| Scurry County, Texas | |
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Scurry County Courthouse in Snyder
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Location in the state of Texas |
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Texas's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1876 |
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| Seat | Snyder |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
908 sq mi (2,352 km²) 902 sq mi (2,336 km²) 5 sq mi (13 km²), 0.55% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
16,921 18/sq mi (7/km²) |
| Website | www.co.scurry.tx.us |
Scurry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 16,921.[1] Its county seat is Snyder[2]. Scurry County was one of forty-six prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in the state of Texas, until a 2006 election approved the sale of beer and wine in Snyder, and a 2008 election approved the sale of liquor by the drink throughout the county.
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This county, lying directly north of Mitchell County, was created in 1876, and was organized June 28, 1884. It was named for William Read Scurry, lawyer and Confederate Army general. Until 1909 it was without railroad facilities, and the nearest shipping points were Colorado City on the south and still later the railroad towns in Fisher County on the east.
The first railroad was the Roscoe, Snyder and Pacific Railway, built from Roscoe on the Texas & Pacific in Nolan County, to Snyder, the county seat of Scurry County, about 1909, and subsequently extended to Fluvanna, also in Scurry County. In 1911, the Texico-Coleman division of the Santa Fe system was built through the county, giving it a trunk line of railway. Development has been particularly rapid during the early 1900s.
Some of the important pioneer facts concerning Scurry County are found in a sketch of W.H. Snyder, after whom the county seat town was named. In 1877 he opened a trading camp in the county, hauling lumber on wagons from Dallas to build his store and also hauling a good portion of his goods from the same place. He used what was known as trail wagons, with seven yoke of oxen to a team, each wagon having a capacity of 50,000 pounds. Mr. Snyder erected a house in Scurry County and began dealing in general merchandise and supplies for buffalo hunters. Other parties moved into the same locality, and that was the beginning of the Town of Snyder.
In 1882, Mr. Snyder laid out the town, and two years later it became the county seat. Snyder has had an enterprising citizenship, and ten years ago had an independent school district, four churches, and was an important center for trade.
Its importance has greatly increased since the coming of the railway, and in 1910 its population was 2,154. Other towns have sprung up along the railway, the most important of which is Fulvanna, at the terminus of the Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific, and Hermleigh." [3]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 908 square miles (2,350 km2), of which 902 square miles (2,340 km2) is land and 5 square miles (13 km2) (0.55%) is water.
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 102 |
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| 1890 | 1,415 | 1,287.3% | |
| 1900 | 4,158 | 193.9% | |
| 1910 | 10,924 | 162.7% | |
| 1920 | 9,003 | −17.6% | |
| 1930 | 12,188 | 35.4% | |
| 1940 | 11,545 | −5.3% | |
| 1950 | 22,779 | 97.3% | |
| 1960 | 20,369 | −10.6% | |
| 1970 | 15,760 | −22.6% | |
| 1980 | 18,192 | 15.4% | |
| 1990 | 18,634 | 2.4% | |
| 2000 | 16,361 | −12.2% | |
| 2010 | 16,921 | 3.4% | |
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Texas Almanac: 1850-2010[5] |
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As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 16,361 people, 5,756 households, and 4,161 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 7,112 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 81.27% White, 6.06% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 10.51% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. 27.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,756 households out of which 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the county, the population was spread out with 25.20% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 107.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,646, and the median income for a family was $38,467. Males had a median income of $30,399 versus $18,061 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,871. About 12.60% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.
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| Garza County | Kent County | |||
| Borden County | Fisher County | |||
| Scurry County, Texas | ||||
| Mitchell County |
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