The city was named for George W. Hollis, a local businessman and member of the townsite committee that laid out the town in 1898, while the site was still in old Greer County, Texas. The original plat was lost, and after a lawsuit, the town was re-platted in 1903. The original business district comprised a general store opened by George Hollis and a blacksmith shop owned by James Maylen Prock. A post office named for Hollis was established October 31, 1901. Hollis was in Greer County, Oklahoma until 1909, when Governor Haskell divided the old county into Greer County and Harmon County, Hollis fell into Harmon County. An election was held to choose a county seat. Contenders were Hollis, Dryden, Looney and Vinson. Hollis won the election.
Geography
Hollis is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land.
Climate
Hollis experiences a dry humid subtropical climate with cool, dry winters and hot, much wetter summers.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,264 people, 845 households, and 561 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,589.8 people per square mile. There were 1,081 housing units at an average density of 759.1/sq mi. The racial makeup of the city was 66.65% White, 12.68% African American, 0.84% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 17.67% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. 28.18% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 845 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.10. In the city, the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,421, and the median income for a family was $23,103. Males had a median income of $20,791 versus $14,792 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,408. About 29.4% of families and 36.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.6% of those under age 18 and 26.2% of those age 65 or over.
Additional information
Hollis is a close-knit community which only has one stoplight at the corner of Highway 62 and Highway 30, the only two main highways that pass through the town. It features the Hollis Municipal Airport located north of the town on Highway 30 and the Hollis Livestock Commission, which is a major source of economy for the town.
Education
The Hollis Public School System comprises the only school located in Harmon County, and its Sallie Gillentine Elementary School is Harmon County's sole elementary school.
