Foard County, Texas

County in Texas, United States

County in Texas

Foard County

County

The Foard County Courthouse in Crowell, Texas

Location within the U.S. state of Texas

Texas's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 33°59′N 99°47′W﻿ / ﻿33.98°N 99.78°W﻿ / 33.98; -99.78
Country|  United States
State|  Texas
Founded| 1891
Named after| Robert Levi Foard
Seat| Crowell
Largest city| Crowell
Area

• Total

| 708 sq mi (1,830 km2)
• Land| 704 sq mi (1,824 km2)
• Water| 3.3 sq mi (9 km2)  0.5%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 1,095

• Estimate

(2023)

| 1,079
• Density| 1.532/sq mi (0.5914/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 13th
Website| https://www.foardcounty.texas.gov/

Foard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,095.[1] Its county seat is Crowell,[2] which is also the county's only incorporated community. The county is named for Robert Levi Foard, an attorney who served as a major with the Confederate Army,[3][4] in the American Civil War.

Foard County was one of 46 prohibitions, or entirely dry, counties in the state of Texas until voters approved a referendum to permit the legal sale of alcoholic beverages in May 2006.

## Geography

[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 708 square miles (1,830 km2), of which 704 sq mi (1,820 km2) are land and 3.3 sq mi (8.5 km2) (0.5%) are covered by water.[5]

### Major highways

[edit]

* U.S. Highway 70
* State Highway 6

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Hardeman County (north)
* Wilbarger County (east)
* Baylor County (southeast)
* Knox County (south)
* King County (southwest)
* Cottle County (west)

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1900| 1,568| | —
1910| 5,726| | 265.2%
1920| 4,747| | −17.1%
1930| 6,315| | 33.0%
1940| 5,237| | −17.1%
1950| 4,216| | −19.5%
1960| 3,125| | −25.9%
1970| 2,211| | −29.2%
1980| 2,158| | −2.4%
1990| 1,794| | −16.9%
2000| 1,622| | −9.6%
2010| 1,336| | −17.6%
2020| 1,095| | −18.0%
2024 (est.)| 1,053| [6]| −3.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1850–2010[8] 2010–2020[1]

### 2020 census

[edit]

Foard County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[9] | Pop 2010[10] | Pop 2020[11] | % 2000  | % 2010  | % 2020

|
|
|
|
|
|

White alone (NH)  | 1,277  | 1,087  | 845  | 78.73%  | 81.36%  | 77.17%
Black or African American alone (NH)  | 52  | 53  | 19  | 3.21%  | 3.97%  | 1.74%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)  | 9  | 1  | 0  | 0.55%  | 0.07%  | 0.00%
Asian alone (NH)  | 3  | 4  | 3  | 0.18%  | 0.30%  | 0.27%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)  | 0  | 0  | 1  | 0.00%  | 0.00%  | 0.09%
Other race alone (NH)  | 0  | 0  | 2  | 0.00%  | 0.00%  | 0.18%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)  | 16  | 4  | 28  | 0.99%  | 0.30%  | 2.56%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)  | 265  | 187  | 197  | 16.34%  | 14.00%  | 17.99%
Total | 1,622 | 1,336 | 1,095 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00%

### 2000 census

[edit]

As of the 2000 census, 1,622 people, 664 households, and 438 families resided in the county. The population density was two people per square mile (0.77 people/km2). The 850 housing units averaged one units per square mile (0.39 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.16% White, 3.27% Black or African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 10.23% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. About 16.34% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 664 households, 29.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.10% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were not families; 31.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38, and the average family size was 3.02. As of the 2010 census, about seven same-sex couples per 1,000 households were in the county.[12]

In the county, the population was distributed as 25.80% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 22.30% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 23.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,813, and for a family was $34,211. Males had a median income of $21,852 versus $16,450 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,799. About 9.90% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.50% of those under age 18 and 16.20% of those age 65 or over.

## Politics

[edit]

Foard County is represented in the Texas House of Representatives by the Republican James Frank, a businessman from Wichita Falls.

