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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 1931Borden County, Texas
Borden County Education, Geography, and History
Borden County is a rural county located in the state of Texas. Based on the 2010 census, its population was 641, making it the fourth-least populous county in Texas. Its county seat is Gail. The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1891. Gail and Borden County are named for Gail Borden, Jr., businessman, publisher, surveyor, and inventor of condensed milk.
Etymology - Origin of Borden County Name
Gail Borden, Jr., businessman, publisher, surveyor, and inventor of condensed milk
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Borden County History
Borden County was created in 1876 from Bosque County and named for Gail Borden, Jr., the inventor of condensed milk. Borden was publisher
and editor of the Telegraph and Texas Register, as well as a political leader in the Republic of Texas. The county was organized in 1891, and
Gail was made the county seat. Gail and Borden County are
named for Gail Borden, Jr., businessman, publisher, surveyor, and inventor of condensed milk.
Borden County has had two courthouses, one built in 1890. The current courthouse is of brick and cement construction and was erected in 1939.
The architect was David S. Castle Co
Handbook of Texas Online
Comanches hunted buffalo in the region before white settlement. It was within the range of the Penateka band,
also called the Honey-Eaters or Wasps, the largest and best-known Comanche band. The Penatekas led the advance into
the southern plains in the eighteenth century after the people, a segment of the northern Shoshones, learned the use
of Spanish horses and transformed themselves from impoverished root and plant gatherers to hunters. Settlers were
not attracted to the area that is now Borden County until the end of the nineteenth century. It was too distant from
the United States Army's frontier outposts to be safe even after the Civil War,
and it seemed too dry to sustain ranching and farming. The county was marked off in 1876 from Bosque County and
named for Gail Borden, Jr., a newspaper publisher and organizer of the Republic
of Texas, and a surveyor who helped lay out the site of Houston and prepared
the first topographical map of Texas. More at
William R. Hunt and John Leffler, "BORDEN COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcb09),
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 906 square miles (2,347 km2), of which, 899 square miles (2,328 km2) of it is land and 7 square miles (19 km2) of it (0.80%) is water.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Garza County (north)
- Scurry County (east)
- Mitchell County (southeast)
- Howard County (south)
- Dawson County (west)
- Lynn County (northwest)
Education
The county is served mostly by Borden County Independent School District. The district offers pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.
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