Nolan County

Nolan County is in west central Texas, bounded on the east by Taylor County, on the south by Coke and Runnels counties, on the west by Mitchell County, and on the north by Fisher County. The center of the county lies at 32°18' north latitude and 100°24' west longitude. Sweetwater, the county seat and largest population center, is forty-two miles west of Abilene, 125 miles southeast of Lubbock, and 130 miles northeast of Odessa. The county was named for Philip Nolan. It lies on the lower plains, with the western end of the Callahan Divide in the southern section of the county. The land is predominantly rolling uplands to the north, with plateaus traversed by valleys in the south; altitudes range from 2,000 to 2,700 feet above sea level. Streams in the northern part of the county, including Cottonwood, Bitter, Stink, and Sweetwater creeks, drain into the Clear Fork of the Brazos River. In the southern part of the county Silver, Wilson, Fish, and Oak creeks drain into the Colorado River. The loamy soils of the county are light to dark, with deep, clayey or loamy subsoils and lime accumulations. The county has very little timber; hackberry, scrubby post oak, cottonwood, and mesquite trees grow along the streams, and Rocky Mountain junipers or scrub cedars grow on the hillsides. Annual rainfall averages 22.19 inches, and the growing season averages 221 days. Temperatures range from an average minimum of 30° F in January to an average maximum of 96° F in July. The agricultural economy centers around cattle and livestock products, but 50 percent of the annual agricultural income is from crops, especially cotton, wheat, sorghum, and hay. Petroleum, natural gas, gypsum, rock, and sand and gravel are also produced in the county.

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.