Formed August 21, 1876 (178th county)
Childress County (6,666), Childress (5,735)
The Art Deco and Modern style courthouse was built in 1939 and sits along United States Highway 287 at Main Street. Townes & Funk designed this stone courthouse. The county is located in the Texas panhandle where the Red River begins to form the border between Texas and Oklahoma. The county was organized on August 21, 1876 and all three courthouses (the last was 1891) have been located in Childress. The county was carved from Bexar County as the 178th county. Childress is named for George Campbell Childress who was the author of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
The area of the county is 710 square miles. It is 214 out of 254 in the state. It ranks 190 out of 254 in population in the state. It has a density of 9.4 persons per square mile making it 172 out of 254 in the state. Childress County has 86.0% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 62 enters from Oklahoma to the east and exits into Cottle County to the south. United States Highway 83 comes in from the north, Collingsworth County, joins United States Highway 62, and goes into Cottle County. United States Highway 287 crosses from southeast to west, Hardeman County to Hall County. The county is shaped like a tall rectangle with Oklahoma on the northeast border.
Childress County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners. One District Court Judge serves Childress, Carson, Collingsworth, Donley, and Hall counties and One County Court Judge serves Childress County. Amarillo, Texas is to the northwest and Wichita Falls, Texas is to the southeast. The county center is 7.6 miles North of Childress. The county is surrounded clockwise by Collingsworth County and Oklahoma and Hardeman, Cottle, and Hall counties. Childress is in the south half of the county. Childress is the county seat and the largest city since it is the only incorporated city. It is 86.0% of the county population. The county is pronounced CHIL-DRES.
Childress
