Parker County, Texas
Parker County | |
|---|---|
The Parker County courthouse in Weatherford | |
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Flag | |
Location within the U.S. state of Texas | |
Texas's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 32°47′N 97°49′W / 32.78°N 97.81°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| Founded | 1856 |
| Named after | Isaac Parker, Texas legislator |
| Seat | Weatherford |
| Largest city | Weatherford |
| Area | |
• Total | 910 sq mi (2,400 km2) |
| • Land | 903 sq mi (2,340 km2) |
| • Water | 6.6 sq mi (17 km2) 0.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 148,222 |
| • Density | 160/sq mi (60/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 12th, 25th |
| Website | www |
Parker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 148,222.[1] The county seat is Weatherford.[2] The county was created in 1855 and organized the following year.[3] It is named for Isaac Parker, a state legislator who introduced the bill that established the county in 1855.[4] Parker later fought in the Texas Brigade.[5]
Parker County is included in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington 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) are land and 6.6 square miles (17 km2) (0.7%) are covered by water.[6] The county is intersected by the Brazos River.[7]
Highest point
Slipdown Mountain and Slipdown Bluff, at a height of 1,368 feet (417 m), are the highest points in Parker County.[8] They are located just east of the Advance community, southwest of Poolville.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Wise County (north)
- Tarrant County (east)
- Johnson County (southeast)
- Hood County (south)
- Palo Pinto County (west)
- Jack County (northwest)
Communities
Cities (multiple counties)
- Azle (mostly in Tarrant County)
- Cresson (partly in Hood and Johnson counties)
- Fort Worth (mostly in Tarrant County, with small parts in Denton, Johnson, Wise, and Parker counties)
- Mineral Wells (mostly in Palo Pinto County)
- Reno (small part in Tarrant County)
Cities
- Aledo
- Hudson Oaks
- Weatherford (county seat)
- Willow Park
Towns
Census-designated places
- Briar (partly in Wise and Tarrant counties)
- Carter
- Dennis
- Garner
- Horseshoe Bend
- Western Lake
Unincorporated communities
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% | |
| 2020 | 148,220 | 26.8% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 173,494 | 17.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1850–2010[10] 2010[11] 2020[12] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[13] | Pop 2010[11] | Pop 2020[12] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 78,980 | 99,698 | 117,747 | 89.25% | 85.27% | 79.44% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,559 | 1,842 | 1,636 | 1.76% | 1.58% | 1.10% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 518 | 768 | 878 | 0.59% | 0.66% | 0.59% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 298 | 631 | 990 | 0.34% | 0.54% | 0.67% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 19 | 35 | 97 | 0.02% | 0.03% | 0.07% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 58 | 64 | 470 | 0.07% | 0.05% | 0.32% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 852 | 1,479 | 6,585 | 0.96% | 1.26% | 4.44% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 6,211 | 12,410 | 19,819 | 7.02% | 10.61% | 13.37% |
| Total | 88,495 | 116,927 | 148,222 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
In 2000, the county had a population of 88,495; by 2020, its population increased to 148,222.[12] Among the 2020 census population, the racial and ethnic makeup was 79.44% non-Hispanic white, 13.37% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 4.44% multiracial, 1.10% Black or African American, 0.67% Asian alone, 0.59% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.32% some other race, and 0.07% Pacific Islander.
