| Official Name: | Seminole, Texas |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Image Map1: | Gaines County Seminole.svg |
| Mapsize1: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Texas |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Gaines |
| Government Footnotes: | Ramon Juarez Jr Founded The Town |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 9.83 |
| Area Land Km2: | 9.83 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 3.80 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 3.80 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 6988 |
| Population Density Km2: | 794.74 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 2058.20 |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation Ft: | 3297 |
| Coordinates: | 32.7186°N -102.65°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 79360 |
| Area Code: | 432 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 48-66764[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2411866 |
Seminole is a city in and the county seat of Gaines County, Texas, United States.[3] Its population was 6,430 at the 2010 census. Seminole and Gaines County are home to a large population of German Mennonites from Russia that came to West Texas in the 1980s.[4]
It is the birthplace of country music singers Larry Gatlin and Tanya Tucker.
The land for Seminole was donated by nonresident landowners to become the county seat for Gaines County. In 1906, the first move to Seminole was made by W. B. Austin and his wife Emma, who moved their general store there, which was located in Caput, Texas. During this time, several post offices found a new home in Seminole. Seminole National Bank opened its doors in 1906, followed by First State Bank in 1907. In 1912, Seminole National Bank lost over $3,000 when it was robbed. In 1914, the two banks merged to form First State Bank. In 1950, Seminole's population surpassed Seagraves, Texas, for the first time.[5]
Plautdietsch-speaking Mennonites became an ethnoreligious group in the Russian Empire and migrated from there to Canada and then to Mexico. In 1977, some 100 families from Mexico bought land southwest of Seminole to settle there, but faced difficulties with immigration. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed legislation allowing the original 100 families to gain full citizenship. In 2016, about 6,000 Plautdietsch speakers lived around Seminole.[6]
Seminole is located at .[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3sqmi, all land.
The climate is cold semiarid (Köppen: BSk) affected by elevation with well defined seasons, more extreme and drier than most of the great cities of Texas.[8] The lowest temperature measured in the state was in the city with, recorded on February 8, 1933.[9]
| White | 3,323 | 47.55% | |
| Black or African American | 108 | 1.55% | |
| Native American | 29 | 0.41% | |
| Asian | 60 | 0.86% | |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.01% | |
| Other/mixed | 110 | 1.57% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3,357 | 48.04% |
As of the census of 2000, 5,910 people, 2,082 households, and 1,590 families resided in the city. The population density was 1762.3sp=usNaNsp=us . The 2,337 housing units had an average density of 696.9sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 80.64% White, 1.98% African American, 0.98% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 13.52% from other races, and 2.57% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 39.59% of the population.
Of the 2,082 households, 41.3% had children under 18 living with them, 61.6% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were not families. About 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.79, and the average family size was 3.28.
In the city, the population was distributed as 31.9% under 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,063, and for a family was $36,019. Males had a median income of $31,563 versus $17,010 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,624. About 14.6% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under 18 and 13.4% of those 65 or over.
The City of Seminole is served by the Seminole Independent School District. The Gaines County Library celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008.[11]