Garden City

History

Garden City's history began in 1886, when what became the town's post office was established in a general store, and a settlement began to develop in the area around the business. The post office was to be named after the store proprietor, a man named Gardner. However, after a clerical error by officials in Washington, the postal franchise was granted under the name "Garden" City. Garden City was the first Texas community platted by renowned surveyor W. D. Twichell, a Minnesota native. In 1893, Glasscock County was organized, and Garden City vied for the county seat along with two other area communities, New California and Dixie. New California was ultimately chosen as the county seat; it was located in a less flood-prone region with a readily accessible water supply. However, at the time of the county's organization, New California consisted of two dwellings and an equally sparse population, whereas Garden City boasted a school, the general store/post office, and several homes. In a unique compromise, most of Garden City's structures were placed on wheels and relocated to the New California site, and on April 5, 1893, the settlement was renamed Garden City. A two-story stone courthouse was constructed later that same year, followed by a new, larger courthouse in 1910 (with the former building remaining in use as the Glasscock County Jail). Between 1927 and 1943, Garden City's population fluctuated between 100 and 250, and several businesses and a newspaper (the Garden City Gazette) had come and gone. By 1945, Garden City had eight businesses and a population of 200. In the 1950s, oil was discovered nearby, creating a bit of a boom for the area. While Garden City's population did not experience the spike that other West Texas oil boom towns had seen (the population…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  69
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  65
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  63
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

  Tyrannus forficatus (Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  57
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  50
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  48
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  44
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  38

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2026-10-05
  21 km NNW of Midland, Texas
• M 3.1 — 2026-09-30
  20 km WNW of Stanton, Texas
• M 2.8 — 2026-09-24
  32 km SW of Garden City, Texas
• M 3.2 — 2026-09-24
  32 km SW of Garden City, Texas
• M 2.7 — 2026-09-24
  31 km SW of Garden City, Texas
• M 2.7 — 2026-09-24
  30 km SW of Garden City, Texas