| Perryton, Texas | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Nickname: | "Wheatheart of the Nation" |
| Coordinates: | 36.3917°N -100.8061°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Texas |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Ochiltree |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1919 |
| Established Title1: | Platted |
| Established Title2: | Incorporated |
| Named For: | George Perry |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 4.80 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 4.80 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Km2: | 12.43 |
| Area Land Km2: | 12.43 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Elevation Ft: | 2927 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 8492 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 79070 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 806 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 48-56912 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2411406 |
Perryton is a city in and the county seat of Ochiltree County, Texas, United States.[2] As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,492.[3] It is located a few miles south of the Texas / Oklahoma state line.
In the late 1910s, a railroad was built from east to west between the towns of Ochiltree and Gray. After neither got a railroad, the two communities decided to move both towns to the railroad and merge into a new community named Perryton. It was named after George M. Perry, an early county judge.
See also: Tornado outbreak sequence of June 14–19, 2023. On the evening of June 15, 2023, an EF3 tornado struck north Perryton. The devastating tornado tracked southeast, destroying dozens of mobile homes before impacting downtown, downing a cell tower, two communications towers, as well as damaging multiple industrial buildings. One mobile home caught fire and spread to many more homes throughout a mobile home park.[4] After the tornado struck the town, three deaths were confirmed and over 100 injuries were sustained.[5] [6]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.5sqmi, of which 0.04sqmi (0.45%) is covered by water.
Perryton has a borderline cool semiarid climate (Köppen BSk) just short of either a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) or a humid continental climate (Dfa). Winter mornings are very cold: 137.9 mornings on average fall to or below freezing and 4.4 mornings each year can be expected to fall so low as 01NaN1. This indicates heavy continental influence courtesy of its far inland position. Winter weather can be extremely variable, ranging from extremely cold due to Arctic outbreaks from the Yukon to a three-month winter average of six afternoons above 70F due to hot chinook winds blowing off the Rocky Mountains. In some cases, these chinooks can produce extremely rapid increases in temperature; during February 10, 2017, the temperature rose from 25F in the morning to 92F in the afternoon and down to 46F the following morning.
Summers are hot, and mornings remain relatively mild. Nine mornings each year can be expected to stay above, but virtually none stay above 77F, although the temperature did not fall below 79F on July 10, 2016. However, 70.5 afternoons reach 90F, with 12.3 afternoons topping 100F, and a record high of 113F on June 26, 2011. The coldest morning was NaNF on January 7, 1988, and the coldest maximum 3F on December 22 and 23 (twice on consecutive days) of 1990.
| White (NH) | 3,247 | 38.24% | |
| Black or African American (NH) | 12 | 0.14% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 31 | 0.37% | |
| Asian (NH) | 24 | 0.28% | |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 2 | 0.02% | |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 19 | 0.22% | |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 155 | 1.83% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 5,002 | 58.9% | |
| Total | 8,492 |
At the 2000 census,[8] 7,774 people, 2,785 households and 2,113 families were residing in the city. The population density was 1,753.2 people/sq mi (677.6/km). The 3,180 housing units had an average density of 717.2sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 85.23% White, 0.15% African American, 0.98% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 11.11% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 34.13% of the population.
Of the 2,785 households, 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.6% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were not families. About 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.77, and the average family size was 3.22.
Age distribution was 31.3% under 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.
The median household income was $37,363, and the median family income was $45,045. Males had a median income of $31,803 compared with $19,694 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,431. About 9.7% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.
Perryton and nearby rural areas are served by the Perryton Independent School District and Perryton High School.
Perryton is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 83 highway and Texas State Highway 15.