Lonely in the Lone Star: The Texas ghost towns being drained of life as fed-up ... trends now
Talk about a one-horse town!
The Lone Star State's loneliest counties have been laid bare as new statistics show just how many Texans are fleeing less desirable counties.
The latest US Census data comes as Texas continues to act as a de facto juggernaut when it comes to transplants - adding more than any other state in the past year.
The Lower 48's biggest state - which is larger than many countries and has 254 counties - saw its population swell by almost 475,000 within that span, with statistics showing how some hotspots are booming.
But 75 counties saw their population size shrink, according to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, with experts warning this presents a serious problem for rural areas.
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The Lone Star State's loneliest counties have been laid bare thanks to new statistics that show just how many Texans are actually leaving certain parts of the state
Pictured, King County in the plains of the Texas Panhandle, which according to Census data saw the most pronounced outflow of residents in terms of percentages
'The growth in population's not evenly distributed across the state,' Texas Demographic Center Associate Director Helen You told The Texas Standard Monday.
Most newcomers are flocking to what researchers call 'The Texas Triangle' - the region loosely formed by the far-flung metros of Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio-Austin and home to 68 percent of all Texans.
You told the Texas Standard: 'These are also centers of economic development. This is also where you see universities and lots of educational opportunities there.'
Overall, 177 counties experienced an increase in population, per the bureau - as Texas continues to earn its reputation a post-pandemic hotspot.
But Texas is even bigger, and boasts a mind-bending amount of land - ranging from the plains in the West to the Deep East past Houston.
The size means trends there are much more complex, with some communities not enjoying the same success as some of their counterparts.
According to leading economist William Chittenden, this could spell doom for the lesser-known regions recently unmasked as population-losers.
Count Crockett County, for example, has lost 238 residents, or 7.7 percent of its total population, since 2020.
This is the third biggest decline in the state and brings its population now to less than 3,000 people - despite being Texas' eighth largest county in terms of land.
Chittenden told the Texas Standard: 'At some point, some counties are going to get so small where it's going to be difficult for them to function. You have to have some critical mass just to support, for example, a local grocery store, a local gas station, hopefully a bank'.
'I think there are things that smaller counties can do,' he added. 'If they haven't already, start working on high speed internet infrastructure. If you have a high speed internet connection, it doesn't really matter if you're in Bexar County in San Antonio or way up in the Panhandle.'
In third place was Crockett County, which has lost 238 residents, or 7.7 percent of its total population, since 2020
It boasts a mind-bending amount of land, but now has a population of less than 3,000 people - despite being the state's eighth largest county
The relatively new concept of remote work in counties like Crockett have become more feasible, but have so far failed to stop people from leaving - all as no one new moves in
Located on the cusp of where South Texas, Central Texas, and West Texas meet, the 2,807 square-mile region named for the frontiersman famed for his coonskin hat is now home to a few thousand
Its considerable distance from any notable cities likely contributed to its poor population showing in the new Census numbers
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With this likely in mind, the Texas Legislature last year allocated some $1.5 billion to expand broadband access across the state - which is roughly the size of Puerto Rico.
That made the concept of remote work in some counties more feasible, but has so far failed to stop the exodus seen in counties like Crockett.
Located on the cusp of where South Texas, Central Texas, and West Texas meet, the 2,807 square-mile region named for the Texas frontiersman famed for his coonskin hat is now only home to a few thousand.
It sports no cities, and way of life there is decidedly rural.
But '[i]t's a great place to raise a family,' said longtime resident Marianne Maskill, who told the Standard of her life in the county's main population center. 'Everybody knows everybody here,' she said.
Sometimes dubbed the 'Biggest Little Town in the World', the county hub's official name is Ozona, an unincorporated community responsible for more than 90 percent of Crockett's residents.
Ozona is thus the county seat, and can be found on Interstate 10 some 200 miles west of San Antonio.
Maskill, a receptionist with the Ozona Chamber of Commerce, told the publication that these days, it's more like a ghost town.
'It is basically for our members to come in and just see what we've got going on,' she said of activity at the 240 member Chamber that promotes businesses in the area.
'Our younger adults are also moving to bigger cities,' she went on, claiming to have witnessed the migration first hand.
'They don't want to stay in Ozona. What is there to do for them here?'.
It sports no cities, but has a county hub called Ozona, an unincorporated community responsible for more than 90 percent of its residents
Sometimes dubbed the 'Biggest Little Town in the World', can be found on Interstate 10 some 200 miles west of San Antonio
The town's municipal building, where civic workers work to promote local business. These days, one staffer said, it is more like a ghost town
A statue of Texas revolutionary Davy Crockett sits in the town's square - an ode to its rich history
That means if you're not a farmer, rancher, miner, or a member of the municipal government, jobs are somewhat scarce. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDC) recently projected that as soon as 2060, Crockett's population could drop as low as 1,430, after peaking at 5,000
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She's not wrong - Ozona and surrounding Crocket County is home to a litany of ranches, idyllic scenery, and history, but not much else.
That means if you're not a farmer, rancher, miner, or a member of the municipal government, jobs are scarce.
Because of this, The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDC) recently projected that by 2060, Crockett's population could drop as low as 1,430, after peaking in the late 1980s at 5,000.
The exodus seen since 2020 and pandemic has been even more stark - though still pales in comparisons to two other little-known counties elsewhere in the state.
The county with the next highest number of goers is Sherman, another rural enclave, though this one located all the way up one the northernmost tip of the often forgotten Texas Panhandle, right by Oklahoma.
Unlike Crockett - which has the benefit of being bisected by I-10 - it sports two cities, one of which is located partially in Texas and partially in The Sooner State.
Both, however, are essentially towns, with a collective population of just over 2,000.
Billed as Texhoma and Stratford, the sister cities combine to form the lion's share of the now-waning populace of surrounding Sherman County.
While not the middle of nowhere, the area is far from bustling - mostly cattle farms and the odd gas station spread across almost 1,000 square miles.
Like Crockett - which recorded a 3.45 percent population drop within the past year - Sherman also saw its inhabitants leave at a rate of more than 3 percent over the one-year period, measuring in at 3.6 percent.
The percentage indicates a dip of at least 70 residents - adding to the plethora lost since 2000, when the county boasted some 3,186 people and 1,124 households.
As was the case in Crockett, a lack of job opportunities - as well as aging residents - likely played a part in that downturn.
Also like Crockett, the community was formed in the 1900s - meaning the infrastructure and architecture, especially if you're a city slicker, could leave much to be desired.
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