veterinary Medical Association , owners of pit bull-type dogs deal with a strong breed stigma ; however , controlled studies have not identified this breed group as disproportionately dangerous . Because owners of stigmatized breeds are more likely to have involvement in criminal or violent acts , breed correlations may have the owner 's behavior as the underlying causal factor . Some jurisdictions have enacted legislation banning the group of breeds , and some insurance companies do not cover liability from pit bull bites . Among other roles , pit bulls have served as police dogs , search and rescue dogs , and several have appeared on film .
Brooksville is a city in and the county seat of Hernando County , Florida , United States . As of the 2010 census it had a population of 7,719 , up from 7,264 at the 2000 census . It is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater , Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . Brooksville , previously Pierceville , took on its present name in 1856 , to honor and show support for Preston Brooks , a pro-slavery congressman from South Carolina who caned and seriously injured Massachusetts Senator and abolitionist Charles Sumner . Brooksville is home to historic buildings and residences , including the homes of former Florida Governor William Sherman Jennings and football player Jerome Brown .
An animal control service or animal control agency is an entity charged with responding to requests for help with animals ranging from wild animals , dangerous animals , or animals in distress . An individual who works for such an entity was once known as a dog catcher , but is generally now called an animal control officer , and may be an employee or a contractor - commonly employed by a municipality , county , shire , or other subnational government area .
College Springs is a city in Page County , Iowa , United States . The population was 214 at the 2010 census .
Emergency medical technician ( EMT ) and ambulance technician are terms used in some countries to denote an entry level health care provider of emergency medical services . EMTs are clinicians , trained to respond quickly to emergency situations regarding medical issues , traumatic injuries and accident scenes . Not all ambulance personnel are EMTs however , and the term is sometimes used informally to refer to ambulance personnel in-general . In English-speaking countries , there is an official distinction between EMTs and paramedics , in which paramedics have additional educational requirements , qualifications , and scope of practice .
Coal Hill is a city in Johnson County , Arkansas , United States . The population was 1,012 at the 2010 census .
West Mifflin is a borough in Allegheny County , Pennsylvania , United States , located southeast of downtown Pittsburgh . The population was 20,313 at the 2010 census . It is named after Thomas Mifflin , 1st Governor of Pennsylvania , signer of the United States Constitution , and 1st Quartermaster General of the United States Army . Although the borough is heavily residential , it is home to one of America 's oldest traditional amusement parks , Kennywood Park . Other employers include advanced naval nuclear propulsion technology research and development facility , Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory ; monorail manufacturer Bombardier ; US Steel 's Mon Valley Works-Irvin Plant ; Community College of Allegheny County 's South Campus ; and the Allegheny County Airport .
Ohio County is a county located in the Northern Panhandle of the U.S. state of West Virginia . As of the 2010 census , the population was 44,443 . Its county seat is Wheeling . The county was formed in 1776 from the District of West Augusta , Virginia . It was named for the Ohio River , which forms its western boundary . West Liberty ( formerly Black 's Cabin ) was designated as the county seat in 1777 , serving to 1797 . Ohio County is part of the Wheeling , WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area .
Sulphur Springs is a city and the county seat of Hopkins County , Texas , in the United States . As of the 2010 census , the population was 15,449 . Sulphur Springs is located along the western edge of Northeast Texas .
The Rottweiler ( /ˈrɒtwaɪlər/ , UK also /-vaɪlər/ ) is a breed of domestic dog , regarded as medium-to-large or large . The dogs were known in German as Rottweiler Metzgerhund , meaning Rottweil butchers ' dogs , because their main use was to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered meat to market . This continued until the mid-19th century when railways replaced droving . Although still used to herd stock in many parts of the world , Rottweilers are now also used as search and rescue dogs , as guard dogs , and as police dogs .
