Parker County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the U.S. state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 148,222. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Weatherford. The county was created in 1855 and organized the following year. It is named for Isaac Parker, a state legislator who introduced the bill that established the county in 1855. Parker County is included in the

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

- Arlington

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (0.7%) are covered by water. The county is intersected by the

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 11th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...

Highest point

Slipdown Mountain and Slipdown Bluff, at a height of , 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 Hood County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,598. Its county seat is Granbury. The county is named for John Bell Hood, a Confederate lieutenant general and t ...

(south) *

Palo Pinto County Palo Pinto County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 28,409. The county seat is Palo Pinto. The county was created in 1856 and organized the following year. Palo Pinto County comprises ...

(west) *

Jack County Jack County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 8,472. Its county seat is Jacksboro. The county was created in 1856 and organized the next year. It is named for ...

(northwest) ** The following demographics have been provided by the Parker County Economic Development Council which is a 501(c)(6) business league. We are dedicated to the retention of our current businesses and aide in managing the incoming businesses. For more information following the link http://parkercountyedc.com/ we are here to help inform our community!

Communities

Cities (multiple counties)

* Azle (mostly in Tarrant County) *

Cresson ''Cresson'' is the French word for ''watercress''. It may refer to: ; Places * Battle of Cresson, a small battle fought on May 1, 1187, in what now is Israel, near Nazareth * Cresson, Pennsylvania, a United States borough * Cressona, Pennsylvania ...

(partly in Hood and

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

counties) *

(mostly in Tarrant County, with small parts in Denton,

, Wise, and Parker counties) * Mineral Wells (mostly in

) *

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...

(small part in Tarrant County)

Cities

Aledo Aledo may refer to: *Aledo, Illinois *Aledo, Texas *Aledo, Spain Aledo is a municipality in the Region of Murcia, southern Spain. It is home to a castle built during the early Middle Ages by the Moors, to command the Guadalentín valley. Whe ...

* Hudson Oaks * Weatherford (county seat) * Willow Park

Towns

* Annetta * Annetta North * Annetta South * Brock * Cool * Millsap * Peaster *

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

* Springtown

Census-designated places

* Briar (partly in Wise and Tarrant counties) * Carter *

Dennis Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is somet ...

* Garner *

Horseshoe Bend Horseshoe Bend may refer to: Places Australia * Horseshoe Bend, New South Wales, an inner city suburb in the City of Maitland in the Hunter Region * Horseshoe Bend Station, a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Alice Spring ...

* Western Lake

Unincorporated communities

* Goshen * Poolville * Whitt * Peaster

Demographics

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.'' In 2000, the county had a population of 88,495; by 2020, its population increased to 148,222. Among the 2020 population, the racial and ethnic makeup was 79.44% non-Hispanic white, 13.37% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 4.44% multiracial, 1.10% Black or African American, 0.67% Asian alone, 0.59% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.32% some other race, and 0.07% Pacific Islander.

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, Loving-Goodnight Cattle Trail *

Bose Ikard Bose Ikard (1843 – January 4, 1929) was an African-American cowboy who participated in the pioneering cattle drives on what became known as the Goodnight–Loving Trail, after the American Civil War and through 1869. Aspects of his life insp ...

, trusted cattle driver of Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight *

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in ''South Pacific'' (194 ...

, star of stage and screen * S.W.T. Lanham, last Confederate veteran to serve as governor of Texas *

Jim Wright James Claude Wright Jr. (December 22, 1922 – May 6, 2015) was an American politician who served as the 48th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1989. He represented Texas's 12th congressional district as a ...

, youngest mayor of Weatherford, TX, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

References

External links

Parker County government's website

The Parker County Poor Farm

Historic photos
from the Weatherford College Library, hosted by th
Portal to Texas History

Parker County in ''Handbook of Texas Online''
{{authority control Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex 1856 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1856