Mentone, Texas

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title: "Mentone, Texas" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["county-seats-in-texas", "recorded-texas-historic-landmarks", "populated-places-established-in-1931", "1931-establishments-in-texas", "census-designated-places-in-texas", "census-designated-places-in-loving-county,-texas"] topic_path: "general/county-seats-in-texas" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentone,_Texas" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
nameMentone, Texas
settlement_typeCensus-designated place
image_skylineMentone Courthouse.JPG
image_captionLoving County Courthouse, the only two-story building in Mentone, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
pushpin_mapTexas#USA
pushpin_labelMentone
pushpin_map_captionLocation in Texas##Location in the United States
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameUnited States
subdivision_type1State
subdivision_name1Texas
subdivision_type2County
subdivision_name2Loving
leader_title
established_titleFounded
established_date1931
unit_prefImperial
area_footnotes
area_total_km20.44
area_land_km20.44
area_water_km20.0
population_as_of2020
population_footnotes
population_total22
population_density_km250
timezoneCentral (CST)
utc_offset-6
timezone_DSTCDT
utc_offset_DST-5
elevation_ft2684
coordinates
postal_code_typeZIP code
postal_code79754
area_code432
blank_nameFIPS code
blank_info48-47676
blank1_nameGNIS feature ID
blank1_info1362622
::

|name = Mentone, Texas |official_name = |settlement_type = Census-designated place |nickname = |motto =

|image_skyline = Mentone Courthouse.JPG |imagesize = |image_caption = Loving County Courthouse, the only two-story building in Mentone, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. |image_flag = |image_seal =

|pushpin_map = Texas#USA |pushpin_label = Mentone |pushpin_label_position = |pushpin_map_caption = Location in Texas##Location in the United States |pushpin_mapsize = |image_map = |map_caption = |image_map1 = |mapsize1 = |map_caption1 =

|subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = United States |subdivision_type1 = State |subdivision_name1 = Texas |subdivision_type2 = County |subdivision_name2 = Loving |government_footnotes = |government_type = |leader_title = |leader_name = |leader_title1 = |leader_name1 = |established_title = Founded |established_date = 1931

|unit_pref = Imperial |area_footnotes = |area_magnitude = |area_total_km2 = 0.44 |area_land_km2 = 0.44 |area_water_km2 = 0.0

|population_as_of = 2020 |population_footnotes = |population_total = 22 |population_density_km2 = 50

|timezone = Central (CST) |utc_offset = -6 |timezone_DST = CDT |utc_offset_DST = -5 |elevation_footnotes = |elevation_ft = 2684 |coordinates =

|postal_code_type = ZIP code |postal_code = 79754 |area_code = 432 |blank_name = FIPS code |blank_info = 48-47676 |blank1_name = GNIS feature ID |blank1_info = 1362622 |website = |footnotes = Mentone () is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Loving County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, its population was 22, up from 19 in 2010, almost one-quarter of the county's 82 people at the time.

Mentone was, until recent years, the least-populated unincorporated county seat in the United States, but lost that distinction with the 2010 census to Gann Valley, South Dakota, which had a population of 14. Mentone was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1967 as the "Smallest County Seat in Texas".

History

Named after Menton, France, by a French surveyor, present-day Mentone is actually the second such named community in Loving County; an earlier Mentone was founded south of the current town in 1893, but was abandoned in 1905. A second town on that site was called Juanita and then Porterville, but was deserted anew when Mentone was re-established in 1931, with most residents moving to the new town. The town on the current site was named Ramsey before being renamed. During its heyday, Mentone boasted five cafes, five gas stations, two hotels, two drugstores, two recreation halls, two barbershops, a dance hall, a machine shop, and a dry cleaner. It also had its own newspaper, the Mentone Monitor, which published from 1932 to 1935.

After reaching a high population mark around 600 residents in the 1930s, its population has declined ever since, and in 2000, it had only 15 people, "more or less", according to National Geographic (the total population of Loving County itself, as of 2020, was 64).

Today, according to National Geographic, Mentone contains little more than a courthouse, two stop signs, a gas station, a post office, and a school building (which has since been demolished, as enrollment fell to just two pupils and was merged with nearby Wink schools in the 1970s). A volunteer fire department serves the town, but no hospitals or cemeteries are there, and no doctors or lawyers. Until 1988, Mentone had no potable water of its own; local wells yielded water with a high mineral content that clogged pipes and killed grass. Drinking water was trucked in from Pecos, 23 mi away, until improvements started in 2010 that guaranteed the potability of Mentone's water.

