Biohazard Cleanup Near North Snyder Snyder, TX

Snyder is the county seat of Scurry County, sitting at the junction of U.S. Highways 84 and 180 about 87 miles southeast of Lubbock.

Snyder began in 1878, when buffalo hunter and trader William Henry "Pete" Snyder built a trading post on the banks of Deep Creek, and the town that grew around it took his name.

Snyder drew up a town plan in 1882, two years before Scurry County was even organized, and when the county was organized in 1884 his settlement was chosen as the county seat.

Snyder received its city charter in 1907, and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway laid tracks through town in 1911.

Snyder was a quiet farming and ranching town until 1948, when oil was discovered on the Canyon Reef formation north of town and its population jumped from around 4,000 to over 12,000 within a single year, peaking at roughly 16,000 by 1951.

The 2020 census counted 11,438 people in Snyder, and Census Bureau figures put the city at about 4,307 households averaging 2.5 people each.

Roughly seven in ten of Snyder's homes are owner-occupied, according to recent Census Bureau survey data.

Higher education came to Snyder in the fall of 1971, when Western Texas College opened its doors to 649 students; the community college remains a centerpiece of the city.

The Scurry County Museum, which preserves the region's ranching and oil-boom history, is located on the Western Texas College campus.

The Scurry County Coliseum, a large arena operated by Western Texas College since 2008, hosts rodeos and other area events in Snyder.