Muleshoe-Bailey County
County Offices
300 South 1st Street
Muleshoe 806-272-3044
http://www.co.bailey.tx.us/
Municipal Offices
215 South 1st Street
Muleshoe 806-272-4528
https://www.city-of-muleshoe.com/
Chamber of Commerce
115 E American Boulevard
Muleshoe 806-272-4248
https://muleshoechamber.com/
One of the southern High Plains counties of West Texas, Bailey County is located in the western Panhandle approximately 75 miles northwest of the metropolitan center of Lubbock. The Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River drains the northern parts of the county, although the most visible natural feature is a range of sand hills from northeast to southwest. Major thoroughfares that serve the region include U.S. Highway 70/84 across the northeastern part of the county and Texas State Highways 214 and 298. Although Muleshoe Municipal Airport is available for general aviation, the nearest commercial airline passenger service is Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport in Lubbock County.
Agricultural activity has long driven the local economy, with picturesque farms and ranches covering hundreds of thousands of acres. Primary products include feedlot cattle production, dairy cattle, cotton, wheat, sorghum, corn, and vegetables. With as much as 90 percent of the land in agricultural use, this region is known for its exceptionally rich soil. The only incorporated community in the county is Muleshoe, which also serves as the seat of county government, healthcare, education, and commerce. The top three employers in Muleshoe are the Muleshoe Independent School District, Muleshoe Area Hospital, and Bunge-Minsa Corporation.
Services
Residents of Bailey County have the assurance of first-rate healthcare services close to home, anchored by Muleshoe Area Medical Center. Licensed for 25 acute-care beds, the hospital maintains a Swing Bed Program that meets skilled nursing needs for patients with acute and chronic medical conditions from heart attacks and congestive heart failure to obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes. This “swing bed” approach also serves patients who require additional healing time and physical therapy before returning home. Hospital services include a Level IV Trauma Center staffed by professionals who are trained to provide advanced life support and stabilization. In addition to clinics that provide primary care, outpatient services include laboratory, physical therapy, and radiology capabilities. Should the need for advanced or specialized care arise, the city of Lubbock is home to world-class healthcare resources and facilities that include the University Medical Center Health System, the primary teaching hospital for the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Covenant Health is the largest regional provider, maintaining Covenant Medical Center and Covenant Children’s Hospital and several specialty centers in Lubbock. Lubbock Heart & Surgical Hospital focuses on the special needs of cardiovascular patients.
Residents of all ages have regional access to some of the finest educational resources in Texas from preschool through professional degrees. Dedicated to instilling a strong academic foundation, the public schools are “building the future, one student at a time.” Options for higher education can begin with two-year transfer programs or career training at Clovis Community College in Clovis, New Mexico. The flagship campus for South Plains College (SPC) is approximately 50 miles from home in the city of Levelland. As a top-rated two-year institution, SPC offers more than 100 programs of study that span the arts and sciences, technical education, continuing education, and workforce development. The city of Lubbock is a regional center for higher education, adding two more campus centers for South Plains College. The Tier One Carnegie Designated University of Texas Tech University excels in research partnerships in a variety of areas including sustainable energy, wind power, crop science, and food safety. Students can choose from 150 undergraduate majors, 100 master programs, and 50 doctoral programs in 13 colleges that include a school of law, a medical school, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Two respected private colleges are also at home in the city, Lubbock Christian University and Wayland Baptist University.
Lifestyle
Newcomers to Bailey County will discover a scenic rural environment where residents appreciate the warmth of family, the friendliness of their neighbors, and the strength of community bonds. Church, school, and community events and activities play a pivotal role in daily life, including annual celebrations and competitions like the Muleskinner Golf Tournament, Tour de Muleshoe, the Muleshoe Roadrider Rally, the 4th of July Parade, Mule Days & Kickin’ Nights, and December’s Light the Night Christmas Parade. The city of Muleshoe serves as a center of recreational activity, with 130 acres of parkland, playground equipment, softball and baseball fields, Muleshoe Water Park, disc golf, public tennis courts, Muleshoe Country Club and Golf Course, a health and fitness center, and “the most active Senior Citizen Center in West Texas.” Other amenities include three RV parks and one of the oldest wildlife preservations in the state. Encompassing more than 5,800 acres, Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge boasts one of North America’s largest concentrations of sandhill cranes along with 280 species on the refuge bird lists.
Displaying pride in its colorful history at every turn, Bailey County is home to the famous National Mule Memorial known as “Ole Pete.” Invited to attend the first inauguration of President George W. Bush in 2001, this impressive statue stands at the north end of the city of Muleshoe’s Main Street. Another eye-catching tribute to the past is the “World’s Largest Muleshoe” at the Muleshoe Heritage Center. Standing 22 feet high and 17 feet wide, this massive piece of art is large enough for a semi-truck to drive through it. Also featured at the Heritage Center are historic West Texas buildings that include the Janes Ranch House, the Figure 4 Ranch House, a log cabin, the Muleshoe Ranch Cook House and Bunk House, the Virginia City Hotel, and the original Muleshoe Santa Fe Depot. For three-day holidays and vacations, the cosmopolitan center of Lubbock is only 75 miles from home for a world of entertainment and cultural enrichment possibilities. With its distinctive attractions and recreational amenities, respected school system, first-rate local healthcare, and strong community spirit, Bailey County and Muleshoe offer the best of rural and small-town living.