Mentone's tiny church (the oldest building in Loving County) is visited every Saturday by a minister from a nearby town who holds interdenominational services there.

Mentone was the home of the first elected female sheriff in Texas, Edna Reed Clayton DeWees, who was appointed to the job in January 1945, then won an election to continue in the office through 1947. She never carried a firearm, and reported only two arrests during her entire term. This is not unusual in Loving County; since the inception of the county, fewer than 200 criminal cases have been filed in District Court. Later, DeWees returned as county and district clerk, a job she held from 1965 to 1986. In Loving County, the posts of county clerk, probate clerk, and district clerk are managed by the same official. DeWees died January 22, 2009, having survived her husbands George Clayton and Lawrence DeWees.

Free Town Project

Main article: Free Town Project

In February 2006, Mentone became the focus of a New York Times article detailing an alleged attempt by Lawrence Pendarvis, a man convicted of 129 counts of possession of child pornography, Bobby Emory, and Don Duncan to "take over" the town and Loving County. According to the article, Pendarvis and his associates, part of the "Free Town Project", planned to buy parcels of land in the county, then move in enough of their supporters to outvote earlier residents and take control of local government.

According to a website for Pendarvis' movement, their objectives were to "Remove oppressive regulations... and stop enforcement of laws prohibiting victimless acts among consenting adults" Additionally, the group sought "to ensure that the sheriff's office or the town police are never allowed to waste valuable town resources... to oppress our residents by the investigation or enforcement of violations of laws that punish truancy, drug trafficking, prostitution, obscenity, organ trafficking, and other victimless 'crimes'."

Although Pendarvis, Emory, and Duncan claimed to have legally bought 126 acre in Loving County in 2005, and registered to vote accordingly, the county sheriff, Billy Burt Hopper, determined that this land had been sold to a different buyer. Misdemeanor charges were filed against the three men, who had left the state by this time. Pendarvis claimed to have a cancelled check to prove his purchase of the land in question, but no deed was ever produced, and the original landowners denied having sold land to Pendarvis or his associates. The three were subsequently featured on a "wanted" poster issued by Sheriff Hopper and the local Texas Rangers (displayed at Hopper's office), and threatened with arrest should they return to Loving County. As of 2017, Pendarvis' website is no longer operational.

Second takeover attempt

In October 2025, the State of Texas filed a lawsuit aiming to stop social media figure Malcolm Tanner from offering "free homes" and money to people who settled on land near Mentone owned by Tanner. According to the suit, Tanner's property lacks running water or sewer access, and features no houses. Instead, around 30 of his followers, mostly Black women and children, were living in recreational vehicles and tents. Tanner had promoted the project on social media as part of an attempt to take over Loving County and get his preferred candidates elected. He has also advertised himself as a candidate for U.S. President in 2028.

Geography

Mentone is located in southwestern Loving County at an elevation of 2684 ft. It is situated on State Highway 302, 77 mi west of Odessa and 22 mi north of Pecos. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Mentone CDP has an area of 0.4 sqkm, all land. The town is 1.5 mi east of the Pecos River.