Foard County was once a stronghold for the Democratic Party at both the state and federal levels, remaining so even as rural West Texas trended towards the Republican Party. It had only voted for Republicans in their 1972 and 1984 landslides in the 20th century. The county last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate when it gave its votes to Bill Clinton in 1996.

In the 21st century, the vote share of Republican presidential candidates has steadily increased in every election. Barack Obama lost the county by a larger margin in 2008 than John Kerry in 2004, even though Kerry ran against former Governor of Texas George W. Bush. The Republican vote jumped to a record high of over 82% for Donald Trump in 2024.

United States presidential election results for Foard County, Texas[13] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2024 | 448  | 82.20% | 92  | 16.88%  | 5  | 0.92%
2020 | 445  | 80.76% | 99  | 17.97%  | 7  | 1.27%
2016 | 383  | 74.66% | 113  | 22.03%  | 17  | 3.31%
2012 | 348  | 70.30% | 140  | 28.28%  | 7  | 1.41%
2008 | 327  | 60.78% | 198  | 36.80%  | 13  | 2.42%
2004 | 347  | 59.11% | 235  | 40.03%  | 5  | 0.85%
2000 | 286  | 51.44% | 263  | 47.30%  | 7  | 1.26%
1996 | 166  | 28.97%  | 355  | 61.95% | 52  | 9.08%
1992 | 207  | 26.01%  | 435  | 54.65% | 154  | 19.35%
1988 | 306  | 37.32%  | 513  | 62.56% | 1  | 0.12%
1984 | 472  | 51.03% | 448  | 48.43%  | 5  | 0.54%
1980 | 349  | 35.69%  | 617  | 63.09% | 12  | 1.23%
1976 | 240  | 25.26%  | 706  | 74.32% | 4  | 0.42%
1972 | 369  | 53.87% | 312  | 45.55%  | 4  | 0.58%
1968 | 216  | 22.09%  | 594  | 60.74% | 168  | 17.18%
1964 | 146  | 14.90%  | 833  | 85.00% | 1  | 0.10%
1960 | 270  | 27.14%  | 723  | 72.66% | 2  | 0.20%
1956 | 243  | 26.07%  | 687  | 73.71% | 2  | 0.21%
1952 | 418  | 33.28%  | 830  | 66.08% | 8  | 0.64%
1948 | 90  | 10.27%  | 751  | 85.73% | 35  | 4.00%
1944 | 84  | 7.78%  | 925  | 85.65% | 71  | 6.57%
1940 | 142  | 12.47%  | 997  | 87.53% | 0  | 0.00%
1936 | 74  | 7.36%  | 928  | 92.34% | 3  | 0.30%
1932 | 53  | 5.59%  | 882  | 93.04% | 13  | 1.37%
1928 | 430  | 47.51%  | 466  | 51.49% | 9  | 0.99%
1924 | 95  | 13.29%  | 585  | 81.82% | 35  | 4.90%
1920 | 101  | 16.06%  | 491  | 78.06% | 37  | 5.88%
1916 | 41  | 6.79%  | 475  | 78.64% | 88  | 14.57%
1912 | 18  | 3.66%  | 429  | 87.20% | 45  | 9.15%
United States Senate election results for Foard County, Texas1[14] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2024 | 438  | 81.41% | 94  | 17.47%  | 6  | 1.12%

At the statewide level, most notably in gubernatorial races, the county was one of the few rural ones that continued to give its votes to Democratic candidates in West Texas, even as it trended Republican on the national level. For instance, in the landslide re-election of then-governor George W. Bush in 1998, it was one of only 14 counties that gave its votes to Bush's Democratic challenger Garry Mauro, albeit by one vote, as Mauro won 206 votes (49.6%) to Bush's 205 votes (49.4%). The county continued this trend through all of Rick Perry's three gubernatorial landslide elections in 2002, 2006, and 2010, the most recent one when it gave its votes to Bill White. This streak ended in 2014, when the county gave its votes to then-Attorney General Greg Abbott, who won 66% of the popular vote over Wendy Davis's 33%.

