Hudspeth County is a county in Texas, United States, on the U.S.–Mexico border east of El Paso, with Guadalupe Mountains National Park reaching into its northeast corner. It had a population of 3,202 at the 2020 census and covers 4,572 square miles (11,840 km2) — the third-largest county in Texas by land area — centred near 31°27′N 105°22′W.
Sierra Blanca is the county seat, and its postal code is 79851. Dell City is the county’s only incorporated city; Acala, Fort Hancock and Sierra Blanca are unincorporated census-designated places, alongside a scatter of smaller unincorporated communities and colonias. The county sits in the Mountain time zone and has no civil townships.
Towns & Villages in Hudspeth County
Hudspeth County has one incorporated city and roughly two dozen other named places — census-designated places, unincorporated communities, and colonias — spread across its vast, sparsely settled land area. CDP = Census-Designated Place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community or colonia with no municipal government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dell City | City | — | 79837 |
| Sierra Blanca | CDP · seat | — | 79851 |
| Fort Hancock | CDP | — | 79839 |
| Acala | CDP | — | — |
| Allamoore | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Arispe | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cornudas | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Coyote Place | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Crusher | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eagle Flat | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Esperanza | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Etholen | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Finlay | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fort Hancock East Unit Number 1 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fort Hancock East Unit Number 2 Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fort Quitman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Indian Hot Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Iser | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Loma Linda Estates Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McNary | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mile High | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Old Patterson Place | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Salt Flat | Unincorp. | — | 79847 |
| Scotts Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Villa Alegre Colonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
Fort Hancock is the county’s largest community despite Sierra Blanca holding the courthouse; the two sit about 30 miles apart along U.S. 90/I-10, with Dell City an isolated outpost in the county’s remote northeast corner near the New Mexico line.
ZIP Codes
- 79851 — Sierra Blanca (county seat)
- 79839 — Fort Hancock
- 79847 — Salt Flat
- 79837 — Dell City
Smaller unincorporated communities such as Acala, McNary and Indian Hot Springs are served by the nearest of these four post offices rather than carrying their own ZIP code.
Geography
Hudspeth County spans a vast stretch of Chihuahuan Desert basin-and-range country in far West Texas, split by the Rio Grande valley in the south and the rugged Guadalupe and Sierra Diablo mountain fronts in the north. A slice of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, home to Texas’s highest point, lies in the county’s northeast corner. The Rio Grande forms the county’s southern border with Mexico, and the county holds almost no other surface water — only about 0.8 square miles are classified as water.
Hudspeth County borders El Paso County to the west, Otero County, New Mexico to the north, Culberson County to the east, and Jeff Davis and Presidio Counties to the south, with several Mexican municipalities across the Rio Grande.
Demographics
The county had 3,202 residents at the 2020 census, spread across roughly 4,571 square miles of land — a density of well under one person per square mile, among the lowest in Texas. Fort Hancock and Sierra Blanca are the two largest communities. Median household income runs well below the Texas median of $75,780, reflecting the county’s agricultural and ranching economic base and remote location.
Economy & Local Life
Irrigated farming along the Rio Grande valley — cotton, alfalfa, chile peppers and pecans — anchors the local economy around Fort Hancock and Dell City, alongside cattle ranching on the county’s drier rangeland. Hudspeth County ISD serves the Fort Hancock and Sierra Blanca areas as the main local employer alongside county government. The county courthouse in Sierra Blanca, built of adobe, is a locally noted landmark.
History
Hudspeth County was organized in 1917 out of the eastern portion of El Paso County. It is named for Claude Benton Hudspeth, an El Paso-area state senator and later U.S. representative. Sierra Blanca briefly drew national attention in the 1970s and 1980s as a rail siding used to dispose of New York City sewage sludge, and its courthouse remains, by local reckoning, the only adobe county courthouse still in use in Texas.
Getting There
Interstate 10 and U.S. Highways 62/180 cross the county, along with State Highway 20 and Spur 148 linking the river-valley communities.
- El Paso — about 90 miles west via I-10
- Van Horn (Culberson County) — about 30 miles east via I-10
- Carlsbad, New Mexico — about 90 miles north via US-180
- Marfa (Presidio County) — about 90 miles south
El Paso International Airport is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hudspeth County?
It is in far West Texas, on the U.S.–Mexico border east of El Paso, stretching north to the New Mexico line.
What is the population of Hudspeth County?
3,202 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Hudspeth County?
4,572 square miles (11,840 km2), the third-largest county in Texas by land area.
What is the Hudspeth County seat?
Sierra Blanca is the county seat.
How many towns are in Hudspeth County?
One incorporated city, Dell City, plus three census-designated places and about twenty smaller unincorporated communities and colonias.
What ZIP codes are in Hudspeth County?
79851 (Sierra Blanca), 79839 (Fort Hancock), 79847 (Salt Flat) and 79837 (Dell City).
Is any part of a national park in Hudspeth County?
Yes — the northeast corner of the county reaches into Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.