Gray County is a county in Texas, United States, in the eastern Texas Panhandle. It had a population of 21,227 at the 2020 census and covers 929 square miles (2,410 km2) centred near 35°25′N 100°49′W.
Pampa is the county seat, and its postal code is 79065. The county has one city, two towns, one census-designated place and several unincorporated communities. Gray County is in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Gray County
Gray County has one incorporated city (Pampa, the seat), two incorporated towns (Lefors and McLean), one census-designated place (Alanreed) and a handful of unincorporated communities left from the county’s early ranching and oil-boom years. CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no separate municipal government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pampa | City · seat | — | 79065 |
| Lefors | Town | — | 79054 |
| McLean | Town | — | 79057 |
| Alanreed | CDP | — | 79002 |
| Hoover | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Back | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bowers City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kingsmill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Laketon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Boydston | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wesco | Unincorp. | — | — |
The old page also listed “Mesilla Park,” a place name that actually belongs to Doña Ana County, New Mexico, not Gray County — it has been dropped as an out-of-state error. Duplicate entries for Alanreed, Lefors and Pampa, and unverifiable stub names (“Denworth,” “Heaton,” “Kingsmill Camp”), are also omitted; see the notes for this page for detail.
ZIP Codes
- 79065 — Pampa (standard delivery; covers most of the county’s population)
- 79066 — Pampa (PO Box)
- 79057 — McLean
- 79054 — Lefors (PO Box)
- 79002 — Alanreed (PO Box)
Smaller unincorporated communities such as Hoover, Bowers City, Kingsmill, Laketon, Boydston and Wesco have no ZIP code of their own and use a neighboring town’s mailing address, usually Pampa’s.
Geography
Gray County sits on the High Plains of the eastern Texas Panhandle, a mostly flat to gently rolling landscape of shortgrass prairie broken by the McClellan Creek and Red Deer Creek drainages, both tributaries of the Red River system. Of the county’s 929 square miles, 926 square miles are land and 3.4 square miles are water.
Gray County borders Roberts County to the north, Hemphill County to the northeast, Wheeler County to the east, Collingsworth County to the southeast, Donley County to the south, Armstrong County to the southwest, and Carson County to the west.
Demographics
Gray County had a population of 21,227 at the 2020 census, spread across a land area of 926 square miles for a density of roughly 23 people per square mile. Pampa is by far the largest community, followed by McLean. Gray County’s median household income runs below the Texas median of $75,780 — a legacy of the county’s dependence on oil-and-gas employment, which swings with commodity prices.
Economy & Local Life
Gray County’s economy has rested on oil, gas and petrochemicals since the 1920s, alongside cattle ranching and dryland farming of wheat, sorghum and hay. Pampa is home to a Cabot Corporation carbon-black plant, one of the county’s largest industrial employers, along with Pampa Regional Medical Center and the Gray County school districts. Livestock sales make up the bulk of the county’s agricultural income, well ahead of crop sales.
History
Gray County was created from the Bexar Territory in 1876 and formally organized in 1902. It is named for Peter W. Gray, a Texas lawyer, legislator and Confederate soldier. The county’s population swelled during the 1920s oil boom that followed major discoveries including the 1926 Worley-McReynolds well, and it peaked at 31,535 residents in 1960 before the long decline typical of Panhandle oil counties set in.
Getting There
Interstate 40 crosses the southern part of Gray County, and U.S. Route 60 runs through Pampa on its way across the Panhandle; Texas Highways 70, 152 and 273 connect the county’s smaller towns. The nearest commercial airport is Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport, about 55 miles west of Pampa.
- Amarillo — about 55 miles west
- Clarendon — about 25 miles south
- Shamrock — about 35 miles southeast
- Canadian — about 45 miles northeast
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Gray County, Texas?
It is in the eastern Texas Panhandle, centred near 35°25′N 100°49′W, about 55 miles east of Amarillo.
What is the population of Gray County?
Gray County had a population of 21,227 at the 2020 census.
How big is Gray County?
The county covers 929 square miles (2,410 km2), of which 926 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Gray County?
Pampa is the county seat.
How many towns are in Gray County?
The county has one city (Pampa), two incorporated towns (Lefors and McLean), one census-designated place (Alanreed) and several unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Gray County?
The county’s ZIP codes are 79065 and 79066 (Pampa), 79057 (McLean), 79054 (Lefors) and 79002 (Alanreed).
Why is Gray County named that?
It is named for Peter W. Gray, a 19th-century Texas lawyer and legislator who also served the Confederacy during the Civil War.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.