Beaver

Formed May 2, 1890 (3^rd county)

Beaver County (5,052), Beaver (1,282)

The red/brown brick exterior to the 1908 courthouse gives it an old schoolhouse appearance.  It is located on a square one block west of United States Highway 270 at the intersection of Avenue E and Second.  George P. Washburn and Sons designed this Classical Revival building.  The building was remodeled in 1926.  Beaver has always been the county seat.  The county was an original county encompassing the entire panhandle but produced Cimarron and Texas counties at Oklahoma statehood in 1907.  It was created on May 2, 1890 as the 3^rd county.  The Beaver River is the source for the county and county seat’s names.  The river is named for the animal. 

Beaver County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Five District Court Judges serve Beaver, Cimarron, Harper and Texas counties.  The county is situated in the Oklahoma panhandle with Kansas on its north and Texas on its south.  Amarillo, Texas is to the southwest.  The county center is 5.2 miles South of Beaver.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Kansas and Harper and Ellis counties and Texas and Texas County. 

The area of the county is 1814 square miles.  It is 5 out of 77 in the state.  It ranks 70 out of 77 in population in the state.  It has a density of 2.8 persons per square mile making it 76 out of 77 in the state.  Beaver County has 35.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 64 crosses east to west from Harper County to Texas County.  United States Highway 83 goes north to south across the western part of the county from Kansas, on the north, into Texas, on the south.  United States Highway 270 enters from Harper County (east), turns north to join United States Highway 64 and go west, splits and joins with United States Highway 83 to go north into Kansas.  United States Highway 412 crosses the southern part of the county from east to west, from Harper County jointly with United States Highway 270, splits in the middle of the county, and continues west into Texas County.  The county is a large rectangle with Beaver City slightly north of center.  Beaver is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 25.4% of the county population.

Knowles