Loving County, Texas: Weird Facts About the Smallest County in the United States

Do you ever find yourself falling down internet rabbit holes? While researching something else (I'll get to that), I discovered the anomaly that is Loving County, Texas.

Despite having lived in Texas nearly my whole life, I had never heard of Loving County. Understandable, as Texas is a massive state. But now I find myself fascinated by this little oddball.

Fewer Than 100 People: Life in America’s Least Populated County

When I googled Loving County, the first "People Also Ask" suggestion was "Why does Loving County Exist?" Oof.

Read More: Reader's Digest Named This Texas Town 'Most Charming'

While that sounds like a vicious jab at the place, if you dig deeper, the question makes sense. Why is there a county with only 64 people in the last census count?

For many years, the water there was undrinkable, grass-killing, and pipe-breaking. The groundwater has too much gypsum, and water from the Pecos River is too salty, but recent improvements have rendered it potable (but probably not desirable).

The terrain is all flat desert- cacti and desert shrubs, dirt.

It gets very hot in the summer and quite cold in the winter. It doesn't rain much, and it's not very diverse- most folks are listed as white, with a handful of native, Hispanic, and multiracial people too.

Read More: Aspermont High School: Texas Town's Unique Bomb Shelter Design

It seems to me that the people who live there do so to keep families together- fair enough, that's why I live where I live. Perhaps a few live there because they enjoy the isolation, the ruggedness, the temporal portal to an untamed West Texas past.

A County Without a School, Hospital, or Traffic Light

Loving County is not only sparsely populated, it is also the smallest county in the continental United States at 677 square miles (there is a county in Hawaii that is only 12 square miles).

Mentone is the county seat and the only community in the county. The courthouse (pictured above) is the only two-story building, and the preacher of the only church comes in from elsewhere to give an interdenominational sermon on Saturdays.

There is no graveyard, just one grave of a young cowboy named Shady. He was killed by his horse in the 1920s and must be the most lonesome ghost on the planet.

This place seems modeled and historied like a Cormac McCarthy novel.  And like a McCarthy novel, there are interesting twists in the town of Menton- they elected the first female sheriff in Texas in 1945.

She never carried a gun and only ever made two arrests- not due to timidity or squemishness- that's just all the job requires when you know everyone a la Mayberry but dustier.

Loving was also the very last county to report a case of COVID during the pandemic. Three residents got it, and I like to imagine they were desert tough enough to survive it, but I can't confirm it.

As for what began my online journey into Lovington County- apparently they are also the most rat-infested county in Texas, according to an analysis done by Eden Emerald Buyers Agent. 

The report said, "there are 616 mice and rats per 1,000 housing units," but I highly doubt there are 1000 housing units. It's probably more like 6 rats per every ten homes. 

That's a lot of rats for not a lot of people.

At least there's a beautiful song for you. I imagine the stars are quite gorgeous there, too.