Best is an unincorporated town

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in southwestern Reagan County

Reagan County, Texas

Reagan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 3,326. The seat of the county is Big Lake. It is named in honor of John Henninger Reagan , who served as postmaster general of the Confederate States of America and also as a U.S....

 in the western part of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. It was portrayed in the Clyde Ragsdale novel “The Big Fist”.

Location and population

Best is located in Reagan County about 85 miles (135 km) west of San Angelo, Texas

San Angelo, Texas

San Angelo is a city in the state of Texas. Located in West Central Texas it is the county seat of Tom Green County. As of 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total population of 93,200...

. In 2000, the town had a population of 2. It is one of the four major communities in Reagan County according to a historical guide written by the University of Texas. Best was served by the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway

Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway

The Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway, started in 1900 by American railroad entrepreneur Arthur Edward Stilwell, was the predecessor to the Chihuahua al Pacífico railroad in Mexico. It was intended to reach the Pacific Ocean at Topolobampo, Sinaloa...

.

History

Oil was discovered in the area in 1923. The town is reportedly named after Tom Best, an English stockholder of the Orient Railroad, which established a railroad switching station in the town in 1924. The town rapidly grew reaching a population of 3,500 by 1925.

The rapid growth of the town was accompanied by a wild reputation, which was portrayed in the Clyde Ragsdale novel, The Big Fist. A commonly used slogan was coined that “the town with the Best name in the world and worst reputation.”

The population of the town declined after 1925 where it was 300 by 1945. In the late 1950s National Supply Company

National Oilwell Varco

National Oilwell Varco is a multinational corporation based in Greater Sharpstown, Houston, Texas, which manufactures land-based and offshore oil drilling rigs as well as all the major mechanical components for such rigs...

 still operated an oilfield supply store. The population in 1990 was 25, and by 2000 had declined to just 2.