The Rosebud Indian Reservation ( RIR ) is an Indian reservation in South Dakota , United States . It is the home of the federally recognized Sicangu Oyate ( the Upper Brulé Sioux Nation ) - also known as Sicangu Lakota , and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe ( RST ) , a branch of the Lakota people . The Lakota name Sicangu Oyate translates into English as Burnt Thigh Nation ; the French term Brulé Sioux is also used . The Rosebud Indian Reservation was established in 1889 after the United States ' partition of the Great Sioux Reservation . Created in 1868 by the Treaty of Fort Laramie , the Great Sioux Reservation originally covered all of West River , South Dakota ( the area west of the Missouri River ) , as well as part of northern Nebraska and eastern Montana . The reservation includes all of Todd County , South Dakota , and communities and lands in the four adjacent counties .
Pack is a social group of conspecific canids . Not all species of canids form packs ; for example , small canids like the red fox do not . Pack size and social behaviour within packs varies across species .
Rez dog ( or reservation dog ) is usually a term for outdoor , stray , and feral dogs living on Indian reservations in the United States and Canada . The term has taken on many connotations , and has to some extent become an emblem of and metaphor for reservations , reservation life , and Native Americans in general . For example , a rez dog may refer to a Native American resident of a reservation . The distinction between a reservation dog and American dogs in general is often seen as emblematic as the difference between First Nation and majority culture way of life . Untended dogs roaming First Nation reservations and other rural First Nation communities cause problems that the communities must deal with . They are generally thought of as mixed-breed and unsupervised .
Jefferson County , Arkansas is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas in the area known as the Arkansas Delta , that extends west of the Mississippi River . As of the 2010 census , the population was 77,435 . Its county seat and largest city is Pine Bluff . Jefferson County is Arkansas 's 21st county , formed on November 2 , 1829 , from portions of Arkansas and Pulaski counties , and named for Thomas Jefferson , third President of the United States . Jefferson County is included in the Pine Bluff , Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area . The county is bisected by the Arkansas River , which was critical to its development and long the chief transportation byway .
A guard dog or watchdog ( not to be confused with an attack dog ) is a dog used to guard property against , and watch for , unwanted or unexpected human or animal intruders . The dog is discerning so that it does not annoy or attack the house resident people .
A Taser /ˈteɪzər/ is a brand of conducted electrical weapon sold by Axon , formerly Taser International . It fires two small barbed darts intended to puncture the skin and remain attached to the target . The darts are connected to the main unit by thin insulated copper wire and deliver a modulated electric current designed to disrupt voluntary control of muscles , causing neuromuscular incapacitation . The effects of a Taser may only be localized pain or strong involuntary long muscle contractions , based on the mode of use and connectivity of the darts . The Taser is marketed as less-lethal since the possibility of serious injury or death exists whenever the weapon is deployed . The Taser was introduced as a less-lethal force option for police to use to subdue fleeing , belligerent , or potentially dangerous people , who would have otherwise been subjected to more lethal force options such as firearms . A 2009 report by the Police Executive Research Forum in the United States found that police officer injuries dropped by 76% in large law enforcement agencies that deployed Tasers in the first decade of the 21st century compared with those that did not use them at all . Taser International and its CEO Rick Smith have claimed that unspecified police surveys show that the device has saved 75,000 lives through 2011 . A more recent academic study suggested police use of conducted electrical weapons in the United States was less risky to police officers than hands-on tactics and showed officer injury rates equal to use of chemical sprays like oleoresin capsicum . However , when police combined conducted electrical weapons with use of other weapons , officers were four or five times more likely to be injured than when using a baton or chemical spray .
A tranquillizer gun ( also spelled tranquilizer gun or tranquilliser gun ) , capture gun or dart gun , is a non-lethal air gun often used for incapacitating animal targets via drugs usually referred as tranquilizers . These guns shoot darts with a hypodermic needle tip , filled with a dose of tranquilizer solution that is either sedative , comatosing or paralytic , which once injected will temporarily impair the target 's physical function to a level that allows it to be approached and handled in an unresisting and thus safe manner . Tranquillizer guns have a long history of use to stun wildlife and criminals when they are in a place where they pose a threat to others and themselves without having to kill the animal or individual , or used to capture wildlife risking serious injuries to both the hunter and the target . They are also used for recreation . Tranquillizer darts can also be fired by crossbow or breath-powered blowgun .
