Knox County

Knox County, Texas

Knox County, Texas

The Knox County Courthouse is located in Benjamin, Texas, the county. Photograph by Nicholas Henderson.
Knox County, Texas

Knox County, Texas

Map of Knox County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

Knox County is in the Rolling Plains region of northwest central Texas, bordered on the north by Foard County, on the east by Baylor County, on the south by Haskell County, and on the west by King County. Its center point is 99°45' west longitude and 33°35' north latitude, about seventy-five miles north of Abilene. The county was named for Henry Knox, the secretary of war in George Washington's first cabinet. Knox County embraces 854 square miles of level to rolling, mesquite-covered plains, dissected by hilly ranges and eroded breaks; altitudes range from 1,401 to 1,646 feet above sea level. The area is drained by the North Wichita River along most of its northern border, and by the South Wichita and Upper Brazos rivers, which cross the county. The soils, ranging from black waxy to sandy loam, are good for both farming and stock raising. Temperatures range from an average minimum of 28° F in January to an average maximum of 98° in July. The annual rainfall is 24.64 inches, and the average growing season lasts 217 days. Two railroad lines, owned by the Santa Fe and Burlington Northern companies, serve the county, and the area is crossed by two U.S. highways (82 and 277), three State highways (6, 114, and 222) and several farm-to-market roads.

Until the late nineteenth century, the area now known as Knox County was frequented by nomadic Indians who followed the herds of buffalo that roamed the region. In Spanish and Mexican Texas, several copper deposits along the Brazos were reportedly mined by Spaniards using Indian conscripts as laborers. The first Anglo to penetrate the future county area was probably Capt. Randolph B. Marcy, who in 1854 traveled through the area to survey the Brazos and Wichita valleys while searching for a suitable site for an Indian reservation. In 1855 elements of the Second United States Cavalry, commanded by colonels Albert Sidney Johnston and Robert E. Lee, patrolled the vicinity.

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H. Allen Anderson, John Leffler | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Knox County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

1200 ft – 1794 ft

Size

Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does

  • Land Area: 850.6 mi²
  • Total Area: 855.5 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 29.1°F
July mean maximum: 96.3°F

Rainfall, 2019

26.4 inches

Population Count, 2019

3,664

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

1,354

Unemployment, 2019

7.0%

Property Values, 2019

$947,472,942 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$38,457 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$36,115,889 USD

Wages, 2019

$13,386,750 USD

Knox County

Highlighted:
  • Knox County
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Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
Town 200 (2021) Yes
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Town 20 (2009) Yes
Town 162 (2021) Yes
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Lake Yes
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Town 1,240 (2021) Yes
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Town 120 (2009) Yes
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Town 50 (2009) Yes
Lake Yes
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