About Delta County - Delta County is located in northeast Texas between the North and South Sulphur Rivers. It is triangular-shaped, like the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet, hence its name. It is the fifth smallest county in the state, containing 261 square miles. Elevation is about 500 feet above sea level.
On July 29, 1870, the Texas
Legislature enacted a bill creating the county of Delta. The Act
creating Delta County named James Hamilton, John P. Boyd, Joel
Blackwell, Thomas J. Lane and J.W. Iglehart as commissioners, with
duties that included dividing the county into precincts and determining
the location of the county seat. Their selection had to be the
geographical center of the county and the name was to be "Cooper"
for State Senator L.W. Cooper, who played an important role in getting
the Act passed.
Cotton was the "money" crop for many years because of the black, waxy soil. However, the soil was not good for roads. When it rained, the roads were almost impassable. That is why the rural school houses were located about three miles apart, well within walking distance for the students. The buildings were generally used as places of worship and meeting facilities with communities growing around these buildings. In 1935, there were 48 school districts in Delta County. Today, there are three: Cooper, Fannindel and Chisum. In 1900, the population of the county was 15,000. Over the years, the population began to decline resulting in a population of under 10,000 in 1960. Today, the county population is about 5,000.
Cooper and Pecan Gap are the only incorporated towns in the county. Cooper, with a population of approximately 2,200, is the largest and serves as the county seat. Other active communities include Enloe, Klondike, Charleston, Lake Creek and Ben Franklin.
GREAT NEWS FOR DELTA COUNTY
Delta County is
a great place to live. Progressive Farmer, a magazine that has reflected rural
life
for decades, has focused in on the best places to live in America's
southwest, and high on the list
of its top 100 counties is DELTA COUNTY. The magazine lists Delta
County at 22, putting it atop
a host of other counties because of it's population density, lower cost
of housing, excellent
education system and average household income. For more information
on this article, check out:
Herb Brookshire, president of the Delta County Chamber of Commerce said
"being chosen in
the top 25 best places to live in the southwest is a big honor but
I am not surprised.
A person can get a lot more for his or her dollar here than in most
areas." Brookshire said the
area may be rural but it is just a short distance from the Metroplex and
it can boast of lakes and a
peaceful way of life a person cannot get anywhere else. Office Manager,
Gracie Young said it is a
great honor to be chosen high on the list of best places to live.
We citizens of Delta County realize
that we have a little bit of heaven here in this small little county in
Texas. The Delta County
Chamber of Commerce is indeed honored to be a part of Delta County.
We have a lot to offer
and invite you to come for a visit and see what we have. Who knows,
you might just decide to stay.
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