Grayson County

Grayson County, in north central Texas, is bordered by the Red River and by Fannin, Collin, Denton, and Cooke counties. The county seat, Sherman, which lies approximately sixty-five miles north of Dallas, is part of the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county's center point is at 33°40' north latitude and 96°40' west longitude. Grayson County, 934 square miles in area, has an elevation ranging from 600 to 800 feet and generally level terrain with some low hills. The northern part, which drains into Lake Texoma and the Red River, is characterized by acidic soils of the Post Oak Belt, with loamy or sandy surfaces. The southern areas, which drain to tributaries of the Trinity River, have blackland soils conducive to the growth of trees such as post oak, bois d'arc, elm, and walnut, as well as various types of grasses. Natural resources include limestone, oil and gas, bituminous coal, and sand and gravel. Grayson County is drained principally by Choctaw Creek and its two main tributaries, Post Oak and Iron Ore creeks. The county has an average annual precipitation of thirty-seven inches, temperatures ranging from an average low in January of 30° F to an average high of 96° in July, and a growing season that averages 227 days a year.

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.