Randall County, Texas

Randall County is a county in Texas, United States, on the Llano Estacado just south of Amarillo. It had a population of 140,753 at the 2020 census and covers 922 square miles (2,390 km2), of which 11 square miles (28 km2) is water, centred near 34°58′N 101°54′W.

Canyon is the county seat, and its postal code is 79015. The county holds two cities, one town, three villages and two census-designated places; it sits in the Central time zone.

Towns & Villages in Randall County

Randall County’s population is concentrated in the southern half of Amarillo and its bedroom communities along Interstate 27 and US 87/60. The list below covers every incorporated place plus the CDPs and named unincorporated communities carried over from earlier records; Unincorp. denotes a place with no municipal government.

Amarillo, Texas’s 14th-largest city, straddles the Randall–Potter county line; most of its footprint and population lie in Potter County, with only its southern edge inside Randall. Happy also straddles the Randall–Swisher county line, though its post office and the bulk of its households sit on the Randall side.

ZIP Codes

• 79015 — Canyon (also serves Palisades and Timbercreek Canyon)
• 79016 — Canyon (unique ZIP for West Texas A&M University)
• 79042 — Happy
• 79091 — Umbarger (PO Box only)
• 79109, 79110, 79118, 79119, 79121 — Amarillo addresses on the Randall County side

Cleta, Ogg and Zita have no post office of their own and use a neighboring town’s ZIP code.

Geography

Randall County sits on the High Plains of the Texas Panhandle, split by the Caprock Escarpment: the northern two-thirds is flat tableland, while Palo Duro Canyon — the second-largest canyon in the United States — cuts across the southeastern part of the county. The Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River carves the canyon and drains the county’s southern half; Lake Tanglewood, a private reservoir community, sits along one of its tributary creeks.

Randall County borders Potter County to the north, Carson County to the northeast, Armstrong County to the southeast, Briscoe County to the south, Swisher County to the southwest, Castro County to the west-southwest, Deaf Smith County to the west, and Oldham County to the northwest.

Demographics

Randall County had 140,753 residents at the 2020 census, making it one of the most populous counties in the Texas Panhandle. Canyon and the Randall County portion of Amarillo hold most of that population; Happy and the county’s villages account for only a few thousand residents combined. Median household income in Texas overall is the state median of $75,780; Randall County, anchored by Amarillo’s metro job base and West Texas A&M University, tracks close to that figure. Population density works out to roughly 154 people per square mile.

Economy & Local Life

The Amarillo metro economy — health care, meatpacking and food processing, energy, and retail trade — drives most Randall County jobs, since the county forms the southern half of the Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area. Canyon is built around West Texas A&M University, the largest employer in the city, alongside the regional school district and area hospitals. Agriculture remains significant on the county’s tableland, particularly cattle feeding and irrigated corn and wheat. The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, the largest history museum in Texas, draws visitors from across the region, and Palo Duro Canyon State Park anchors local tourism with hiking, camping, and the long-running outdoor musical drama “TEXAS.”

History

Randall County was created by the Texas Legislature in 1876 and organized as a county government in 1889. It is named for Confederate brigadier general Horace Randal, killed at the Battle of Jenkins’ Ferry in 1864; a clerical error in the legislation that created the county dropped the second “l” from his surname, and the misspelling stuck. Before Anglo settlement, the vast JA Ranch — built by Charles Goodnight and John George Adair and spanning parts of six Panhandle counties — controlled much of the land that became Randall County. Canyon was chosen as county seat over the older community of Old Palo Duro in an 1889 election.

Getting There

Interstate 27 runs the length of the county, connecting Canyon and Amarillo; US Highways 60 and 87 and Texas Loop 335 also cross the county, along with State Highway 217.

• Amarillo — 15 miles north of Canyon
• Lubbock — 100 miles south
• Palo Duro Canyon State Park — 12 miles southeast of Canyon
• Happy — 25 miles south of Canyon

Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport, just north of the county line in Potter County, is the nearest commercial airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Randall County, Texas?
It sits in the Texas Panhandle, immediately south of Amarillo, on the Llano Estacado where the plains break into Palo Duro Canyon.

What is the population of Randall County?
140,753 people, per the 2020 census.

How big is Randall County?
922 square miles (2,390 km2), of which 11 square miles is water.

What is the Randall County seat?
Canyon is the county seat.

How many towns and villages are in Randall County?
The county has two cities (Amarillo in part, and Canyon), one town (Happy), three villages (Lake Tanglewood, Palisades, and Timbercreek Canyon), and two census-designated places (Rockwell Place and Umbarger).

What ZIP codes are in Randall County?
Canyon uses 79015 and 79016, Happy uses 79042, Umbarger uses 79091, and the Randall County side of Amarillo uses 79109, 79110, 79118, 79119, and 79121.

Why is Randall County spelled differently from Horace Randal’s name?
The 1876 legislation creating the county misspelled Confederate general Horace Randal’s surname by adding a second “l,” and the error was never corrected.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.