A vintage Texas town built around an old Spanish zocalo (town square), Childress (pop. 6,778) is an important shipping and supply point for surrounding grain and cattle ranches, and serves as the market town for area cotton farmers. Located at the junction of US-83 and US-287, Childress was named after George Childress, the author of the Texas Declaration of Independence; it is also the hometown of eight-time world champion calf roper Roy Cooper.
The once-picturesque downtown still houses the small but engaging Childress County Heritage Museum (closed Sun.; free) at 10 3rd Street NW (follow the signs). The downtown is one short step from dry, depressed implosion—the result of every business relocating to the congested, annoying fringe highways—but the elaborate 100-year-old facades provide ample opportunities for nostalgic photography and aimless wandering. Depending on your time of arrival, the brick-cobbled streets and empty shells of formerly grand buildings smack more of a ghost town, but there are a few good antique shops taking advantage of the historic charm.
Virtually every motel in town lines US-287 (Avenue F) east and west of the junction with US-83, but thanks to their highway-side location, they all suffer from a lack of quiet and privacy.
