Hale Center

Hale Center is at the intersection of Interstate Highway 27 and Farm Road 1914, in central Hale County. It originated in 1893 with the merger of two rival communities, Hale City and Epworth, both founded in 1891. Residents moved buildings to the new site. The new post office was named for the fact that the community is at the center of the county. When railroad prospects failed and a long drought retarded development, the town faltered. Some residents moved their homes to their ranches, so that by 1898 only two businesses and one residence remained. The town revived in 1909 with the coming of the Santa Fe Railroad. The Great Depression years saw the town's population of 1,007 in 1930 fall to 836 by 1940. By 1950 the population was 1,626, and in 1960 it was 2,196. On June 2, 1965, a tornado destroyed the downtown area, including twenty-nine businesses, the city hall, and the fire station. Casualties included five dead and sixty injured, with $8 million in property damage. The population was 1,964 in 1970, when the town had forty-three businesses, mostly agricultural. Hale Center had 2,297 residents in 1980. Events include an All-American country fiddlers' contest, which is a part of a larger celebration known as the July 4th Homecoming. In 1990 the population was 2,067.