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Jayton, Texas
Jayton, Texas
Jayton's water tower and the Kent County Court in 2012
Jayton's water tower and the Kent County Court in 2012
Motto(s): 
"Where pride makes the difference!”
Location of Jayton, Texas
Location of Jayton, Texas
Kent County Jayton.svg
Country United States
State Texas
County Kent
Area
 • Total 1.70 sq mi (4.39 km2)
 • Land 1.70 sq mi (4.39 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
2,001 ft (610 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 511
 • Density 295.82/sq mi (114.23/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
79528
Area code(s) 806
FIPS code 48-37468
GNIS feature ID 2410136

Jayton is a city in and the county seat of Kent County, Texas, United States. It is located in the northeastern portion of the county, and the population was 511 as of the 2020 census.

History

Jayton's history begins in the 1880s. Originally known as "Jay Flat", it was established 2 miles (3 km) northeast of its present location and named after a local ranching family. A post office was granted in 1886, and Daniel Jay served as the community's first postmaster. In 1907, the townsite was moved to its present location for improved proximity to rail service, and it was officially renamed "Jayton" later that same year. The community's first newspaper, the Jayton Herald, was established the following year, and the city incorporated in February 1910. By 1925, Jayton was home to 750 residents.

From the community's inception, the local economy had originally been supported mainly by the cotton industry, but the Dust Bowl of the 1930s had a dire effect on production. The community's economy was stabilized by the discovery of oil later that same decade, and while its population never exceeded 750, Jayton remained stable throughout the Great Depression. In 1954, following a lengthy and heated court battle, the city wrested the title of county seat from the declining nearby community of Clairemont, and in 1957, a courthouse was constructed. Jayton's population remained around 600 from the 1950s through the 1980 census before declining to 513 in 1990 and 441 in 2000, but a resurgence in the local oil industry led to a rebound, and the 2010 census counted 534 residents.

Geography

Jayton is located in eastern Kent County. U.S. Route 380 touches the southern border of the city; the highway leads southeast 24 miles (39 km) to Aspermont and southwest 13 miles (21 km) to Clairemont. Texas State Highway 70 is Jayton's Main Street and leads northwest 24 miles (39 km) to Spur. The closest large cities are Lubbock, 93 miles (150 km) to the northwest, and Abilene, 84 miles (135 km) to the southeast.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Jayton has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2), all land.

Kent County Airport is south of the city. The airport has one asphalt runway 3,300 feet (1,000 m) in length. The nearest airport with commercial service is approximately 100 miles away, in Lubbock.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Jayton has a semiarid climate, BSk on climate maps.

Climate data for Jayton, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1962–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 87
(31)
93
(34)
99
(37)
108
(42)
111
(44)
116
(47)
114
(46)
112
(44)
110
(43)
105
(41)
91
(33)
86
(30)
116
(47)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 77.6
(25.3)
81.8
(27.7)
89.0
(31.7)
94.6
(34.8)
99.9
(37.7)
102.8
(39.3)
104.2
(40.1)
103.7
(39.8)
99.1
(37.3)
93.6
(34.2)
84.2
(29.0)
77.7
(25.4)
106.6
(41.4)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 56.6
(13.7)
60.7
(15.9)
69.1
(20.6)
78.1
(25.6)
85.6
(29.8)
92.9
(33.8)
96.5
(35.8)
95.8
(35.4)
87.8
(31.0)
78.3
(25.7)
66.2
(19.0)
57.2
(14.0)
77.1
(25.1)
Daily mean °F (°C) 42.2
(5.7)
45.9
(7.7)
54.2
(12.3)
62.7
(17.1)
71.7
(22.1)
79.9
(26.6)
83.6
(28.7)
82.7
(28.2)
74.8
(23.8)
64.0
(17.8)
52.1
(11.2)
43.2
(6.2)
63.1
(17.3)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 27.9
(−2.3)
31.1
(−0.5)
39.2
(4.0)
47.3
(8.5)
57.8
(14.3)
66.9
(19.4)
70.7
(21.5)
69.6
(20.9)
61.8
(16.6)
49.8
(9.9)
38.0
(3.3)
29.2
(−1.6)
49.1
(9.5)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 14.2
(−9.9)
16.9
(−8.4)
22.5
(−5.3)
31.5
(−0.3)
42.3
(5.7)
57.4
(14.1)
63.1
(17.3)
62.2
(16.8)
48.0
(8.9)
32.8
(0.4)
21.7
(−5.7)
15.2
(−9.3)
10.2
(−12.1)
Record low °F (°C) −2
(−19)
−6
(−21)
6
(−14)
24
(−4)
31
(−1)
44
(7)
54
(12)
54
(12)
34
(1)
16
(−9)
10
(−12)
−5
(−21)
−6
(−21)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.87
(22)
1.12
(28)
1.38
(35)
1.77
(45)
3.12
(79)
3.28
(83)
2.46
(62)
2.13
(54)
2.63
(67)
2.12
(54)
1.42
(36)
0.98
(25)
23.28
(591)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.7
(1.8)
1.9
(4.8)
0.1
(0.25)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.8
(2.0)
0.6
(1.5)
4.1
(10)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.1 4.9 5.1 4.0 3.7 4.3 3.5 2.4 2.3 41.8
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 0.4 0.6 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.4 1.9
Source: NOAA

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1910 314
1930 623
1940 770 23.6%
1950 635 −17.5%
1960 649 2.2%
1970 703 8.3%
1980 638 −9.2%
1990 608 −4.7%
2000 513 −15.6%
2010 534 4.1%
2020 511 −4.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

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 can be of any race.

Jayton racial composition
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race Number Percentage
White (NH) 437 85.52%
Black or African American (NH) 2 0.39%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) 3 0.59%
Some Other Race (NH) 3 0.59%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) 5 0.98%
Hispanic or Latino 61 11.94%
Total 511

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 511 people, 207 households, and 108 families residing in the city.

Education

The city is served by the Jayton-Girard Independent School District, and the local high school is Jayton High School.

Notable people

  • Jim W. Corder (1929–1998), a scholar of rhetoric.
  • Weldon Myrick (1938-2014), American Steel Guitar player.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Jayton (Texas) para niños

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