Washington is the county seat of Wilkes County , Georgia , United States . Under its original name Heard 's Fort , it was briefly designated as the state capital during the American Revolutionary War . It is noted as the place where the Confederacy voted to dissolve itself , effectively ending the American Civil War . The population was 4,134 as of the 2010 census . The city is often referred to as Washington-Wilkes , to distinguish it from other places named Washington .
Pahrump ( /pəˈrʌmp/ ) is an unincorporated town in Nye County , Nevada , United States , about 62 miles west of Las Vegas , Nevada . Pahrump lies near the Nevada-California border and the area had a 2010 population of 36,441 .
Dallas ( /ˈdæləs/ ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and seat of Dallas County , with portions extending into Collin , Denton , Kaufman and Rockwall counties . With an estimated 2018 population of 1,345,076 , it is the ninth most-populous city in the U.S. and third in Texas after Houston and San Antonio . Located in North Texas , the city of Dallas is the main core of the largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States and the largest inland metropolitan area in the U.S. that lacks any navigable link to the sea . [ a ] It is the most populous city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex , the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country at 7.5 million people . Dallas and nearby Fort Worth were initially developed due to the construction of major railroad lines through the area allowing access to cotton , cattle and later oil in North and East Texas . The construction of the Interstate Highway System reinforced Dallas 's prominence as a transportation hub , with four major interstate highways converging in the city and a fifth interstate loop around it . Dallas then developed as a strong industrial and financial center and a major inland port , due to the convergence of major railroad lines , interstate highways and the construction of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport , one of the largest and busiest airports in the world . In addition , Dallas has DART ( Dallas Area Rapid Transit ) with different colored train lines that transport throughout the metroplex . Dominant sectors of its diverse economy include defense , financial services , information technology , telecommunications , and transportation . Dallas is home to 9 Fortune 500 companies within the city limits . The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex hosts additional Fortune 500 companies , including American Airlines ( Fort Worth ) and ExxonMobil ( Irving ) . Over 41 colleges and universities are located within its metropolitan area , which is the most of any metropolitan area in Texas .
Canyon Lake is a census-designated place ( CDP ) in Comal County , Texas , United States . The population was 21,262 at the 2010 census . It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area . The Canyon Lake CDP includes a number of small , unincorporated communities surrounding Canyon Lake , including Sattler , Startzville , Canyon City , Cranes Mill , and Hancock . Communities located on the fringes of the CDP are Fischer , Spring Branch , and Smithson Valley .
Rochester ( /ˈrɒtʃɛstər , -ɪs-/ ) is a city on the southern shore of Lake Ontario in western New York and the seat of Monroe County . With a population of 208,046 , Rochester is the third most populous city in New York state , after New York City and Buffalo . The metropolitan area has a population of just over one million people . It is about 73 miles ( 117 km ) east of Buffalo and 87 miles ( 140 km ) west of Syracuse . Rochester was one of the United States ' first boom towns , initially due to the fertile Genesee River Valley , which gave rise to numerous flour mills , and then as a manufacturing hub . Several of the region 's universities ( notably the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology ) have renowned research programs . [ citation needed ] The area is the birthplace of Kodak , Paychex , Western Union , French 's , Bausch & Lomb , Gleason , Ragú and Xerox , which conduct extensive research and manufacturing of industrial and consumer products . Until 2010 , the Rochester metropolitan area was the second-largest regional economy in New York State , after the New York City metropolitan area . Rochester 's GMP has since ranked just below Buffalo 's , while exceeding it in per-capita income . In 2007 , the 25th edition of the Places Rated Almanac rated Rochester the most livable city among 379 U.S. metropolitan areas . In 2010 Forbes rated Rochester the third-best place to raise a family in the United States . In 2012 Kiplinger rated Rochester the fifth-best city in the United States for families , citing low cost of living , top public schools , and a low unemployment rate .
