Wise County

Wise County is in northwestern Texas, forty miles south of the Oklahoma border. Decatur, the county seat and largest town, is thirty-five miles northwest of Fort Worth on U.S. highways 81/287 and 380. The county, comprising 922 square miles, is divided from north to south between the Eastern Grand Prairie and the Western Cross Timbers regions of Texas. The topography of the eastern section consists of gently rolling hills with sandy loam topsoils and brick clay subsoils. Central Wise County has a combination of flat and undulating terrain; its waxy, light-colored surface soil covers deep layers of red clay. The western section is primarily hilly, with alluvial loam and sandy top layers over clay and limestone sublayers. Natural resources include stone, clay, gas, and oil. Vegetation ranges from natural and improved grasses to post and live oak, cottonwood, and mesquite trees. Approximately 40 percent of the total area is quality farmland, and 60 percent is forest and grazing land. The average elevation of Wise County is 800 feet above sea level, and two-thirds of the county is drained by the West Fork of the Trinity River. Two lakes, Lake Bridgeport and Eagle Mountain Lake, and numerous creeks and tributaries provide an abundant water supply and recreational facilities. The average annual rainfall is twenty-nine inches. Temperatures vary from an average low of 33° F in January to an average high of 96° F in July. The growing season lasts 248 days.

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.