Formed August 21, 1876 (213rd county)
Oldham County (1,759), Vega (871)
A pair of stately columns at the entrance enhances the Classical Revival appearance to the courthouse, built in 1915. After the county was organized on August 21, 1876, Tascosa was the original county seat with an 1884 courthouse. Vega assumed this role in 1915. The building sits three blocks north of the intersection of United States Highways 66 and 385 at Main and 10th streets. The architect for the red brick and concrete building was O. G. Roquemore. The building was remodeled in 1967 and enlarged in 1986. The county was taken from Bexar County as the 213rd county. Oldham was named for William Simpson Oldham, a lawyer, politician, and editor. Vega derives its name from the Spanish term for “meadow.”
Oldham County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners. One District Court Judge serves Oldham, Dallam, and Deaf Smith counties and One County Court Judge serves Oldham County. The county is situated in the panhandle just west of Amarillo, Texas. The Canadian River flows west to east across the northern part of the county. New Mexico’s border is west of the county. The county center is 22.1 miles Northwest of Vega nearer Adrian. The county is surrounded clockwise by Hartley, Moore, Potter, Randall, and Deaf Smith counties and New Mexico.
The area of the county is 1501 square miles. It is 21 out of 254 in the state. It ranks 236 out of 254 in population in the state. It has a density of 1.2 persons per square mile making it 240 out of 254 in the state. Oldham County has 56.9% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 20 enters from the east, Potter County, and exits to the southwest, Deaf Smith County. United States Highway 385 crosses north to south from Hartley County to Deaf Smith County. The county is a rectangle with Vega in the far southeast corner. Vega is the county seat and the largest city. It is 49.5% of the county population. The county seat is pronounced VAE-GA.
Adrian
Vega
