Field Guides
Andrews, Texas
(Andrews COUNTY)
In Andrews County, big skies and open spaces meet oil pride and small-town heart. It’s West Texas at its most genuine.
Highlights
Andrews County is classic West Texas “big-sky, open-spaces” country. It is an unabashed oil county located in the Midland-Odessa area. People in Andrews watch the price of West Texas Crude like the rest of us watch the price of eggs and milk.
As a smaller rural county, its attractions are limited. Tourism is not really a thing here. However, if you are in town, you will find pride in the community, well-kept homes and streets, and substantial public accommodations. For example, TexasTen.com had an unfortunate vehicle emergency. The local dealership bent over backward to get Stella, the Texas Ten mascot car, back on the road as soon as possible.
We toured the town on foot, spoke with many residents, and could not have found a more welcoming group.
The County Courthouse
The first courthouse, a white clapboard, two-story structure, was built in 1911 when the county was formalized. It is now featured in a mural on Courthouse Square.
The current courthouse was built in 1939 in a modern, unassuming style. The county then made three significant renovations in 1956 and 1960, and at an uncertain later date. Each renovation added square footage via an addition to one side of the building. As a result, Andrews’ courthouse mixes the modern clean lines seen in many West Texas courthouses with a series of different elevations. Its unusual feature is the impressive trees that heavily shade the structure, which is not typical of the landscape the building administers. It sounds sort of mixed up, but presents well as a “solid seat of justice.”
Things To See And Do
It gets toasty in West Texas during the summer, and the city wisely invested in a first-rate splash park and pool. Andrews has a fine museum of local history. Surprisingly, you can fish inside the city limits of this West Texas town at Lakeside Park. Or you can find a lake many believe to be haunted at nearby Shafter Lake. Eagle eyes at the bird-watching center have spotted over 230 bird species.
Andrews also features one of Texas’s best prairie dog towns and a salvage yard of restored drilling equipment that acts like an impromptu museum, formally known as the LZ Oil Patch at 1492 W. Broadway, Andrews, TX 79714.
Food, Drinks, and Music (Eat Local!)
The star of the Andrews culinary scene is a diner as unassuming and sturdy as the town itself: Buddy’s Drive-In has been serving comfort food since 1969, so they must know something. Another option for an all-day diner is Cassidy’s Sub Shop, which has an excellent reputation for the obvious submarine sandwiches and an extensive menu of other American favorites. The Table Cafe is a high-quality breakfast or lunch option.
Given the town’s size, there is an absurdly high per capita incidence of Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurants. Some of the best-reviewed are: El Potrillo, Fresh Mex Cocina, La Mexicana, La Hacienda, Mi Pueblo, Taqueria Gael, La Caretta, El Amigo, La Fogata, El Pariente, and El Jacalito.
For something thoroughly authentic, there is El Coco Pirata, featuring Mexican seafood as prepared on the Sinaola coast. Mango’s is the place for fresh Mexican-style desserts and snacks.
Amore Italian Restaurant and Bar has the local Italian/pizza market covered.
For carnivores, The Western Grill Steakhouse does old-school western, featuring affordable grilled steaks, and Mustang Barbecue offers high-end BBQ. Fresh and well-prepared Asian dishes are at Yema.
To get your drink on and meet the friendlies, check out Redneck Paradise Bar & Grill. Quality live music comes to town at the ACE Arena. Other nights, you get rodeo and barrel racing. Still others, it is motocross. But it is all fun, so check the website for upcoming events.
Where To Drop A Dime (Shop Local!)
Andrews has at least three boutiques of note: Livee Maes, Sweet Darlin’, and Vennett’s Shop.
Special Places to Lay Your Head (Stay Local!)
Casabella is a beautiful short-term rental option and is a great place to watch West Texas sunsets. The Andrews Motor Inn is a classic example of the old motor courts. The reviews could be better, but we loved the sign! This could be the place if you are up for some nostalgic adventure.
For the Professional Traveller (Campgrounds and RV Parks)
Eagle Ranch RV Park 2319=0 TX HWY 176, (432) 813-2726
Florey Park (County park with hookups)
H & L RV Park, 2233 NE 211, Andrews, TX 78714 (432) 425-2181
Special Events
Mid-April brings out the best in Andrews with the Wild, Wild West Festival. Everything from tractor pulls to cornhole tournaments to mud bogs. Regular rodeo events provide all sorts of thrills.
Fore! (Golf Courses)
One of the best things about West Texas is that in the middle of the summer, any hack can hit a 300-yard drive if they get the right bounce. Try it out at the Andrews County Golf Course.
Getting to Andrews County
Andrews County is in far West Texas, bordering New Mexico at the bottom of the Panhandle. From the state’s geographic center in Brady, Texas, Andrews is about three and a half hours of car travel in a northwest direction. Odessa, Midland, and Interstate 20 are 30-40 minutes south of Andrews. Andrews sits at the crossroads of SH 385 heading north/south and state highways 176 and 115, each running basically west/east.
The closest regional airport is in Midland, which is serviced by American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. Small planes can fly to Andrews County Airport. Larger private planes can try Midland Airpark or Odessa Schlemeyer Field.
History
There is evidence of an Aboriginal population inhabiting land around Andrews County as early as 6,000 B.C. We have more certainty that the area regularly saw the Aasazi starting around 900 A.D. First, the Apache and then the Comanche controlled the land until the mid-1870s, when the Indian wars in Texas ended in Anglo victory.
Texas created Andrews County in 1876, but it remained unsettled for decades. The name for the county and city honors Richard Andrews, who was injured at the Battle of Gonzales and then died from injuries suffered at the Battle of Concepcion, becoming the first Texan fatality of the Texas Revolution.
What administration was necessary came from outposts hundreds of miles away until 1910, when the almost 1,000 inhabitants seemed enough to organize the county formally. To that point, the economy was all farming and ranching. Ranching seemed the better option given the arid climate, a condition that large landowners tried to remedy with various rain-making schemes. Finally, farmers switched to cotton and other less water-dependent crops in the 1920s, stabilizing their efforts.
The ‘20s also saw the first oil activity, but two decades passed until economic conditions and technological advances were sufficient to make Andrews County oil routinely profitable. The following two decades were prosperous, but since that time, Andrews’ fortunes have been up and down as global demand and supply waxed and waned.
Today, the economy still depends on petroleum, ranching, and farming. The county’s population was last estimated at 18,664, most living in Andrews, the city. The county is almost 60% Hispanic, with nearly all the rest being white non-Hispanic. For instance, African Americans make up only 2% of the county. The population skews slightly younger than Texas overall, and the median income is well above the Texas median with a corresponding lower poverty rate. There is a significant college gap, as only 20% of the population has a college degree. Although Andrews County is the 20th largest geographically, it ranks 128th out of 254 in population.
Andrews County has always been conservative, and today, it is solidly red in terms of politics, with almost 85% voting GOP in the last general elections.
Although Andrews has a small population, it has produced some notable Texans. The well-known pastor and writer Max Lucado, famed Texas author Elmer Kelton, and PGA professional golfer Chad Campbell were all born and/or raised in Andrews.
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