Parker County, Texas

Not to be confused with Parker, Texas.

Parker County, Texas
The Parker County courthouse in Weatherford
Location in the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1856
Seat	Weatherford
Largest city	Weatherford
Area
• Total	910 sq mi (2,357 km2)
• Land	903 sq mi (2,339 km2)
• Water	6.6 sq mi (17 km2), 0.7%
Population
• (2010)	116,927
• Density	129/sq mi (50/km²)
Congressional district	12th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.parker.tx.us

Confederate soldier statue at Parker County Courthouse

Parker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 116,927. The county seat is Weatherford. The county was created in 1855 and organized the following year. It is named for Isaac Parker, a state legislator who introduced the bill that established the county in 1855.

Parker County is included in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 910 square miles (2,400 km²), of which 903 square miles (2,340 km²) is land and 6.6 square miles (17 km²) (0.7%) is water. The county is intersected by the Brazos River.

Highest point

Main article: Slipdown Mountain

Slipdown Mountain and Slipdown Bluff, at a height of 1,368 feet (417 m), are the highest points in Parker County. They are located just east of the Advance Community, southwest of Poolville.

Major highways

• Interstate 20
• U.S. Highway 180
• State Highway 171

Adjacent counties

• Wise County (north)
• Tarrant County (east)
• Johnson County (southeast)
• Hood County (south)
• Palo Pinto County (west)
• Jack County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	4,213		—
1870	4,186		−0.6%
1880	15,870		279.1%
1890	21,682		36.6%
1900	25,823		19.1%
1910	26,331		2.0%
1920	23,382		−11.2%
1930	18,759		−19.8%
1940	20,482		9.2%
1950	21,528		5.1%
1960	22,880		6.3%
1970	33,888		48.1%
1980	44,609		31.6%
1990	64,785		45.2%
2000	88,495		36.6%
2010	116,927		32.1%
Est. 2014	123,164		5.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010–2014

As of the census of 2003, there were 98,495 people, 31,131 households, and 24,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 98 people per square mile (38/km²). There were 34,084 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile (15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 83.17% White, 1.79% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 12.61% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. 7.02% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 31,131 households out of which 38.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.60% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.90% were non-families. 18.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.11. As of the 2010 census, there were about 3.4 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.

In the county, the population was spread out with 27.50% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 104.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,497, and the median income for a family was $51,530. Males had a median income of $37,913 versus $25,412 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,305. About 5.90% of families and 8.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.30% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

• Adell
• Agnes
• Aledo
• Annetta
• Annetta North
• Annetta South
• Azle (partly in Tarrant County)
• Briar (partly in Wise County and Tarrant County)
• Brock
• Cool
• Cresson
• Dennis
• Garner
• Hudson Oaks
• Millsap
• Mineral Wells (partly in Palo Pinto County)
• Peaster
• Poolville
• Reno
• Sanctuary
• Springtown
• Weatherford (county seat)
• Whitt
• Willow Park

Notable people

• Orville Bullington, attorney and politician
• Oliver Loving, Loving-Goodnight Cattle Trail
• Bose Ikard, trusted cattle driver of Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight
• Mary Martin, star of stage and screen
• S.W.T. Lanham, last Confederate governor of Texas
• Jim Wright, youngest mayor of Weatherford, TX, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
• Douglas Chandor (1897-1953), international portrait artist

See also

• List of museums in North Texas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Parker County, Texas

External links

• Parker County government's website
• The Parker County Poor Farm
• Historic photos from the Weatherford College Library, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
• Parker County in Handbook of Texas Online