Chicago ( /ʃɪˈkɑːɡoʊ/ ( listen ) , locally also /ʃɪˈkɔːɡoʊ/ ) , officially the City of Chicago , is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois , and the third-most-populous city in the United States . With an estimated population of 2,705,994 ( 2018 ) , it is also the most populous city in the Midwestern United States . Chicago is the county seat of Cook County , the second-most-populous county in the US , with a small portion of the northwest side of the city extending into DuPage County near O'Hare Airport . Chicago is the principal city of the Chicago metropolitan area , often referred to as Chicagoland . At nearly 10 million people , the metropolitan area is the third most populous in the United States . Located on the shores of freshwater Lake Michigan , Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837 near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed and grew rapidly in the mid-19th century . After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 , which destroyed several square miles and left more than 100,000 homeless , the city made a concerted effort to rebuild . The construction boom accelerated population growth throughout the following decades , and by 1900 , less than 30 years after the great fire , Chicago was the fifth-largest city in the world . Chicago made noted contributions to urban planning and zoning standards , including new construction styles ( including the Chicago School of architecture ) , the development of the City Beautiful Movement , and the steel-framed skyscraper . Chicago is an international hub for finance , culture , commerce , industry , education , technology , telecommunications , and transportation . It is the site of the creation of the first standardized futures contracts , issued by the Chicago Board of Trade , which today is the largest and most diverse derivatives market in the world , generating 20% of all volume in commodities and financial futures alone . Depending on the particular year , the city 's O'Hare International Airport is routinely ranked as the world 's fifth or sixth busiest airport according to tracked data by the Airports Council International .
The Dogo Argentino is a large , white , muscular breed of dog that was developed in Argentina primarily for the purpose of big-game hunting , including wild boar . The breeder , Antonio Nores Martínez , also wanted a dog that would exhibit steadfast bravery and willingly protect its human companion . It was first bred in 1928 from the Cordoba Dog , along with a wide array of other breeds , including the Great Dane .
Lawton is a city in , and the county seat of , Comanche County , in the State of Oklahoma . Located in southwestern Oklahoma , about 87 mi ( 140 km ) southwest of Oklahoma City , it is the principal city of the Lawton , Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area . According to the 2010 census , Lawton 's population was 96,867 , making it the fifth-largest city in the state . Built on former reservation lands of Kiowa , Comanche , and Apache Indians , Lawton was founded on 6 August 1901 , and was named after Major General Henry Ware Lawton , a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient killed in action in the Philippine-American War . Lawton 's landscape is typical of the Great Plains , with flat topography and gently rolling hills , while the area north of the city is marked by the Wichita Mountains . The city 's proximity to Fort Sill Military Reservation gave Lawton economic and population stability throughout the 20th century . Although Lawton 's economy is still largely dependent on Fort Sill , it has also grown to encompass manufacturing , higher education , health care , and retail . The city 's government is run by a council-manager government consisting of a city manager and a city council headed by a mayor . Interstate 44 and three major United States highways serve the city , while Lawton-Fort Sill Regional Airport connects Lawton by air . Recreation can be found at the city 's many parks , lakes , museums , and festivals . Notable residents of the city include many musical and literary artists , as well as several professional athletes .
Pecos ( /ˈpeɪkəs/ PAY-kəs ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Reeves County , Texas , United States . It is in the valley on the west bank of the Pecos River at the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert , in the Trans-Pecos region of west Texas and just below New Mexico 's border . The population was 8,780 at the 2010 census . On January 24 , 2012 , Pecos City appeared on the Forbes 400 as the second fastest-growing small town in the United States . The city is a regional commercial center for ranching , oil and gas production and agriculture . The city is most recognized for its association with the local cultivation of cantaloupes . Pecos claims to be the site of the world 's first rodeo on July 4 , 1883 .