Parker County, Texas

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 910 sqmi, of which 903 sqmi are land and 6.6 sqmi (0.7%) are covered by water. The county is intersected by the Brazos River.

Highest point

Main article: Slipdown Mountain

Slipdown Mountain and Slipdown Bluff, at a height of 1368 ft, are the highest points in Parker County. They are located just east of the Advance community, southwest of Poolville.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

• Wise County (north)
• Tarrant County (east)
• Johnson County (southeast)
• Hood County (south)
• Palo Pinto County (west)
• Jack County (northwest)

Communities

Cities (multiple counties)

• Azle (mostly in Tarrant County)
• Cresson (partly in Hood and Johnson counties)
• Fort Worth (mostly in Tarrant County, with small parts in Denton, Johnson, Wise, and Parker counties)
• Mineral Wells (mostly in Palo Pinto County)
• Reno (small part in Tarrant County)

Cities

• Aledo
• Dennis
• Hudson Oaks
• Weatherford (county seat)
• Willow Park

Towns

• Annetta
• Annetta North
• Annetta South
• Brock
• Cool
• Millsap
• Sanctuary
• Springtown

Census-designated places

• Briar (partly in Wise and Tarrant counties)
• Carter
• Garner
• Horseshoe Bend
• Western Lake

Unincorporated communities

• Goshen
• Poolville
• Whitt
• Peaster

Demographics

| align-fn = center 1850–2010 2010 2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 148,222, up from 88,495 in 2000. The median age was 39.8 years. 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.0 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 83.0% White, 1.2% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.6% from some other race, and 9.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 13.4% of the population.

35.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 64.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 53,482 households in the county, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 61.5% were married-couple households, 14.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 57,427 housing units, of which 6.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.3% were owner-occupied and 20.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%.

Racial and ethnic composition

Politics

Parker County, like most suburban counties in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area, has been a Republican stronghold for decades. Republicans have held all public offices since 1999 and the county has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1976.

Notable people

• Oliver Loving, developer of the Loving-Goodnight Cattle Trail
• Bose Ikard, trusted cattle driver of Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight
• Mary Martin, star of stage and screen
• S.W.T. Lanham, last Confederate veteran to serve as governor of Texas
• Jim Wright, youngest mayor of Weatherford, Texas, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

References

References

1. "Parker County, Texas".
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. (2008). "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". [[Newberry Library.
4. "PARKER COUNTY".
5. "Parker, Isaac".
6. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
7. {{Cite AmCyc
8. "Parker County Highpoint Trip Report".
9. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". [[US Census Bureau]].
11. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010". Texas Almanac.
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
14. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
15. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Parker County, Texas". [[United States Census Bureau]].
16. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Parker County, Texas".
17. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Parker County, Texas".
18. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
19. (November 5, 2024). "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)".
20. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Parker County, Texas".