The county seat, Perryton, is only 7 miles south of the Oklahoma state line and is the northernmost county seat in Texas.

Located in the extreme northeast portion of the Texas panhandle, Ochiltree County is a thriving county bordering Oklahoma. The county seat, Perryton, is only seven miles south of the Oklahoma state line and is the northernmost county seat in Texas. Other communities in Ochiltree County include Waka, Huntoon, Farnsworth and Twichell.

Known as the “Wheatheart of the Nation,” the county is located in the Great Wheat Belt of the Southwest and includes both rich soil for farming and grazing and underlying deposits of oil and gas from the Anadarko Basin. The county is also part of the treeless area extending from near the Rocky Mountains through western Kansas, Oklahoma and northern Texas.

Residents of the county can enjoy the rural feel of Perryton while still remaining close to busy Texas cities such as Amarillo, Dallas and Fort Worth — all are within 400 miles. Other nearby metropolitan cities include Oklahoma City, only 250 miles away, and Denver, Colorado, 400 miles to the northwest. Perryton has easy access to the interstate highway system: U.S. Highway 83 runs through Perryton from Liberal, Kansas and continues north to Canada, while U.S. Highway 70 runs from Perryton south to Pampa. State Highway 15 runs east to west through the county, parallel to the Southwestern Railroad.

If you are looking for a dry climate and mild winters, Ochiltree County is the place for you. Rain often comes in the form of thundershowers, peaking in late spring and early summer. The winds tend to pick up during the stormy season, and there are plenty of excellent kite-flying days in March and April. The average temperature for January is 38 degrees, and the average for July is 89 degrees, making Ochiltree County a comfortable place to live and work. The land elevation of the county averages about 3,000 feet.

The population of Ochiltree County was just over 9,000 in 2001, with over 7,600 residents located in the county seat of Perryton. The county has a majority of residents between the ages of 25 and 44 and is almost equally male and female.

One of the most famous residents of Perryton is Hank the Cowdog. A fictional character created by long-time Perryton resident John R. Erickson, Hank the Cowdog is the head of Ranch Security at his ranch. Since his debut in 1982 in The Cattleman magazine, Hank has been busy entertaining children and adults alike with stories of daily life on a ranch.

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