Formed February 26, 1887 (229th county)
Crane County (4,676), Crane (3,477)
The Modern appearance to the 1948 courthouse was substantially remodeled in 1958 when the brick was added. It is two blocks west of United States Highway 385 along Texas State Highway 329. The dark tan and red bricks blend into the tree covered grounds around the building. Groos, Clift & Ball created the designs. This is the only courthouse to serve this remote county. The county was formed from Tom Green County on February 26, 1887 as the 229th county. Crane County and city were named for William Carey Crane. He was a Baptist preacher and administrator of Baylor University.
Crane County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners. One District Court Judge serves Crane, Andrews, and Winkler counties and One County Court Judge serves Crane County. The county is located in far west Texas just south of Odessa, Texas. The Pecos River forms its entire southern border. The county center is 14.5 miles Northwest of Crane. The county is surrounded clockwise by Ector, Upton, Crockett, Pecos, and Ward counties.
The area of the county is 786 square miles. It is 202 out of 254 in the state. It ranks 205 out of 254 in population in the state. It has a density of 5.9 persons per square mile making it 191 out of 254 in the state. Crane County has 74.4% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 67 crosses the extreme southeast corner from Upton County to the northwest tip of Crockett County. United States Highway 385 enters the county from Ector County (north), exits into Upton County (east), and finally joined with United States Highway 67 crosses the southeast corner for the second entry/exit. The remainder of the county is a tall rectangle. Crane is the only city in the county and in the far eastern part a few miles inside the border with Upton County. Crane is the county seat and the largest city since it is the only incorporated city. It is 74.4% of the county population.
Crane
