London is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in northeast Kimble County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States. According to the ''

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

'', the community had an estimated population of 180 in 2000.

History

Len L. Lewis, a horse trader and former Union Army officer, helped establish the community in the late 1870s or early 1880s. After marrying a local widow, Lewis purchased a half-section of land and proceeded with plans to build a town that he hoped would become a trade center for the region. Ed, Tom, and Robert Stevenson opened a store in 1881 and Lewis laid out a town site that included 40 lots and a town square – he hoped that the town would eventually serve as the seat of government for a new county. When a post office was established in 1882, the site was named London. The community continued to grow, and by 1896, the population had grown to about 100. The number of residents reached an estimated 360 in 1930. The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

caused a brief decline in London, but by 1943, the population had grown to 400. In the years after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the community again suffered a decline in the number of people and businesses. The low point was reached in the early 1970s, when only around 110 people were living in the community. In the latter years of the 20th century, the population rose to around 180. The London Town Square was designated a

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the sta ...

in 1971, marker number 2988. Although London is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 76854.

Geography

London is located approximately 18 miles (29 km) northeast of

Junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...

along U.S. Highway 377 in northeastern Kimble County, at the south end of FM 1221.

Big Saline Creek Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * '' Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show present ...

flows past to the south of the community to its confluence with the

Llano River The Llano River ( ) is a tributary of the Colorado River (Texas), Colorado River, about long, in Texas in the United States. It drains part of the Edwards Plateau in Texas Hill Country northwest of Austin, Texas, Austin. Two spring-fed tributa ...

approximately four miles to the southeast.

Education

Public education in the community of London is provided by the

Junction Independent School District Junction Independent School District is a public school district based in Junction, Texas (USA). Schools * Junction High School *Junction Middle School *Junction Elementary School In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" ...

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, London has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.Climate Summary for London, Texas
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References

External links