Matador, TX

Matador is a town in and the county seat of Motley County, Texas, United States. The 2020 census counted 569 residents. In 1891, it was established by and named for the Matador Ranch. Matador is located 95 miles east of Lubbock, Texas. Originally the Carter Hotel, the Hotel Matador was built in 1914 by Roy Carter and his wife, the former Jessie Simpson. For a rural area, the hotel had luxurious rooms with a bell hop, a full-time gardener, and laundry service. Motley County is in the service area of South Plains College.

Matador's local map joins its older history to the places and landscapes that still shape the town today, all within the wider Texas setting. The local scoop is how Matador's history still shows up in the places people visit, work, learn, and meet. The Matador Ranch was consolidated in 1882 by a Scottish syndicate, and a post office opened at Matador in 1886. Matador is at the junction on conjoined US Route 62, U.S. Route 70, and State Highway 70. Matador is home to Motley County High School Matadors.