Foard County vote
by party in gubernatorial elections[13] Year  | GOP | DEM

|
|

2022 | 85.44% 452 | 13.04% 69
2018 | 75.9% 331 | 23.2% 101
2014 | 66.1% 205 | 32.9% 102
2010 | 47.0% 148 | 48.6% 153
2006 | 22.9% 87 | 43.7% 166
2002 | 37.4% 136 | 62.4% 227
1998 | 49.4% 205 | 49.6% 206
1994 | 34.9% 187 | 64.7% 347
1990 | 28.3% 182 | 70.6% 454

## Attractions

[edit]

* Copper Breaks State Park[15] is located near the Pease River about 8 miles north of Crowell off State Highway 6. The park is located in neighboring Hardeman County.
* Comanche Springs Astronomy Campus is located 10 miles west of Crowell off U.S. Highway 70. It is operated as part of the 3 Rivers Ranch by the Texas Tech University System.

## Communities

[edit]

* Crowell (county seat)
* Thalia

## Education

[edit]

School districts serving sections of the county include:[16]

* Crowell Independent School District
* Vernon Independent School District

The county is in the service area of Vernon College.[17]

## See also

[edit]

* Texas portal

* Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Foard County

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ "TSHA | Foard, Robert Levi".
4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 128.
5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
6. ^ "QuickFacts: Foard County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
8. ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
9. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Foard County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
10. ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Foard County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
11. ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Foard County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
12. ^ Leonhardt, David; Quealy, Kevin (June 26, 2015), "Where Same-Sex Couples Live", The New York Times, retrieved July 6, 2015
13. ^ a b Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
14. ^ "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)". Commonwealth of Texas by county. November 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
15. ^ "Texas State Parks: Official Guide — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department".
16. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Foard County, TX" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022. \- Text list
17. ^ Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.207. VERNON REGIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.

## External links

[edit]

* Foard County from the Handbook of Texas Online
* Foard County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties Archived November 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine

Places adjacent to Foard County, Texas

|  | Hardeman County |

|
|

|  |
Cottle County |

Foard County, Texas

| Wilbarger County
|  |
King County | Knox County | Baylor County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Foard County, Texas, United States

