Jeff Davis

Formed March 15, 1887 (238^th county)

Jeff Davis County (2,000), Fort Davis* (1,201), Valentine (72)

The domed Classical Revival courthouse for Jeff Davis County is right out of the book of what a county courthouse should look like.  It was built in 1910 and sits at the split of Texas State Highways 17 and 118 on Court Street.  The courthouse was restored in 2003.  Two courthouses (1880 and 1910) have served Jeff Davis County since its March 15, 1887 founding, both at Fort Davis.  The county was cut from Presidio County as the 238^th county.  L. L. Thurman and Company provided the design for the current red and white brick and stone courthouse.  The county and county seat are named for Jeff Davis; however, the county was named for him as the President of the Confederacy while Fort Davis honored him as the United States Secretary of War. 

Jeff Davis County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge serves Jeff Davis, Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, and Presidio counties and One County Court Judge serves Jeff Davis County.  The county is located in far west Texas north of the Big Bend area.  El Paso, Texas lies west of the county and Midland/Odessa, Texas are northeast.  The county center is 31.4 miles Northwest of Fort Davis nearer Valentine.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Reeves, Pecos, Brewster, and Presidio counties and Mexico and Hudspeth and Culberson counties.  The county is dry and mountainous.  Technically, the extreme western tip of the county touches the Rio Grande. 

The area of the county is 2265 square miles.  It is 11 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 232 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 0.9 persons per square mile making it 244 out of 254 in the state.  Jeff Davis County has 3.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 10 cuts the northern tip from Reeves County to Culberson County.  United States Highway 90 enters from Culberson County, northwest, and exits to Presidio County, southwest.  The county is shaped like a diamond with Fort Davis in the southeast quarter.  Valentine is located in the southwest quarter of the county.  Fort Davis is the county seat and Valentine is the largest city since it is the only incorporated city.  Fort Davis is 60.1% of the county population although it is unincorporated.  Valentine is 3.6% of the county population.