Formed August 21, 1876 (202nd county)
King County (262), Guthrie* (160)
A Modern tan brick structure built in 1982 stands beside the 1914 courthouse in the center of Guthrie. Three courthouses have been in Guthrie since the county was founded on August 21, 1876. T. Renfro designed the last courthouse. It is on the joined United States Highways 82/83 in the middle of this very small community. King County was formed from Bexar County as the 202nd county. The county was named for William King who died at the Alamo. Kingsville, Kleberg County, is not named for the same individual. Guthrie got its name from W. H. Guthrie who was an owner of a local land and cattle company.
King County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners. One District Court Judge serves King, Baylor, Cottle, and Knox counties and One County Court Judge serves King County. The county is in the panhandle northwest of Abilene, Texas and east of Lubbock, Texas. Two forks of the Wichita River cross the county from west to east. The southern fork goes through Guthrie. The county center is 13 miles East of Guthrie. The county is surrounded clockwise by Cottle, Foard, Knox, Haskell, Stonewall, Kent, Dickens, and Motley counties.
The area of the county is 912 square miles. It is 123 out of 254 in the state. It ranks 253 out of 254 in population in the state. It has a density of 0.3 persons per square mile making it 252 out of 254 in the state. King County has 0.0% of its population in its incorporated areas since there are no incorporated cities. United States Highway 82 comes from the east, Knox County, and goes to the west, Dickens County. United States Highway 83 crosses north to south, Cottle County to Stonewall County. A standard square shaped county has Guthrie located at the center. Guthrie is the county seat and the largest populated area. It is 61.1% of the county population. The county seat is pronounced GUTH-REE.
Guthrie (Unincorporated)
