Fisher County, Texas

Coordinates: 32°44′N 100°24′W / 32.74°N 100.40°W / 32.74; -100.40
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fisher County
The Fisher County Courthouse
The Fisher County Courthouse
Map of Texas highlighting Fisher County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°44′N 100°24′W / 32.74°N 100.4°W / 32.74; -100.4
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1886
Named forSamuel Rhoads Fisher
SeatRoby
Largest cityRotan
Area
 • Total902 sq mi (2,340 km2)
 • Land899 sq mi (2,330 km2)
 • Water2.8 sq mi (7 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total3,672
 • Density4.1/sq mi (1.6/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district19th
Websitewww.co.fisher.tx.us

Fisher County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,672.[1] The county seat is Roby.[2] The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1886.[3] It is named for Samuel Rhoads Fisher,[4] a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and a Secretary of the Navy of the Republic of Texas. Fisher County was one of 30[5] prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in Texas, but is now a fully wet county.

History[edit]

  • 10000 BC - Paleo-Indians were the first inhabitants. Later Native American inhabitants include the Pawnee, Wichita and Waco, Lipan Apache, Kiowa, and Comanche.[6]
  • 1876 - The Texas legislature formed Fisher County from Bexar districts. The new county was named after Samuel Rhoads Fisher.[6]
  • 1880 - The census reported 136 inhabitants.[6]
  • 1881 - The Texas and Pacific Railway routed an east–west branch through Eskota.[7]
  • 1885 - The town of Fisher was registered. Swedish immigrants founded the community of Swedonia.[8]
  • 1886 - The town of North Roby was registered. Roby eventually won the county seat election over Fisher, but one of the voters, a Mr. Bill Purp, was later discovered to have been actually a dog whose owner lived near Roby.[9]
  • 1920 - Fisher County was among Texas leaders in wheat production.[6]
  • 1926 - Cotton became king, as 48,000 bales were ginned in the county.[6]
  • 1928 - Oil was discovered in the county.[6]
  • 1970 - The county's average annual farm income was evenly divided between livestock and crops.[6]

Geography[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 902 square miles (2,340 km2), of which 899 square miles (2,330 km2) are land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2) (0.3%) is covered by water.[10]

Major highways[edit]

Adjacent counties[edit]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1880136
18902,9962,102.9%
19002,708−9.6%
191012,596365.1%
192011,009−12.6%
193013,56323.2%
194012,932−4.7%
195011,023−14.8%
19607,865−28.6%
19706,344−19.3%
19805,891−7.1%
19904,842−17.8%
20004,344−10.3%
20103,974−8.5%
20203,672−7.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1850–2010[12] 2010[13] 2020[14]
Fisher County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[13] Pop 2020[14] % 2010 % 2020
  White alone (NH) 2,797 2,496 70.38% 67.97%
  Black or African American alone (NH) 124 92 3.12% 2.51%
  Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 12 15 0.30% 0.41%
Asian alone (NH) 7 13 0.18% 0.35%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 2 0.00% 0.05%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 7 11 0.18% 0.30%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 28 70 0.70% 1.91%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 999 973 25.14% 26.50%
Total 3,974 3,672 100.00% 100.00%

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[15] of 2000, 4,344 people, 1,785 households, and 1,244 families resided in the county. The population density was five people per square mile (1.9 people/km2). The 2,277 housing units averaged two units per square mile (0.77 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 83.75% White, 2.76% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 11.58% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. About 21.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 1,785 households, 27.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.90% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were not families. About 28.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was distributed as 23.90% under the age of 18, 6.30% from 18 to 24, 23.00% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 22.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,659, and for a family was $34,907. Males had a median income of $25,071 versus $20,536 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,120. About 13.50% of families and 17.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.40% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities[edit]

Cities[edit]

Unincorporated communities[edit]

Ghost Towns[edit]

Politics[edit]

Fisher County was one of the last rural yellow dog counties in Texas to switch from consistently voting for Democratic candidates to favoring Republican candidates. From 1921 to 1925, the Democrat Richard M. Chitwood of Sweetwater represented Fisher County in the state House. He left his post to become the first business manager of Texas Tech University, but died the next year.[18]

United States presidential election results for Fisher County, Texas[19]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 1,448 79.30% 352 19.28% 26 1.42%
2016 1,265 73.16% 403 23.31% 61 3.53%
2012 1,094 67.16% 512 31.43% 23 1.41%
2008 1,083 60.71% 687 38.51% 14 0.78%
2004 1,161 60.37% 758 39.42% 4 0.21%
2000 968 51.71% 884 47.22% 20 1.07%
1996 537 29.04% 1,142 61.76% 170 9.19%
1992 539 24.22% 1,242 55.82% 444 19.96%
1988 721 32.19% 1,516 67.68% 3 0.13%
1984 965 40.94% 1,384 58.72% 8 0.34%
1980 838 34.39% 1,564 64.18% 35 1.44%
1976 573 22.24% 1,993 77.37% 10 0.39%
1972 1,207 56.22% 933 43.46% 7 0.33%
1968 555 23.27% 1,560 65.41% 270 11.32%
1964 454 17.69% 2,108 82.12% 5 0.19%
1960 679 25.57% 1,966 74.05% 10 0.38%
1956 673 28.72% 1,664 71.02% 6 0.26%
1952 952 40.36% 1,405 59.56% 2 0.08%
1948 149 6.52% 2,063 90.28% 73 3.19%
1944 154 6.60% 2,041 87.52% 137 5.87%
1940 199 8.07% 2,260 91.61% 8 0.32%
1936 155 6.95% 2,068 92.78% 6 0.27%
1932 105 6.97% 1,395 92.63% 6 0.40%
1928 1,259 60.07% 837 39.93% 0 0.00%
1924 302 15.00% 1,653 82.12% 58 2.88%
1920 152 15.29% 743 74.75% 99 9.96%
1916 46 3.74% 950 77.17% 235 19.09%
1912 21 3.48% 572 94.70% 11 1.82%

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Fisher County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 126.
  5. ^ "Wet/Dry Status of Texas Counties as of November 2010". Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Shelton, Hooper. "Fisher County, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  7. ^ "Eskota, Texas". Texas Escapes. exas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  8. ^ "Swedonia, Texas". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  9. ^ "Roby, Texas". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  10. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  11. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  12. ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  13. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Fisher County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  14. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Fisher County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  15. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  16. ^ "Longworth, Texas". Texas Almanac. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  17. ^ Brunson, Doyle (1978). Doyle Brunson's Super System. Las Vegas, Nevada: Cardoza Publishing. ISBN 9781580424752. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  18. ^ "Richard M. Chitwood". Texas Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  19. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 22, 2018.

External links[edit]

32°44′N 100°24′W / 32.74°N 100.40°W / 32.74; -100.40