Formed August 21, 1876 (172nd county)
Bailey County (6,904), Muleshoe (5,158)
The tan brick county courthouse, built in 1925, is located just out of the center of the town. United States Highways 70 and 84 are one block north and east while Texas State Highway 214 (South First Street) passes in front of the courthouse. M. C. Butler designed this Classical Revival building. A Law Enforcement Center augments for courthouse since 1969. Muleshoe has had the only two county courthouses for Bailey County. The county was cut from Bexar County on August 21, 1876 as the 172nd county. Alamo hero and Kentucky lawyer Peter James Bailey was the source for the county’s name. Muleshoe received its name for a nearby ranch.
Bailey County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners. One District Court Judge serves Bailey and Parmer counties and One County Court Judge serves Bailey County. The county is situated in the northern half of the panhandle north and west of Lubbock. The county center is 12 miles Southwest of Muleshoe nearer Needmore. The county is surrounded clockwise by Parmer, Lamb, Hockley, and Cochran counties and New Mexico.
The area of the county is 827 square miles. It is 193 out of 254 in the state. It ranks 187 out of 254 in population in the state. It has a density of 8.3 persons per square mile making it 177 out of 254 in the state. Bailey County has 74.7% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highways 70 and 84 enter the county together from Parmer County on the north. They split at Muleshoe but both go into Lamb County on the east, one going straight east and the other going southeast. The county is rectangular with Muleshoe in the northern part. Muleshoe is the county seat and the largest city since it is the only incorporated city. It is 74.7% of the county population.
Muleshoe
