Vashti is an unincorporated community

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...

 at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 174

Farm to Market Road 174

Farm to Market Road 174 or FM 174 is a two-lane, state-maintained highway that connects small farming communities of Archer, Clay, and Montague counties in north central Texas.-History:...

 and Farm to Market Road 1288

Farm to Market Road 1288

Farm to Market Road 1288 is a farm to market road in Clay County, Texas.-Route description:FM 1288 begins north of Newport, at an intersection with . It travels to the north through the farming areas of southeastern Clay County, through the community of Vashti, to Bellevue and , the main...

, 18 miles southeast of Henrietta

Henrietta, Texas

Henrietta is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Wichita Falls, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,264 at the 2000 census.-History:...

 and four miles south of Bellevue

Bellevue, Texas

Bellevue is a city in Clay County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Wichita Falls, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 386 at the 2000 census.- History :...

 in southeastern Clay County

Clay County, Texas

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,006 people, 4,323 households, and 3,181 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 4,992 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...

, 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...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

The elevation is 1083 feet (330.1 m).

History

It was established in 1880 and named for the first postmaster in 1891, Vashti Strahan. Bypassed by the Fort Worth and Denver Railway

Fort Worth and Denver Railway

The Fort Worth and Denver Railway , nicknamed "the Denver Road," was a class I American railroad company that operated in the northern part of Texas from 1881 to 1982, and had a profound influence on the early settlement and economic development of the region....

 in 1882 and U.S. Route 287

U.S. Route 287

U.S. Route 287 is a north–south United States highway. It is long. It serves as the major truck route between the Texas cities of Fort Worth and Amarillo...

 in the 1930s, the town never flourished. It did survive, however, as a local economic and social hub for area farmers. It reached its peak population in the 1920s at 264, and the community had a number of businesses, including a cotton gin, three general stores, a drugstore, and a blacksmith shop; in addition, six churches and two fraternal orders operated locally. Its decline began in the 1950s as the urbanization of rural areas began across the United States following World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. By 1950 the population of Vashti stood at 140, which remained stable until 1980. Cattle raising, dairy farming, potterymaking, and fruit production are the area's major industries.