Coryell County

Coryell County, in central Texas about 210 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, is bordered by Hamilton, Bosque, McLennan, Bell, and Lampasas counties. Gatesville, the county seat, is on U.S. Highway 84 and State Highway 36, about eighty miles north of Austin and 110 miles southwest of Dallas. The county's center lies about four miles southwest of Gatesville at approximately 31°23' north latitude and 97°48' west longitude. The present county comprises 1,031 square miles of plateaus and grasslands in the Grand Prairie region, with elevations ranging from 600 to 1,493 feet above sea level. Its two principal streams are the Leon River, which drains the northern and eastern parts of the county, and Cowhouse Creek, which drains the western and southern areas. Soils vary widely in the county, but most are alkaline with limestone underneath. Indigenous trees include red cedar, live oak, Spanish oak, burr oak, shin oak, cedar elm, hackberry, pecan, redbud, Mexican plum, buckeye, ash, and Eve's necklace; native grasses include bluestems, gramas, and buffalo grass. Approximately 25 percent of the county is considered prime farmland. The fauna includes deer, armadillos, skunks, coyotes, bobcats, opossums, ring-tailed cats, badgers, foxes, raccoons, and squirrels, as well as assorted birds, fish, and reptiles. The climate is temperate; the average minimum temperature is 33° F in January, and the average maximum is 97° in July. The growing season averages 244 days annually, and the rainfall averages about thirty-two inches.

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