American Community Survey 2023 Data
The United States Census Bureau estimated that in 2023, Parker County’s population was 173,494. It was also estimated that the county was 15.1% Hispanic or Latino, 79.6% NH White, 1.8% NH Black, 0.9% NH Asian, 0.7% NH Native American, 0.1% NH Pacific Islander, 1.8% NH Multiracial.[14]
| Race | Total | Percentage |
| Hispanic or Latino | 26,265 | 15.1% |
| NH White | 138,142 | 79.6% |
| NH Black | 3,164 | 1.8% |
| NH Asian | 1,587 | 0.9% |
| NH Native American | 1,037 | 0.7% |
| NH Pacific Islander | 139 | 0.1% |
| NH Multiracial | 3,064 | 1.8% |
Politics
Parker County, like most suburban counties in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area, has been a Republican stronghold for decades. Republicans have held all public offices since 1999 and the county has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1976.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 75,168 | 82.75% | 14,872 | 16.37% | 800 | 0.88% |
| 2020 | 62,045 | 81.50% | 13,017 | 17.10% | 1,066 | 1.40% |
| 2016 | 46,473 | 81.79% | 8,344 | 14.69% | 2,000 | 3.52% |
| 2012 | 39,243 | 82.28% | 7,853 | 16.47% | 598 | 1.25% |
| 2008 | 36,974 | 77.11% | 10,502 | 21.90% | 475 | 0.99% |
| 2004 | 31,795 | 77.63% | 8,966 | 21.89% | 196 | 0.48% |
| 2000 | 23,651 | 71.18% | 8,878 | 26.72% | 696 | 2.09% |
| 1996 | 14,580 | 54.29% | 9,447 | 35.18% | 2,828 | 10.53% |
| 1992 | 10,321 | 37.54% | 7,934 | 28.86% | 9,239 | 33.60% |
| 1988 | 14,090 | 62.01% | 8,517 | 37.48% | 116 | 0.51% |
| 1984 | 13,647 | 69.07% | 6,050 | 30.62% | 62 | 0.31% |
| 1980 | 8,505 | 52.65% | 7,336 | 45.41% | 314 | 1.94% |
| 1976 | 4,692 | 36.18% | 8,186 | 63.12% | 91 | 0.70% |
| 1972 | 7,152 | 69.11% | 3,184 | 30.77% | 13 | 0.13% |
| 1968 | 3,068 | 32.98% | 4,301 | 46.23% | 1,934 | 20.79% |
| 1964 | 2,175 | 29.16% | 5,270 | 70.66% | 13 | 0.17% |
| 1960 | 3,467 | 48.50% | 3,629 | 50.77% | 52 | 0.73% |
| 1956 | 3,390 | 51.46% | 3,165 | 48.04% | 33 | 0.50% |
| 1952 | 3,523 | 50.50% | 3,434 | 49.23% | 19 | 0.27% |
| 1948 | 806 | 19.75% | 3,061 | 75.02% | 213 | 5.22% |
| 1944 | 559 | 12.27% | 3,503 | 76.90% | 493 | 10.82% |
| 1940 | 558 | 13.12% | 3,687 | 86.69% | 8 | 0.19% |
| 1936 | 375 | 12.95% | 2,493 | 86.08% | 28 | 0.97% |
| 1932 | 372 | 10.68% | 3,074 | 88.28% | 36 | 1.03% |
| 1928 | 2,178 | 66.24% | 1,110 | 33.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 438 | 14.70% | 2,391 | 80.26% | 150 | 5.04% |
| 1920 | 488 | 20.60% | 1,765 | 74.50% | 116 | 4.90% |
| 1916 | 173 | 7.77% | 1,797 | 80.69% | 257 | 11.54% |
| 1912 | 135 | 5.62% | 1,700 | 70.72% | 569 | 23.67% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 72,477 | 79.89% | 16,349 | 18.02% | 1,900 | 2.09% |
Notable people
- Oliver Loving, developer of the 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 veteran to serve as governor of Texas
- Jim Wright, youngest mayor of Weatherford, Texas, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
See also
- List of museums in North Texas
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Parker County, Texas
- Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Parker County
References
- ^ "Parker County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
- ^ "PARKER COUNTY". Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ^ "Parker, Isaac".
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ^ Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). . The American Cyclopædia.
- ^ "Parker County Highpoint Trip Report". Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
- ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Parker County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ a b c "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Parker County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Parker County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "County Population by Characteristics: 2020-2023". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- ^ "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)". Commonwealth of Texas by county. November 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
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
32°47′N 97°49′W / 32.78°N 97.81°W
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Parker County, Texas". www.census.gov. Retrieved January 31, 2024.