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Texas Counties
Texas is divided into two hundred and fifty-four counties, more than any other state. Texas was originally divided into municipalities, a unit of local government under Spanish and Mexican rule. When the Republic of Texas gained its independence in 1836, there were 23 municipalities, which became the original Texas counties. Many of these would later be divided into new counties. The most recent county to be created was Kenedy County in 1921. The most recent county to be organized was Loving County in 1931Clay County, Texas
Clay County Education, Geography, and History
Clay County is a county located in the state of Texas. Based on the 2010 census, its population was 10,752. The county seat is Henrietta.
The county was founded in 1857 and later organized in 1860. It is named in honor of Henry Clay, famous American statesman, Kentucky Senator
and United States Secretary of State.
Clay County is part of the Wichita Falls, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in North Texas.
Etymology - Origin of Clay County Name
Henry Clay, the Kentucky statesman, presidential candidate, and ninth secretary of state of the United States
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Clay County History
The county was founded in 1857 and organized in 1860 and is named in honor of Henry Clay, famous American statesman,
member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century. The seat of the county is Henrietta.
Though Clay County was detached from Cooke County in 1857 and given separate boundaries, the line of settlement barely, reached within its
borders previous to the war.
Handbook of Texas Online
The first settlers in the area were probably W. T. and Wess Waybourne, who came in the 1850s and built their
homes on the south fork of the Wichita River two miles from the site of present-day Henrietta. Clay County was
marked off from Cooke County on December 24, 1857, and named for Kentucky statesman Henry Clay; the population of
the new county was only 109 in 1860. On the eve of the Civil War, Henrietta, the
largest community, had ten homes and a general store. Indians, however, remained a constant threat at this time, and
the army conducted regular patrols of the area. The county was organized in 1861, but it was largely abandoned the
following year because of the removal of federal troops during the war. The 1870 census gave no population figures
for Clay County, although a few ranchers and farmers remained near the Red River after most of the settlers had
moved eastward to more populated regions. More at
Clark Wheeler, "CLAY COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcc12),
accessed January 23, 2016. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,116 square miles (2,891 km2), of which,
1,098 square miles (2,843 km2) of it is land and 18 square miles (48 km2) of it (1.64%) is water.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Jefferson County, Oklahoma (north)
- Montague County (east)
- Jack County (south)
- Wichita County (west)
- Archer County (west)
- Cotton County, Oklahoma (northwest)
Education
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