Ellis County

Ellis County, Texas

Ellis County, Texas

View of the Ellis County Museum. Photograph by Larry D. Moore.
Ellis County, Texas

Ellis County, Texas

Map of Ellis County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

Ellis County is located in north central Texas. Waxahachie, the largest town and county seat, is on Interstate Highway 35E thirty miles south of Dallas. The county is bounded by Dallas County to the north, Kaufman to the east, Navarro and Hill counties to the south, and Johnson County to the west. The center point of the county is at 32°21' north latitude and 96°48' west longitude. Ellis County comprises 939 square miles of the Blackland Prairie. Away from the streams it is almost treeless except for scattered mesquite, cacti, and shrubs. Native vegetation consists mainly of bunch and short grasses, including Indian, buffalo, grama, big and little bluestems, and three-awn. Such native trees as ash, cottonwood, pecan, hackberry, bois d'arc, oak, and elm grow along watercourses. The terrain is level to rolling, with an elevation ranging from 300 to 700 feet above sea level. The area lies in a southeastward-sloping plain and is well drained by many streams that flow into the Trinity River, which forms the eastern boundary of the county. Red Oak, Waxahachie, Mill, and Chambers creeks drain most of the county. The Austin Escarpment, a high chalk ridge, extends in a northeast-southwest direction and cuts off drainage to the southeast. Mountain Creek flows northeast and drains the northwestern part of the county. The soils—predominantly calcareous, marly and variegated clays and clay loams—have average to good moisture retention and are underlain by a water supply sufficient for livestock, irrigation, and domestic purposes. The alluvial soils are mainly clay. Mineral resources include gas, oil, stone, and clays valuable for brickmaking. Chalk and shale provide material for the manufacture of cement. Temperatures range from an average low of 35° F in January to an average high of 96° in July, rainfall averages slightly less than thirty-six inches a year, and the growing season extends for 245 days.

Tonkawa Indians were the earliest inhabitants of the future county, though parties of Wacos, Bidais, Anadarkos, and Kickapoos often hunted in the area. Spanish missionaries worked with the Tonkawas, and as the American settlers began to move into the region in the middle of the nineteenth century, the Indians offered little organized resistance. By 1859 the Tonkawas had been removed to Oklahoma. Before the Texas Revolution in 1836, the Mexican government granted land in what is now Ellis County to Thomas J. Chambers, Rafael Peña, and Alejandro de la Garza. In 1841 and 1842 the Republic of Texas granted land to William S. Peters in the northern half of the county, and Charles Fenton Mercer received a grant in 1843 in the southern part. One of the first settlers in the area was William R. Howe, who settled late in 1843 near the site of present Forreston. Howe immigrated under the Peters colony project and reportedly brought in a Black woman thought to be the first slave in the county. The Southerland Mayfield family settled at Reagor Springs in February 1844, and the Billingsly family located near Ovilla later that year.

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Robert J. Haaser | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

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

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Ellis County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

300 ft – 898 ft

Size

Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does

  • Land Area: 935.5 mi²
  • Total Area: 951.8 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 33.8°F
July mean maximum: 93.9°F

Rainfall, 2019

39.1 inches

Population Count, 2019

184,826

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

91,416

Unemployment, 2019

7.1%

Property Values, 2019

$17,884,373,473 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$44,313 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$2,261,160,881 USD

Wages, 2019

$645,920,844 USD

Ellis County

Highlighted:
  • Ellis County
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Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
Town 392 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 400 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 637 (2021) Yes
Lake Yes
Town
Town
Town 125 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 125 (2009) Yes
Town 100 (2009) Yes
Town 504 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 30 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 48,557 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 115 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 21,210 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 2,857 (2021) Yes
Town 25 (2009) Yes
Town 400 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 854 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 17,127 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 197,347 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 60 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 50 (2009) Yes
Town 30 (2009) Yes
Town 1,981 (2021) Yes
Lake Yes
Town
Town
Lake Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 18 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 74,368 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 944 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 37,053 (2021) Yes
Town 730 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 300 (2009) Yes
Town 40 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 1,616 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 4,349 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 2,461 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 740 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 30 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 10 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 250 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 15,364 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 300 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 60 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 115 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 100 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 43,368 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town

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