Climate

Mentone experiences an arid desert climate with hot summers and cool winters. Due to Mentone's aridity, the diurnal temperature variation is substantial, and helps lower nighttime temperatures. Most precipitation falls in the summer and early fall. |location = Mentone, Texas |width = 75% |single line = Y |Jan record high F = 86 |Feb record high F = 89 |Mar record high F = 99 |Apr record high F = 102 |May record high F = 106 |Jun record high F = 111 |Jul record high F = 112 |Aug record high F = 111 |Sep record high F = 106 |Oct record high F = 100 |Nov record high F = 88 |Dec record high F = 83 |year record high F= 112 |Jan high F = 61.6 |Feb high F = 62.6 |Mar high F = 72.9 |Apr high F = 82.3 |May high F = 91.9 |Jun high F = 97.4 |Jul high F = 98.6 |Aug high F = 96.9 |Sep high F = 90.7 |Oct high F = 81.2 |Nov high F = 70.6 |Dec high F = 58.9 |year high F= 80.5 |Jan low F = 28.0 |Feb low F = 31.1 |Mar low F = 38.5 |Apr low F = 47.1 |May low F = 56.0 |Jun low F = 65.3 |Jul low F = 70.2 |Aug low F = 67.7 |Sep low F = 60.8 |Oct low F = 46.6 |Nov low F = 36.7 |Dec low F = 27.8 |year low F= 48.0 |Jan record low F = 5 |Feb record low F = 5 |Mar record low F = 12 |Apr record low F = 16 |May record low F = 31 |Jun record low F = 46 |Jul record low F = 60 |Aug record low F = 53 |Sep record low F = 39 |Oct record low F = 30 |Nov record low F = 18 |Dec record low F = 16 |year record low F= 5 |Jan precipitation inch = 0.41 |Feb precipitation inch = 0.31 |Mar precipitation inch = 0.24 |Apr precipitation inch = 0.28 |May precipitation inch = 0.86 |Jun precipitation inch = 0.89 |Jul precipitation inch = 1.74 |Aug precipitation inch = 1.29 |Sep precipitation inch = 1.39 |Oct precipitation inch = 1.03 |Nov precipitation inch = 0.33 |Dec precipitation inch = 0.29 |year precipitation inch= 9.06 |source 1 = The Western Regional Climate Center{{cite web | url =http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?tx5828| title =Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Information | access-date =March 24, 2013 | publisher =Western Regional Climate Center }} |date=March 2013

Demographics

|2010= 19 |2020= 22 |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census 1850–1900 1910 1920 1930 1940

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Since 2010, Mentone has been included in the larger Mentone, Texas census-designated place delineated by the United States Census Bureau for its purposes in compiling, storing, and analyzing census data. Because of this, demographics taken from this census apply to the entire CDP and not just the community proper.

::data[format=table title="'''Mentone CDP, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition'''
{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}"] | Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Mentone CDP, Texas |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US4847676&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=United States Census Bureau}} | % 2010 | |---|---|---| | White alone (NH) | 14 | 17 | | Black or African American alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | | Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 1 | 1 | | Asian alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | | Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | | Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 1 | | Multiracial (NH) | 0 | 2 | | Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4 | 1 | | Total | 19 | 22 | ::

As of the 2020 United States census, 22 people, seven households, and three families were residing in the CDP.

Education

Mentone is served by the Wink-Loving Independent School District. Loving County's school system was closed and consolidated into Wink's ISD in 1972 because the enrollment had fallen to two students. All of Loving County is zoned to Odessa College.

References

References

  1. (2006-05-10). "Loving County Courthouse (ID: 06000362)". [[National Register of Historic Places]].
  2. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
  3. "Total Population: 2010 Census DEC Summary File 1 (P1), Mentone CDP, Texas". U.S. Census Bureau.
  4. [http://www.texasalmanac.com/texas-towns/mentone Mentone at Texas Almanac]
  5. "Smallest County Seat in Texas - Mentone Mentone, Loving County, Texas". William Nienke, Sam Morrow.
  6. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
  7. (2010-06-30). "End to Mentone's water woes may be near - KWES NewsWest 9 / Midland, Odessa, Big Spring, TX: newswest9.com |". Kwes.com.
  8. "FindLaw's District Court of Appeal of Florida case and opinions".
  9. Blumenthal, Ralph. (February 25, 2006). "1 Cafe, 1 Gas Station, 2 Roads: America's Emptiest County". The New York Times.
  10. "Loving County".
  11. "The Free Town Project". The Free Town Project.
  12. "Texas sues to stop group from settling in far west county".
  13. "Decennial Census by Decade".
  14. "1900 Census of Population - Population of Texas By Counties And Minor Civil Divisions".
  15. "1910 Census of Population - Supplement for Texas".
  16. "1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
  17. "1930 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
  18. "1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
  19. "1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
  20. "1960 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
  21. "1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
  22. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
  23. "1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas".
  24. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas".
  25. "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas".
  26. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Mentone CDP, Texas".
  27. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Mentone CDP, Texas".
  28. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Loving County, TX". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
  29. "Sec. 130.193. ODESSA COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.".

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county-seats-in-texasrecorded-texas-historic-landmarkspopulated-places-established-in-19311931-establishments-in-texascensus-designated-places-in-texascensus-designated-places-in-loving-county,-texas