Southland, Texas Explained

Southland, Texas
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:Texas#USA
Pushpin Relief:yes
Pushpin Label:Southland
Pushpin Label Position:right
Coordinates:33.3619°N -101.5503°W
Coordinates Footnotes:[1]
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Garza
Subdivision Type3:Region
Subdivision Name3:Llano Estacado
Established Title:Established
Established Date:1907
Unit Pref:US
Elevation Ft:3022
Population Total:160
Population As Of:2000
Timezone1:CST
Utc Offset1:-6
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:79364
Area Code Type:Area code
Area Code:806

Southland is an unincorporated community in Garza County, Texas, United States. It lies along the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado on U.S. Route 84, twenty miles northwest of Post.

History

Named for its location on the southern end of the V Ranch, Southland became a trade center between several area ranches with the organization of Garza County in 1907.[2] When the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway was extended north from Sweetwater through to Lubbock in 1910, railroad authorities chose to build through Southland rather than establish a new railroad town (which had tended to be a common occurrence).[3] As a result, the community entered a period of limited prosperity and by 1911 had been granted a post office. Southland also saw benefit from C.W. Post's colonization of the area, providing a shipping point for his utopian project community and namesake town 20 miles to the southeast, Post.

As with many small towns, however, the Great Depression had a dire effect on Southland and by 1940, the town's only bank had closed, and its population stood at 280 residents. By 1960, however, this had dropped to under 200 and half of its eleven businesses had closed their doors, as the demand for agricultural work had slowed and shifted elsewhere, forcing many Southlanders to follow. Today, Southland remains a rural farming community with an estimated 2000 population of just under 160 residents.

Education

Southland is served by the Southland Independent School District.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. 1368839. Southland.
  2. Web site: Southland, TX. William R . Hunt . Handbook of Texas Online. 2013-03-26.
  3. Web site: Plains Division: Fifth District: Slaton-Sweetwater. The Santa Fe Railway Historical & Modeling Society. 2009-02-15.