Coleman County

Coleman County, Texas

Coleman County, Texas

Coleman County Courthouse in Coleman Texas Photograph by Larry D. Moore.
Coleman County, Texas

Coleman County, Texas

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

Coleman County (J-12) is located in west central Texas. Coleman, the county seat and largest town, is sixty miles southeast of Abilene. The center point of the county is 31°45' north latitude and 99°25' west longitude. The county is bordered on the south by the Colorado River, on the north by Taylor and Callahan counties, on the west by Runnels County, and on the east by Brown County. Coleman County encompasses 1,280 square miles. It lies in the transitional area between the Edwards Plateau and the Rolling Plains and has some characteristics of each. Rolling hills dominated by mesquite brush and oaks predominate in the county. The county has an elevation range of 1,500 to 2,250 feet. The most significant topographic features include Jim Ned Peak (2,140'), Chandlers Peak (2,173'), and Robinsons Peak in the northern half of the county; and the Santa Anna Mountains (2,000'), Speck Mountain (1,520') and Parks Mountain in the southern half. The flora and fauna of Coleman County are typical of west central Texas; species are mostly western, but some eastern plants and animals can be found. The flora consists of three natural types-mesquite-grassland savanna, upland scrub, and bottomland woodland along the creeks and the Colorado River. The fauna of the county includes such reptiles as yellow mud turtles, Texas map turtles, Western cottonmouth snakes, hognose snakes, Western diamond-backed rattlesnakes, coachwhips, horned toads, and the eastern tree lizard; birds such as turkeys, screech owls, wood ducks, turkey vultures, and red-tailed hawks; and such mammals as white-tailed deer, black-tailed jackrabbits, opossums, and ringtails. The natural resources of the county include oil, gas, rock, and clay. The northern half of the county is drained by Jim Ned and Hords creeks, which meet and flow into Pecan Bayou in neighboring Brown County. Both creeks have been dammed and have reservoirs on them, Coleman Lake on Jim Ned Creek and Hords Creek Lake on Hords creek. The southern half of the county is drained by the Colorado River. Grape and Bull creeks are the two major tributaries of the Colorado within the county. Coleman County has an average growing season of 235 days. It receives 26.82 inches of rainfall on the average annually. Temperatures range from a mean January low of 34° F to a mean July high of 96°.

Human occupation of the future Coleman County began 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, as archeological evidence along the Colorado indicates. Closer to modern times, the area was dominated by the Lipan Apaches and the Comanches. European exploration into the county was not frequent, but as many as four seventeenth-century Spanish explorations came through the area. In 1632 a Father Salas led an expedition to the upper Colorado; in 1650 captains Hernán Martín and Diego del Castillo explored the western portion of the county. Four years later Diego de Guadalajara followed the same path as Martín and Castillo, and in 1683–84 Juan Domínguez de Mendoza established a short-lived mission somewhere near the confluence of the Concho and Colorado rivers. The exact location, however, is unknown and has been the subject of some debate. Some archeologists and historians put the mission site at the Concho-Colorado confluence, while others put it at the site of present-day Leaday in Coleman County.

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Rusty Tate | © 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

Coleman County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

1289 ft – 2250 ft

Size

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

  • Land Area: 1,262.0 mi²
  • Total Area: 1,281.4 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 33.7°F
July mean maximum: 95.7°F

Rainfall, 2019

28.7 inches

Population Count, 2019

8,175

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

2,747

Unemployment, 2019

8.5%

Property Values, 2019

$1,820,891,413 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$40,669 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$63,365,557 USD

Wages, 2019

$17,277,212 USD

Coleman County

Highlighted:
  • Coleman County
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Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
Town
Town
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Town
Town
Town 90 (2014) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 3,917 (2021) Yes
Town
Lake Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 6 (2014) Yes
Town 40 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 40 (2009) Yes
Town 15 (2014) Yes
Town 70 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Lake Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 15 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 121 (2021) Yes
Lake Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 53 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 1,022 (2021) Yes
Town 8 (2009) Yes
Town 15 (2014) Yes
Town
Town 127 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 29 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 18 (2021) Yes
Town 20 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 15 (2009) Yes
Town 35 (2009) Yes
Town

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