Jones County

Jones County is on the West Texas prairies, bounded on the north by Stonewall and Haskell counties, on the east by Shackelford County, on the south by Taylor County and the city of Abilene, and on the west by Fisher County. The center of the county lies at 32° 45' north latitude and 99° 54' west longitude. The county was named for Anson Jones, statesman of the Republic of Texas. Anson is the county seat. The county is crossed by U.S. highways 180, 83, and 277, State highways 6 and 92, and the Burlington Northern Railroad. Jones County covers 937 square miles of rolling plains with elevations that range from 1,600 to 1,900 feet above sea level. Annual rainfall is twenty-five inches. January's average minimum temperature is 31° F; July's average maximum is 97° F. The county has a growing season of 223 days, soils are black to sandy loam with clayey subsoils, and between 51 and 60 percent of the land is considered prime farmland. Jones County is in the rolling plains vegetation area, with tall grasses and mesquite trees. It is drained by the Clear Fork of the Brazos River and its tributaries.

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.