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Schleicher County
Schleicher County
County
	Schleicher County Courthouse in Eldorado
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 30°54′N 100°32′W / 30.9°N 100.54°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1901
Named for	Gustav Schleicher
Seat	Eldorado
Largest city	Eldorado
Area
• Total	1,311 sq mi (3,400 km2)
• Land	1,311 sq mi (3,400 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2) 0%
Population (2020)
• Total	2,451
• Density	1.9/sq mi (0.72/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	23rd
Website	www.co.schleicher.tx.us

Schleicher County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,451.^[1] Its county seat is Eldorado.^[2] The county was created in 1887 and organized in 1901.^[3] It is named for Gustav Schleicher, a German immigrant who became a surveyor and politician.^[4]

History

Around 8000 BC, the first inhabitants in the area were probably Jumano Indians. Later inhabitants were Lipan Apaches and Comanches.^[5] In 1632, Fray Juan de Salas and Father Juan de Ortega did missionary work among the Jumanos.^[6] Soldier Francisco Amangual led an expedition across the area in 1808.^[7] In 1882, Christopher Columbus Doty became the first permanent citizen of Schleicher County.^[8]

The Texas Legislature established Schleicher County in April 1887 from Crockett County, and named it in honor of Gustav Schleicher.^[5] By 1890, the population was 155, of whom 134 were listed as White, four were Black, and 17 were American Indian.^[5]

In 1894, the county's first public school opened at Verand, and later moved to Eldorado.^[5] The next year, W. B. Silliman founded the Eldorado community and named it after the mythical city. To populate it, he offered free town lots to residents of nearby Verand.^[9] In 1930, the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway Company resumed work on a previous railroad, making access possible to San Angelo and Sonora.^[5] On February 27, 1941, the West Texas Woolen Mills plant in Eldorado held a grand opening, with a parade and BBQ lunch. About 5,000 people attended. Governor "Pappy" W. Lee O'Daniel was the guest speaker.^[10]

Oilfield discoveries on school lands in the 1950s enabled Schleicher County to build new library and gymnasium facilities for its students.^[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,311 square miles (3,400 km²).^[11]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Tom Green County (north)
Menard County (east)
Sutton County (south)
Crockett County (west)
Irion County (northwest)
Kimble County (southeast)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	155	—
1900	515	232.3%
1910	1,893	267.6%
1920	1,851	−2.2%
1930	3,166	71.0%
1940	3,083	−2.6%
1950	2,852	−7.5%
1960	2,791	−2.1%
1970	2,277	−18.4%
1980	2,820	23.8%
1990	2,990	6.0%
2000	2,935	−1.8%
2010	3,461	17.9%
2020	2,451	−29.2%
U.S. Decennial Census^[12] 1850–2010^[13] 2010^[14] 2020^[15]

**Schleicher County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000^[16]	Pop 2010^[14]	Pop 2020^[15]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	1,595	1,872	1,102	54.34%	54.09%	44.96%
Black or African American alone (NH)	32	32	15	1.09%	0.92%	0.61%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	1	1	4	0.03%	0.03%	0.16%
Asian alone (NH)	5	4	7	0.17%	0.12%	0.29%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	0	2	0.03%	0.00%	0.08%
Other race alone (NH)	7	0	10	0.24%	0.00%	0.41%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	16	16	36	0.55%	0.46%	1.47%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,278	1,536	1,275	43.54%	44.38%	52.02%
Total	2,935	3,461	2,451	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census^[17] of 2000, 2,935 people, 1,115 households, and 817 families resided in the county. The population density was about two people per square mile (0.77 people/km²). The 1,371 housing units averaged about one units per square mile (0.39 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.59% White, 1.53% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 18.98% from other races, and 2.62% from two or more races. About 43.54% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 1,115 households, 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.60% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were not families; 25.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was distributed as 27.90% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 24.00% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,746, and for a family was $37,813. Males had a median income of $28,412 versus $22,250 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,969. About 16.00% of families and 21.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.00% of those under age 18 and 19.90% of those age 65 or over.

Between 2010 and 2020, the population of Schleicher County decreased to 2,451. The percentage decline in the population of 29.2 percent was the second largest among the 3,138 U.S. counties.^[18]

Communities

Cities

Eldorado (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

Politics

United States presidential election results for Schleicher County, Texas^[19]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	906	81.77%	192	17.33%	10	0.90%
2020	940	81.10%	211	18.21%	8	0.69%
2016	821	77.53%	208	19.64%	30	2.83%
2012	787	77.38%	221	21.73%	9	0.88%
2008	970	74.39%	324	24.85%	10	0.77%
2004	1,012	76.15%	312	23.48%	5	0.38%
2000	826	70.42%	338	28.82%	9	0.77%
1996	587	48.67%	505	41.87%	114	9.45%
1992	452	36.72%	420	34.12%	359	29.16%
1988	653	56.44%	494	42.70%	10	0.86%
1984	854	71.95%	326	27.46%	7	0.59%
1980	672	59.42%	444	39.26%	15	1.33%
1976	516	51.96%	468	47.13%	9	0.91%
1972	630	71.51%	250	28.38%	1	0.11%
1968	396	41.60%	378	39.71%	178	18.70%
1964	388	42.97%	514	56.92%	1	0.11%
1960	455	56.24%	351	43.39%	3	0.37%
1956	471	58.08%	336	41.43%	4	0.49%
1952	628	59.87%	421	40.13%	0	0.00%
1948	107	16.59%	495	76.74%	43	6.67%
1944	84	12.09%	520	74.82%	91	13.09%
1940	117	16.30%	601	83.70%	0	0.00%
1936	78	14.23%	469	85.58%	1	0.18%
1932	76	12.84%	516	87.16%	0	0.00%
1928	227	62.36%	137	37.64%	0	0.00%
1924	118	32.33%	246	67.40%	1	0.27%
1920	81	26.64%	211	69.41%	12	3.95%
1916	10	5.65%	163	92.09%	4	2.26%
1912	3	2.03%	124	83.78%	21	14.19%