County seat: Crowell

City|

* Crowell

Foard County map

Unincorporated
community|

* Thalia

* Texas portal
* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

Counties of Texas

* Anderson
* Andrews
* Angelina
* Aransas
* Archer
* Armstrong
* Atascosa
* Austin
* Bailey
* Bandera
* Bastrop
* Baylor
* Bee
* Bell
* Bexar
* Blanco
* Borden
* Bosque
* Bowie
* Brazoria
* Brazos
* Brewster
* Briscoe
* Brooks
* Brown
* Burleson
* Burnet
* Caldwell
* Calhoun
* Callahan
* Cameron
* Camp
* Carson
* Cass
* Castro
* Chambers
* Cherokee
* Childress
* Clay
* Cochran
* Coke
* Coleman
* Collin
* Collingsworth
* Colorado
* Comal
* Comanche
* Concho
* Cooke
* Coryell
* Cottle
* Crane
* Crockett
* Crosby
* Culberson
* Dallam
* Dallas
* Dawson
* Deaf Smith
* Delta
* Denton
* DeWitt
* Dickens
* Dimmit
* Donley
* Duval
* Eastland
* Ector
* Edwards
* El Paso
* Ellis
* Erath
* Falls
* Fannin
* Fayette
* Fisher
* Floyd
* Foard
* Fort Bend
* Franklin
* Freestone
* Frio
* Gaines
* Galveston
* Garza
* Gillespie
* Glasscock
* Goliad
* Gonzales
* Gray
* Grayson
* Gregg
* Grimes
* Guadalupe
* Hale
* Hall
* Hamilton
* Hansford
* Hardeman
* Hardin
* Harris
* Harrison
* Hartley
* Haskell
* Hays
* Hemphill
* Henderson
* Hidalgo
* Hill
* Hockley
* Hood
* Hopkins
* Houston
* Howard
* Hudspeth
* Hunt
* Hutchinson
* Irion
* Jack
* Jackson
* Jasper
* Jeff Davis
* Jefferson
* Jim Hogg
* Jim Wells
* Johnson
* Jones
* Karnes
* Kaufman
* Kendall
* Kenedy
* Kent
* Kerr
* Kimble
* King
* Kinney
* Kleberg
* Knox
* La Salle
* Lamar
* Lamb
* Lampasas
* Lavaca
* Lee
* Leon
* Liberty
* Limestone
* Lipscomb
* Live Oak
* Llano
* Loving
* Lubbock
* Lynn
* Madison
* Marion
* Martin
* Mason
* Matagorda
* Maverick
* McCulloch
* McLennan
* McMullen
* Medina
* Menard
* Midland
* Milam
* Mills
* Mitchell
* Montague
* Montgomery
* Moore
* Morris
* Motley
* Nacogdoches
* Navarro
* Newton
* Nolan
* Nueces
* Ochiltree
* Oldham
* Orange
* Palo Pinto
* Panola
* Parker
* Parmer
* Pecos
* Polk
* Potter
* Presidio
* Rains
* Randall
* Reagan
* Real
* Red River
* Reeves
* Refugio
* Roberts
* Robertson
* Rockwall
* Runnels
* Rusk
* Sabine
* San Augustine
* San Jacinto
* San Patricio
* San Saba
* Schleicher
* Scurry
* Shackelford
* Shelby
* Sherman
* Smith
* Somervell
* Starr
* Stephens
* Sterling
* Stonewall
* Sutton
* Swisher
* Tarrant
* Taylor
* Terrell
* Terry
* Throckmorton
* Titus
* Tom Green
* Travis
* Trinity
* Tyler
* Upshur
* Upton
* Uvalde
* Val Verde
* Van Zandt
* Victoria
* Walker
* Waller
* Ward
* Washington
* Webb
* Wharton
* Wheeler
* Wichita
* Wilbarger
* Willacy
* Williamson
* Wilson
* Winkler
* Wise
* Wood
* Yoakum
* Young
* Zapata
* Zavala

* v
* t
* e

State of Texas

Austin (capital)

Topics|

* Outline
* Architecture
* Climate (Climate change)
* Cuisine
* Dialects
* Geography
* Government
* Healthcare
* History
* Languages
* Law
* Literature
* Mass media
* Newspapers
* Radio
* TV
* National Historic Landmarks
* National Register of Historic Places Sites
* Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks
* Sports
* Symbols
* Texans
* Time
* Tourist attractions
* Transportation

Society|

* Abortion
* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Gambling
* Gun laws
* Homelessness
* LGBT rights
* Politics

Regions|

* Ark‑La‑Tex
* Big Bend
* Boca Chica
* Blackland Prairies
* Brazos Valley
* Central Texas
* Coastal Bend
* Concho Valley
* Cross Timbers
* East Texas
* Edwards Plateau
* Golden Triangle
* Hill Country
* Llano Estacado
* Northeast Texas
* North Texas
* Osage Plains
* Panhandle
* Permian Basin
* Piney Woods
* Rio Grande Valley
* Southeast Texas
* South Plains
* South Texas
* Texoma
* Trans-Pecos
* West Texas

Metropolitan
areas|

* Abilene
* Amarillo
* Austin–Round Rock (Greater Austin)
* Beaumont–Port Arthur
* Brownsville–Harlingen
* College Station–Bryan
* Corpus Christi
* Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington (DFW)
* El Paso
* Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land (Greater Houston)
* Killeen–Temple
* Laredo
* Longview/Kilgore
* Lubbock
* McAllen–Edinburg–Mission
* Midland
* Odessa
* San Angelo
* San Antonio–New Braunfels
* Sherman–Denison
* Texarkana
* Tyler
* Victoria
* Waco
* Wagner Creek
* Wichita Falls

Counties|

See: List of counties in Texas

Texas portal

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

Other|

* NARA
* Yale LUX

33°59′N 99°47′W﻿ / ﻿33.98°N 99.78°W﻿ / 33.98; -99.78
*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template