Reagan

Reagan County

Updated on: January 11, 2022
Coordinates
31 21' 36" N, 101 31' 12" W (31.36, -101.52)
State
Texas
Region
Central West
County Seat:
Big Lake
Year Organized:
1903
Total Square Miles:
1175.993
1,175 square miles (3,040 km2) land
0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) water
Population:
3710 (2017)
Population:3,608 est. (2016) 3,367 (2010)
Persons/Square Mile:
3
Reagan County Website
http://www.co.reagan.tx.us/

Contiguous Counties

Glasscock (N)
Sterling (NE)
Irion (E)
Crockett (S)
Upton (W)
Midland (NW)

Reagan County Town List

County structure

Government Type:
County
Authority:
Dillon's Rule
Legislative Body:
Commisioners Court
Size of Legislative Body:
5

Demographics

2018 Population:
3710
25 to 64 Years of Age:
49.99%
65 Years of Age and Older:
11.23%

Economy, 2018

Gross Domestic Product (GDP):
$6.0 B
Labor Force:
1,896
Unemployment Rate:
2.50%

County Contact

PO BOX 100
County Courthouse
Big Lake, TX, 76932-0100

In the western part of Texas is a county called Reagan. It is on the northern edge of the Edwards Plateau and is near US Highway 67 and the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway, which runs through the county. This area is bordered to the west by Upton County, north by Glasscock County, east by Tom Green, Iron, and Sterling Counties, and south of it is bordered by Crockett County.

The Llano Estacado runs through the northwest of the county. Big Lake is the county seat at 31°22′ north latitude and 101°31′ west longitude, which is also about 70 miles southwest of San Angelo. Other towns that aren’t on this list are Best, Texon, and Stiles.

Reagan County Seat

Dry lake, a distinctive dryland plains physical feature located less than two miles south of the city on the border between the Rio Grande and Colorado River watersheds, is the origin of the name given to the hamlet.

Most of the dry lake in Texas is used for grazing; it is the largest and only holds water for a short period after high-runoff rain events. The “Big Playa Lake” is significant in a semiarid, drought-prone area during rainy years and has been frequently used as a food and water supply by man and animals since prehistoric times, even though it is seasonal.

The Kansas City, Mexico, and Orient Railway, which crossed through Big Lake in 1912 to Girvin, west of San Angelo, is responsible for the town’s creation. Because of the railroad’s success and the finding of the Santa Rita well in 1923, Stiles, a pioneer ranching community established in 1894 on Centralia Draw, roughly 20 miles north, Big Lake was able to steal the county seat away from Stiles in 1925.

In 1934, the region’s principal highway, US 67, was extended to a stop in Presidio. Oil and gas servicing and production are the mainstays of the city’s economy, which relies heavily on agriculture.

County Geography

Reagan County is in the northwest and north-central parts of the state, and it has 1,173 square miles of flat to gently rising sandy land. The rest of the county is flat to severely dissected limestone and rolling caliche.

The soil is made up of dark calcareous rocky clay and clay loams that are also dark. Less than 1% of land in the 1980s was suitable for farming.

All but the southeast part of the county is grassland made up of mesquite trees. There are juniper and shinnery, and live oak in the southeast. It is between 2,406 and 2,953 feet above sea level.

Each year, 66 degrees Fahrenheit of temperature and 16 inches of rain falls on the area. There are 229 days when plants can grow annually. Spring has been a time when the land has been ruined by overgrazing and water and wind erosion, as well as poor irrigation systems, for a very long time now.

Caliche, limestone, salt, gas, oil, and sulfur are some of the natural resources in Reagan County. People use a lot of draws that are usually dry to drain the Middle Concho River during floods. The Centralia Draw is the most important feature in Reagan County. The water for the Pecos River comes from the southwest corner of the county.

County Demographics

It is estimated to contain 3,326 individuals and 872 families based on a 2000 census report. The population density was three people per square mile (1.2 people per square kilometer). In a mile-square area, there were 1,452 residences with a density of just one per square mile. 64.64 percent of the county’s residents were white, making them the majority ethnic group.

46.80 percent of the 1,107 houses had children under 18 years. 68.10 percent were married couples living together, 7.20 percent had a female householder who was not with her husband, and 21.20 percent were not families. Only 19.80 percent of all homes were made up of individuals, and 7.50 percent of those households contained someone over 65 years. 2.96 people were the average number of people in a household while the average family had 3.42 members.

34.20 percent of the county’s population was under 18 years, 7.60 percent was between the ages of 18 and 24, 28.10 percent was between the ages of 25 and 44, and 19.90 percent was between 45 and 64. In terms of age, the participants were all in their mid-thirties. There were 100.50 men to 100 women, which is the approximate number. One hundred fifty to one was the male-to-female ratio.

County Offices

The county holds several departments that contribute to its administration. Among them is the office of the County Treasurer. To get in touch with the office, you can contact them by phone at (325) 884-2090. The County Treasurer now is Ginna Hruska, and Leticia Quinonez assists her.

The County Tax Collector is Cynthia Aguilar. She is in charge of all matters concerning collecting taxes within the county and vehicle registration. For inquiries, you can reach her office through the phone at 325.884.2131 or visit her office on North Plaza Avenue in Big Lake.

The office of the County Appraiser conducts all local property market analyses and oversees any county government’s appraisals. The Chief Appraiser of the County is Stephanie Wilson. You can contact her by phone at (325) 884-3275 or fax at (325) 884-2149.

Terrie Schneeman holds the post of county auditor. She keeps track of all financial proceedings within the county offices to ensure integrity concerning public funds. To communicate with her office, use the line (325) 884-4138 for Fax or (325) 884-2233 for the telephone.

Also within the county department’s offices is the county clerk’s office. Terri Curry heads the department and juggles the county clerk and the elections administrator. You can contact his office on the phone at (325) 884-2442 or talk to him online through his email [email protected].

Sheriff Jeff Garmer is in charge of maintaining law and order within the county. He ensures the arrest and detention of offenders and felons. He is the chief law enforcer and preserves life and property for the residents in the county. You can file your reports through the official Reagan County Sheriff’s Office website or contact his office by phone at 1-800-252-5400.