Randall

Formed August 21, 1876 (216^th county)

Randall County (140,761), Canyon (14,850)                

The red brick courthouse was built in 1908 and sits on a square at the 5^th Avenue and 16^th Street. United States Highway Business 87 is eight blocks east of the site.  Interstate Highway 27 passes to the east of the city.  The building was remodeled in 1945 and restored in 2009.  An annex was built in 1957.  In 2006 a Judicial Center was added using an old commercial building.  Canyon has been the only county seat with 1892, 1908, and 1967 courthouses having been in the city since the county was founded on August 21, 1876.  Robert G. Kirch designed the 1908 courthouse.  The county was cut from Bexar County as the 216^th county.  Randall is named for Confederate hero, Horace Randal, misspelled in the legislation.  Canyon gets its name from the nearby Palo Duro Canyon. 

Randall County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge serves Randall, Armstrong, and Potter counties, Two District Court Judges serve Randall and Potter counties, and Three County Court Judges serve Randall County.  The county is located in the northern panhandle just south of Amarillo, Texas.  The county center is in Canyon 1.1 miles East of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Potter, Armstrong, Swisher, Castro, Deaf Smith, and Oldham counties. 

The area of the county is 914 square miles.  It is 120 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 34 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 154.0 persons per square mile making it 37 out of 254 in the state.  Randall County has 81.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 27 crosses north to south, Potter County to Swisher County.  United States Highway 60 enters jointly with Interstate Highway 27 from Potter County, splits at Canyon, and exits to the west into Deaf Smith County.  United States Highway 87 enters jointly with Interstate Highway 27 from Potter County, splits at Canyon, and parallels it into Swisher County.  The county is square with one of the forks of the Red River crossing the county from west to east.  Canyon is close to the county center.  Canyon is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 10.6% of the county population.  This county is in the Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area.