Panola County, Texas

Panola County
Panola County
County
	The Panola County Courthouse in Carthage
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 32°10′N 94°19′W / 32.16°N 94.31°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1846
Seat	Carthage
Largest city	Carthage
Area
• Total	821 sq mi (2,130 km2)
• Land	802 sq mi (2,080 km2)
• Water	20 sq mi (50 km2) 2.4%
Population (2020)
• Total	22,491
• Density	27/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.co.panola.tx.us

Panola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,491.^[1] The county seat is Carthage.^[2] Located in East Texas and originally developed for cotton plantations, the county's name is derived from a Choctaw word for cotton.

Until 2013, Panola County was one of about 30^[3] entirely dry counties in Texas: the sale of alcohol was restricted or prohibited.

History

Jonathon Anderson, a migrant from the United States and founder of Panola County, donated nearly 100 acres of land in the 1800s to get the county started.^[4] Panola County was formed in 1846 from sections of Harrison and Shelby counties. Developed for cotton plantations, it was named after a Choctaw/Chickasaw word for cotton. In the antebellum years, planters used enslaved African Americans as workers on their large plantations. After the Civil War, freedmen worked largely as tenant farmers and sharecroppers in this area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 821 square miles (2,130 km²), of which 802 square miles (2,080 km²) are land and 20 square miles (52 km²) (2.4%) are covered by water.^[5]

Major highways

U.S. Highway 59
- Interstate 369 is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 59 in most places.
U.S. Highway 79
State Highway 43
State Highway 149
State Highway 315
Farm to Market Road 10
Farm to Market Road 31
Farm to Market Road 124
Farm to Market Road 1970

The TTC-69 component (recommended preferred) of the once-planned Trans-Texas Corridor went through Panola County.^[6]

Adjacent counties and parishes

Communities

Cities

Beckville
Carthage (county seat)
Tatum (mostly in Rusk County)

Town

Gary City

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Center Point
Grand Bluff^[7]
Mineral Springs
Pulaski

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	3,871	—
1860	8,475	118.9%
1870	10,119	19.4%
1880	12,219	20.8%
1890	14,328	17.3%
1900	21,404	49.4%
1910	20,424	−4.6%
1920	21,755	6.5%
1930	24,063	10.6%
1940	22,513	−6.4%
1950	19,250	−14.5%
1960	16,870	−12.4%
1970	15,894	−5.8%
1980	20,724	30.4%
1990	22,035	6.3%
2000	22,756	3.3%
2010	23,796	4.6%
2020	22,491	−5.5%
U.S. Decennial Census^[8] 1850–2010^[9] 2010–2020^[10]

**Demographic Profile of Panola County, Texas**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010^[11]	Pop 2020^[10]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	17,521	16,098	73.63%	71.58%
Black or African American alone (NH)	3,850	3,244	16.18%	14.42%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	84	96	0.35%	0.43%
Asian alone (NH)	72	99	0.30%	0.44%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	3	7	0.01%	0.03%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	24	26	0.10%	0.12%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	272	731	1.14%	3.25%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,970	2,190	8.28%	9.74%
Total	23,796	22,491	100.00%	100.00%

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.

As of the census^[12] of 2000, 22,756 people, 8,821 households, and 6,395 families resided in the county. The population density was 28 people per square mile (11 people/km²). The 10,524 housing units averaged 13 units per square mile (5.0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.78% White, 17.67% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 1.87% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. About 3.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 8,821 households, 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% were married couples living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were not families; 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was distributed as 25.20% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,909, and for a family was $37,595. Males had a median income of $31,333 versus $19,017 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,439. About 11.60% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.50% of those under age 18 and 16.10% of those age 65 or over.

Education

These school districts serve Panola County:

Beckville ISD
Carthage ISD
Elysian Fields ISD (mostly in Harrison County)
Gary ISD
Joaquin ISD (mostly in Shelby County)
Tatum ISD (mostly in Rusk County)
Tenaha ISD (mostly in Shelby County)

Panola College, a junior college, has operated in Carthage since 1947.

Notable residents

Tex Ritter, country music singer, born in Murvaul
Jim Reeves, country music singer, born in Galloway

Points of Interest

Texas Country Music Hall of Fame and Tex Ritter Museum is located in Carthage.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Panola County, Texas^[13]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	9,326	81.44%	2,057	17.96%	68	0.59%
2016	8,445	81.08%	1,835	17.62%	136	1.31%
2012	7,950	77.71%	2,211	21.61%	69	0.67%
2008	7,582	74.22%	2,586	25.31%	48	0.47%
2004	7,021	70.16%	2,958	29.56%	28	0.28%
2000	5,975	65.85%	3,011	33.18%	88	0.97%
1996	4,008	44.59%	4,168	46.37%	812	9.03%
1992	3,473	37.22%	3,950	42.33%	1,909	20.46%
1988	4,642	52.87%	4,123	46.96%	15	0.17%
1984	5,676	63.88%	3,179	35.78%	30	0.34%
1980	4,022	51.92%	3,637	46.95%	88	1.14%
1976	3,218	46.12%	3,731	53.48%	28	0.40%
1972	4,324	73.74%	1,511	25.77%	29	0.49%
1968	1,586	26.67%	1,711	28.77%	2,650	44.56%
1964	2,818	51.83%	2,608	47.97%	11	0.20%
1960	2,264	50.11%	2,187	48.41%	67	1.48%
1956	2,538	52.48%	2,225	46.01%	73	1.51%
1952	2,080	41.75%	2,897	58.15%	5	0.10%
1948	256	9.08%	1,751	62.14%	811	28.78%
1944	221	8.83%	2,106	84.17%	175	6.99%
1940	179	5.87%	2,871	94.07%	2	0.07%
1936	95	3.74%	2,425	95.36%	23	0.90%
1932	50	1.85%	2,630	97.08%	29	1.07%
1928	420	24.21%	1,312	75.62%	3	0.17%
1924	119	5.33%	2,088	93.51%	26	1.16%
1920	268	16.15%	1,086	65.46%	305	18.38%
1916	125	8.77%	1,228	86.12%	73	5.12%
1912	82	5.37%	1,203	78.78%	242	15.85%