Parker County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. 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 parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

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 later fought in the Texas Brigade. Parker County is included in the

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

- Arlington metropolitan statistical area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 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 14th-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 (south) *

Palo Pinto County Palo Pinto County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 28,409. The county seat is Palo Pinto, Texas, Palo Pinto. The county was created in 1 ...

(west) * Jack County (northwest)

Communities

Cities (multiple counties)

* Azle (mostly in Tarrant County) * Cresson (partly in Hood and

Johnson Johnson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Johnson (surname), a common surname in English * Johnson (given name), a list of people * List of people with surname Johnson, including fictional characters *Johnson (composer) (1953–2011) ...

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. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

(small part in Tarrant County)

Cities

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

Towns

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

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

* 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 some ...

* Garner * Horseshoe Bend * Western Lake

Unincorporated communities

* Goshen * Poolville * Whitt * Peaster

Demographics

In 2000, the county had a population of 88,495; by 2020, its population increased to 148,222. Among the 2020 census 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. American Community Survey 2023 Data The United States Census Bureau estimated that in 2023, Parker County’s population was 173,494. It was also estimated that the county was 15.1% Hispanic or Latino, 79.6% NH White, 1.8% NH Black, 0.9% NH Asian, 0.7% NH Native American, 0.1% NH Pacific Islander, 1.8% NH Multiracial.

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 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 (musica ...

, 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

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