Baylor County

Baylor County, Texas

Baylor County, Texas

Baylor County, Texas. Photograph by Larry D. Moore.
Baylor County, Texas

Baylor County, Texas

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

Baylor County, in North Central Texas, is bounded on the south by Throckmorton County, on the east by Archer County, on the north by Wilbarger County, and on the west by Knox and Foard counties. Its center is 30º37' north latitude and 99º12' west longitude, fifty miles southwest of Wichita Falls. The county is level to hilly. It comprises 845 square miles with an average elevation of 1,250 feet. The land is drained by the Salt Fork of the Brazos and the Big Wichita rivers. The soils vary from sandy to loam and red, and the ground cover is largely grasses, mesquites, and junipers. The average annual rainfall is 26.36 inches. Temperatures range from an average high of 98º F in July to an average low of 28º in January. The growing season averages 214 days.

Before it was settled, the area that is now Baylor County lay within the range of the Wanderers, a nomadic Comanche band, who relied upon buffalo for food, clothing, shelter, tools, and ornaments. In 1848 special Indian agent Robert S. Neighbors found 250 Comanche, fifty Tonkawa, and ten Wichita lodges on Lewis Creek at the site of present-day Seymour. When the first surveys were made in the area in 1853 the Indians were still using it as a major hunting ground for buffalo, a fact that made settlement nearly impossible. This continued until the final defeat of the Comanches in 1874 by the United States Army and their removal to a reservation in Indian territory (see RED RIVER WAR). Baylor County was separated from Fannin County in 1858 and named for Henry W. Baylor, a surgeon in a regiment of Texas Rangers during the Mexican War. The county was attached to Jack County for administrative and judicial purposes.

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Lawrence L. Graves | © 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

Baylor County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

1053 ft – 1537 ft

Size

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

  • Land Area: 867.5 mi²
  • Total Area: 901.1 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 28.1°F
July mean maximum: 96.5°F

Rainfall, 2019

29.0 inches

Population Count, 2019

3,509

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

1,712

Unemployment, 2019

4.0%

Property Values, 2019

$994,232,620 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$41,704 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$27,732,052 USD

Wages, 2019

$13,302,669 USD

Baylor County

Highlighted:
  • Baylor County
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Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
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Town 15 (2009) Yes
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Town 42 (2009) Yes
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Town 2,584 (2021) Yes
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Town 18 (2009) Yes
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