Cochran County is a county in Texas, United States, on the high plains of the Llano Estacado where the state’s western border meets New Mexico. It had a population of 2,547 at the 2020 census and covers 775 square miles (2,010 km2) centred near 33°36′N 102°50′W.
Morton is the county seat and its postal code is 79346. The county has two incorporated municipalities, one census-designated place, and several unincorporated communities. Cochran County sits in the Central time zone, though communities near the New Mexico line commonly keep Mountain-time schedules for daily business.
Towns & Villages in Cochran County
Eight named places appear across Cochran County’s settlement record: two incorporated towns, one census-designated place, and five unincorporated communities. Texas has no civil townships, so places are not grouped by township here.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morton | City · seat | 1,690 | 79346 |
| Whiteface | Town | 375 | 79379 |
| Bledsoe | CDP | — | — |
| Girlstown USA | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Famuliner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Griffith | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lehman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Neely Ward | Unincorp. | — | — |
Every settlement name from the old page carried over — none were dropped as junk or duplicates.
ZIP Codes
- 79346 — Morton (also serves Famuliner, Griffith, and Neely Ward, which have no post office of their own)
- 79379 — Whiteface
Bledsoe, Girlstown USA, and Lehman use nearby ZIP codes outside the county and are not confirmed here.
Geography
Cochran County lies entirely within the Llano Estacado, a flat tableland of shortgrass prairie and cotton fields with almost no natural surface drainage. The county is 775 square miles of land and just 0.09 square miles of water. Its western line runs directly along the Texas–New Mexico state boundary.
Cochran County borders Bailey County to the north, Hockley County to the east, Terry County to the southeast, Yoakum County to the south, Lea County, New Mexico to the west, and Roosevelt County, New Mexico to the northwest. Lamb County lies just east of Bailey and Hockley, sharing the same high-plains landscape.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 2,547 residents, down from 6,417 in 1960 as farm mechanization emptied the countryside. Morton and Whiteface are the two largest communities, together holding more than 80% of the county’s population. About 60% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino. Median household income in the county runs below the Texas median of $75,780, typical for a sparsely populated farm county. Population density is 3.3 people per square mile, one of the lowest in the state.
Economy & Local Life
Cotton and grain sorghum farming, much of it irrigated from the Ogallala Aquifer, anchors the county economy, alongside cattle ranching that dates to the C.C. Slaughter operations the county’s earliest communities were named for. Oil and gas production, discovered near Whiteface in 1937, remains active. Morton Independent School District and Whiteface Consolidated Independent School District are the county’s largest public employers. The Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge, about 20 miles north of Morton, draws visitors each winter for its sandhill crane migration.
History
The Texas Legislature created Cochran County in 1876 and it was formally organized in 1924. It is named for Robert E. Cochran, a defender of the Alamo. Morton was founded in 1923 by land agent Morton Smith, working for landowner Minnie Slaughter Veal, and became county seat the following year; its “Last Frontier” motto refers to the county being one of the last in Texas broken out into farmland. Whiteface takes its name from rancher C.C. Slaughter’s “Whiteface Camp,” named for his cattle. The community was established in 1924 by Slaughter’s son-in-law Ira P. DeLoache, relocated in 1925 to sit on the new railroad line, and incorporated in 1945 after oil was found nearby in 1937.
Getting There
State Highways 114, 125, and 214 cross the county, connecting Morton and Whiteface to the surrounding high-plains towns. There is no interstate access; most through traffic runs east–west on Highway 114 toward Lubbock or west into New Mexico toward Clovis.
- Lubbock — 65 miles east
- Levelland — 35 miles east
- Clovis, New Mexico — 60 miles northwest
- Lovington, New Mexico — 40 miles west
Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, about 65 miles east of Morton, is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Cochran County, Texas?
It sits on the Llano Estacado in the far western Texas Panhandle-South Plains region, directly on the New Mexico state line.
What is the population of Cochran County?
2,547 people, according to the 2020 census.
How big is Cochran County?
775 square miles (2,010 km2), almost entirely land.
What is the county seat of Cochran County?
Morton is the county seat.
How many towns are in Cochran County?
Two incorporated towns, Morton and Whiteface, plus the census-designated place of Bledsoe and several unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Cochran County?
79346 (Morton) and 79379 (Whiteface) are the county’s two post office ZIP codes.
Why is it called Cochran County?
It is named for Robert E. Cochran, who died defending the Alamo in 1836.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.