Harmon County, Oklahoma

Harmon County, Oklahoma
Location in the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location in the U.S.
Founded	1909
Seat	Hollis
Largest city	Hollis
Area
• Total	539 sq mi (1,396 km2)
• Land	537 sq mi (1,391 km2)
• Water	1.5 sq mi (4 km2), 0.3%
Population (est.)
• (2013)	2,869
• Density	5.4/sq mi (2/km²)
Congressional district	3rd
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Harmon County is a county located in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,922, making it the second-least populous county in Oklahoma, behind only Cimarron County. It has lost population in every census since the first in 1910, except 1930. The county seat is Hollis.

History

Following an election on May 22, 1909, Harmon County was created by proclamation of Governor Lee Cruce on June 2. Carved from adjacent Greer County, the new county was named in honor of Judson Harmon, who was Governor of Ohio at the time. The area now covered by Harmon County had been a part of Texas until the U. S. Supreme Court awarded it to Oklahoma Territory in 1896.

Another election held September 1, 1909, confirmed Hollis as the county seat. There were two other contestants: the towns of Harmon and Rosser. County offices operated in rented space until a courthouse was built in Hollis in 1926. In 1930, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the boundary between Texas and Oklahoma was actually 3,800 feet (1,200 m) farther east than originally believed. It returned the disputed land to Texas, reducing the county's area to its present size.

A railroad built from Altus, Oklahoma to the Texas state line came to Hollis and Gould in 1910. The line was built by the Altus, Wichita Falls and Hollis Railway (later acquired by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 539 square miles (1,400 km²), of which 537 square miles (1,390 km²) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) (0.3%) is water. It lies in the Gypsum Hills physiographic region, and is drained by the Red River and its tributaries, the Salt and Elm forks of the Red River and Lebos and Turkey creeks.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 62
• State Highway 5
• State Highway 9
• 20px State Highway 30

Adjacent counties

• Beckham County (north)
• Greer County (northeast)
• Jackson County (southeast)
• Hardeman County, Texas (south)
• Childress County, Texas (west)
• Collingsworth County, Texas (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	11,328		—
1920	11,261		−0.6%
1930	13,834		22.8%
1940	10,019		−27.6%
1950	8,079		−19.4%
1960	5,853		−27.6%
1970	5,136		−12.3%
1980	4,519		−12.0%
1990	3,793		−16.1%
2000	3,283		−13.4%
2010	2,922		−11.0%
Est. 2014	2,798		−4.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

Common to many rural counties in the Great Plains the population of Harmon county has declined steadily since 1930.

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,283 people, 1,266 households, and 863 families residing in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 1,647 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 72.65% White, 9.78% Black or African American, 1.13% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 14.32% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. 22.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,266 households out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.70% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 29.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.90% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 21.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $22,365, and the median income for a family was $29,063. Males had a median income of $21,530 versus $16,658 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,464. About 23.50% of families and 29.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.20% of those under age 18 and 19.90% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of January 15, 2012
Party		Number of Voters	Percentage
	Democratic	1,231	82.12%
	Republican	191	12.74%
	Unaffiliated	77	5.14%
Total		1,499	100%

Presidential election results

Year	Republican	Democrat
2008	69.45% 757	30.55% 333
2004	70.30% 838	29.70% 354
2000	57.43% 692	42.07% 507

Economy

Agriculture has been the main component of the county economy. Cotton, wheat and sorghum have been the principal crops. By 1930, farmers had sizable holdings of cattle, poultry, horses, mules, swine, sheep and goats.

Communities

• Gould
• Hollis (county seat)
• McQueen
• Vinson

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Harmon County, Oklahoma

External links

• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Harmon County
• Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory