Andrews County

Andrews County, in the southern High Plains, is bounded on the west by New Mexico, on the north by Gaines County, on the east by Martin County, and on the south by Winkler and Ector counties. The center of the county is at 32°18' north latitude and 102°50' west longitude, 110 miles southwest of Lubbock. Andrews County encompasses 1,504 square miles of level, rolling prairieland typical of the southern High Plains. Sandy soils predominate except in the east, where red clay loam is found. The elevation varies from 3,000 feet in the south to 3,400 feet in the north. The average annual rainfall is 14.37 inches, and temperatures range from a January average minimum of 30°F to a July average maximum of 96°F. The growing season is 213 days. The county's road network includes Highway 385 (north‑south), Highway 176 (west‑east), and Highway 115, which bisects the other roads at Andrews.

Angostura type arrowheads discovered by archeologists indicate the possibility of an aboriginal population as early as 6,000–4,000 B.C., but pottery sherds and other evidence establish occupation by the Anasazi people from around A.D. 900. In more recent times the Apaches and Comanches occupied the region, until the United States Army campaigns of 1874–75 cleared the way for White settlement.