Formed January 1, 1912 (77th county)
Cotton County (5,523), Walters (2,406)
The Neo-Classical style for the 1926 courthouse makes it distinguishable in this small community. It is located at the intersection of North Broadway and Iowa Street. Tonini and Bramblet planned this masonry structure. Veteran memorials and a gazebo are on the grounds. There were no other courthouses in the county since its beginning on January 1, 1912. Randlett was designated the first county seat before Walters. It was originally part of Comanche County before becoming the 77th and last county. Cotton County was named for one of the leading crops supporting the county. Local resident William R. Walter provided his name to the county seat.
The area of the county is 637 square miles. It is 59 out of 77 in the state. It ranks 66 out of 77 in population in the state. It has a density of 8.7 persons per square mile making it 61 out of 77 in the state. Cotton County has 66.1% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 44 enters from Comanche County on the north and exits south into Texas. United States Highway 70 crosses east to west from Jefferson County into Tillman County. United States Highway 277 parallels Interstate Highway 44 from Comanche County into Texas. United States Highway 281 is joined with United States Highway 277 across the county. The Red River makes up the entire southern border with Texas. The county is basically rectangular but there are four “steps up” on the northern border from west to east and the Red River is the southern border. There is also an added “handle” on the northwest corner stretching to the west. Walters is north and east of the county center. Walters is the county seat and the largest city. It is 43.6% of the county population.
Cotton County government consists of a treasurer, a sheriff, an assessor, and a clerk (executive). It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.) Twelve District Court Judges serve Cotton, Comanche, Jefferson and Stephens counties and a court clerk serves Cotton County (judicial.) The county is in the southwest just to the south of Lawton, Oklahoma and to the north of Wichita Falls, Texas. The county center is 9 miles Southwest of Walters nearer Cookietown. The county is surrounded clockwise by Comanche, Stephens, and Jefferson counties and Texas and Tillman County.
Devol
Randlett
Temple
Walters
