Bailey County

Bailey County, Texas

Bailey County, Texas

Bailey County, Texas. Photograph by Larry D. Moore.
Bailey County, Texas

Bailey County, Texas

Map of Bailey County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

Bailey County, in the western Panhandle, is bordered on the west by New Mexico, on the north by Parmer County, on the east by Lamb County, and on the south by Cochran County. The county center lies at 34°04' north latitude and 102°50' west longitude, about seventy-five miles northwest of Lubbock. Bailey County is a part of the Southern High Plains and has an altitude of 3,800 to 4,400 feet above mean sea level. Its 835 square miles of plain are surfaced by sandy loam covered with grasses and mesquite brush. The Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River drains the northern parts of the county; other sections drain to numerous small playas. The most conspicuous topographic feature is a range of sand hills that runs from northeast to southwest a mile south of Muleshoe. The average annual rainfall is 17.29 inches. The average minimum temperature in January is 20° F; the average maximum in July is 92° F. The growing season of 181 days is shorter than the average for West Texas counties because of the higher elevation and cooler weather. U.S. Highway 70/84 crosses the northeast part of the county. State highways 214 and 298 carry traffic north to south and east to west, respectively; in the early twenty-first century the area was also served by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad.

The county was marked off from Bexar County in 1876 and named for Peter J. Bailey, an Alamo hero. Bailey and twenty-one other counties newly formed at the time were attached to Jack County for judicial purposes. In 1881 jurisdiction of Bailey County was transferred from Jack to Baylor County; then, in 1887, to Hale County; and in 1892 to Castro County. Settlement of Bailey County did not come early, since the XIT Ranch held most of its land from 1882 until the division and sale of the ranch in 1901.

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William R. Hunt, John Leffler | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Bailey County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

3660 ft – 4120 ft

Size

Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does

  • Land Area: 826.8 mi²
  • Total Area: 827.5 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 19.4°F
July mean maximum: 92.0°F

Rainfall, 2019

18.4 inches

Population Count, 2019

7,000

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

2,248

Unemployment, 2019

5.6%

Property Values, 2019

$475,152,988 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$42,507 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$51,705,731 USD

Wages, 2019

$26,532,396 USD

Bailey County

Highlighted:
  • Bailey County
Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
Town
Town 35 (2014) Yes
Town 8 (2014) Yes
Town
Town 80 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 10 (2014) Yes
Town
Town
Town 40 (2014) Yes
Town
Town 5,090 (2021) Yes
Town 20 (2014) Yes
Town
Town 49 (2014) Yes
Town
Town

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