Terry

Terry County

Updated on: January 17, 2022
Coordinates
33 10' 12" N, 102 20' 24" W (33.17, -102.34)
State
Texas
Region
Northwest
County Seat:
Brownfield
Year Organized:
1876
Total Square Miles:
890.941
889 square miles (2,300 km2) land
2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) water
Population:
12715 (2017)
Population: 12,651 (2010)
Persons/Square Mile:
14
Terry County Website
http://co.terry.tx.us/

Contiguous Counties

Hockley (N)
Lynn (E)
Dawson (SE)
Gaines (S)
Yoakum (W)
Cochran (NW)
Lubbock (NE)

Terry County Town List

County structure

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

Demographics

2018 Population:
12715
25 to 64 Years of Age:
48.01%
65 Years of Age and Older:
15.14%

Economy, 2018

Gross Domestic Product (GDP):
$796.0 M
Labor Force:
5,228
Unemployment Rate:
4.10%

County Contact

500 West Main - Room 102
County Courthouse
Brownfield, TX, 79316-4335

http://www.co.terry.tx.us

At the heart of Texas in the United States, you will find a beautiful region known as Terry County. The County today has a population of 11 831 residents living there, as per the reports of the 2020 census. The Terry County seat is situated at Brownfield. The boundaries of the County were marked in early 1876 and then later organized in 1904. 

The organizers and the County’s founding fathers named it after Benjamin Franklin Terry. He worked with the Confederate Army as a colonel. Initially, Terry County was among the driest countries in the State, but due to innovation, it has become one of the most productive counties in terms of farming. The County ranks at the top on the list of Counties producing the best and the highest number of pumpkins.  

History of the County 

Colonel Benjamin Franklin Terry, who led the Texas Rangers in Terry, was named after the County, formed from Bexar County. The unfortunate Nolan Expedition traversed the region searching for cattle taken by Comanche renegades in 1877. By the time of white settlement, many Indian tribes had moved on due to hunters’ depletion of buffalo herds.  

Several ranchers, including Englishman Q. Bone, J. R. Quinn, and Marion V. Brownfield, helped establish the County. Terry County had approximately 235 farms and 23,000 acres of improved fertile land in 1910. Corn farming was the most important crop at the time. In addition, Terry County had become one of Texas’ biggest cotton counties by 1991. 

The County seat in the north Permian Basin, a region with very rich lands in oil and production, began in 1940, shortly after discovering the oil fields. 

Demographics 

The results published by the census bureau revealed that when the County got demarcated, it had only 21 residents. A decade later, the number had doubled, and the census findings revealed the County had 48 people living there.  

One hundred years down the line, the number of residents had impressively increased to 12,761 people, The County now was home to 3,247 families and 4,278 households, and the population was 14 people per square mile. 

The County welcomes people of all colors and from all walks of life. Below is the racial makeup at the beginning of the Millennium. 

  •  Whites represented 76.55 percent.  
  • African-Americans were 5.00 percent.  
  • The Native Americans constituted 0.53 percent. 
  • Asians were 0.22 percent.  
  • Hispanics and Latinos made up 44.09 percent of the total population. 

35.80 percent of the 4,278 homes had children below 18 years of age. 59.70 percent were married couples, while 11.90 percent were owned and headed by single women, and 24.10 percent were single residents. 12.30 percent of the entire population had senior citizens aged 65 and above who lived independently. 

Communities That Makeup Terry County 

The County has two major cities, one town, and two unincorporated communities. Below is a detailed description:

Brownfield City 

Brownfield is a city located in Terry County Texas. At the time of the 2010 census, it had 9,657 people. Terry County has a county seat that is 39 miles southwest of Lubbock.  

Like the rest of the South Plains region, Cotton growing is vital to the city’s survival. Harvesters (also known as cotton strippers), module manufacturers, and module trucks can be found throughout the country during the cotton harvest season in October. Vineyards and peanut farming have made inroads into the Brownfield economy and the economy of Terry County as a whole. 

Wellman City 

Wellman is a town in Terry County named after Augustus Ogden Wellman, an assistant to the railroad’s secretary and treasurer. Two thousand and ten census findings show that Wellman had 203 people. This is a significant drop considering in 1980 when the County was first demarcated it had 239 residents.  

The towns include:

Meadow 

Meadow town in Terry County recorded a population of 593 residents, a slightly more significant number than Wellman City. The town is known for its Meadow musical on the second Saturday of the month. The Meadow musical trend has taken place for the past 46 years. 

The Unincorporated communities include: 

Needmore 

The little town of Needmore is located in Terry County’s north-central region. The area was founded in 1904 and later became one of Terry’s first four school districts. The Community’s population had increased to 55 people in 2000. This incredible population growth rate puts it on par with some of the world’s fastest-growing cities. Needmore’s population will reach 1.2 million people by 2120 if current growth rates continue. 

Tokyo 

Tokyo is a small unincorporated town in Terry County. The Community had a population of 24 people, according to the 2000 findings of the Census Bureau. The city was named after Japan’s capital city.  

The Community was founded in 1908; after U.S highway 380 was rerouted in 1928, it was pushed a mile south to its current location. Tokyo, which had a population of at least 125 people in the 1940s, is now mostly in ruins. 

County Offices 

Listed Below are various offices in the County Government of Terry: 

The County Auditor 

Janice Lea Hudson is the current County Auditor in Terry Country. Her office is in charge of all the County’s financial books and records the administering budget to the relevant departments. The office’s physical location is at the County’s Courthouse, 500 W. Main, in room 101, Brownfield. Call them on their official number, 806-637-3797, or fax 806-637-9782. 

County Treasurer  

Karen Grigsby is the County treasure at Terry County. Her Deputy assistant is Andrea Perry.  

On behalf of the local government, her office is responsible for issuing tax invoices and collecting payments. They are located at Terry County CourtHouse, 5rr00W, Main room #104, in Brownfield. Call them during their official working hours on (806) 637-3616 or send them a fax message to (806) 637-2758. 

County Sheriff 

Timothy Click is the current Sheriff in Terry County. His principal responsibilities include policing Terry County’s unincorporated areas, providing security in the county courts, and preserving law and order. You can send the Sheriff’s office a mail through P. O. Box 1106, Brownfield. They have also provided an official phone number for emergency cases or queries 806-637-2212 or send them a fax message at 806-637-9424.