Quitaque is located northeast of Lubbock on Hwy 86 in Briscoe County.
It recieved its name from nearby Quitaque Creek and Ranch. In 1890 it became a stagecoach stop and grew to a village serving surrounding ranches and farms.
Charles Goodnight introduced the name Quitaque, which he believed was the Indian word for "end of the trail." According to another legend the name was derived from two buttes in the area that resembled piles of horse manure, the real meaning of the Indian word. Another story is that the name was taken from the Quitaca Indians, whose name was translated by white settlers as "whatever one steals."
In 1988 Quitaque had an estimated population of 700 and eleven businesses. In 1990 the population was 513.