Talpa is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

Coleman County, Texas Coleman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 7,684. The county seat is Coleman. The county was founded in 1858 and organized in 1864. It is named for Robert M. Coleman, a signer of ...

, United States. According to the ''

Handbook of Texas The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an American nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, United States, on March 2, 1897. In November 2008, the ...

'', the community had an estimated population of 127 in 2000.

History

Talpa was said to be named for a large catalpa tree in the area. Its status as a switch station on the

Santa Fe Railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at variou ...

caused the town to develop into a farmer's market. There were 254 people served by 16 businesses in 1940, which went down to 122 residents, three businesses, and a post office in 1980. The population increased slightly to 127 residents from 1990 through 2000. Although it is unincorporated, Talpa has a post office with the zip code of 76882. On March 17, 2008, an EF0 tornado struck Talpa and was reported by an off-duty NWS employee. On April 10, 1979, an F3 tornado was recorded near Talpa, causing extensive damage to houses but causing no injuries.

Geography

Talpa is located along U.S. Highway 67 in western Coleman County, less than 20 miles from Ballinger to the west and

Coleman Coleman may refer to: Places Antarctica * Coleman Glacier (Antarctica) * Coleman Peak, Ross Island Canada * Coleman, Alberta * Coleman, Ontario * Coleman, Prince Edward Island United Kingdom * Coleman, Leicester, England United States * C ...

to the east. It is also on Farm to Market Road 2132 and Texas State Highway 153. It is on Recreational Road 9 and Farm to Market Road 2134.

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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Talpa has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated ''Cfa'' on climate maps.

Education

Public education in the community of Talpa is provided by the

Panther Creek Consolidated Independent School District Panther Creek Consolidated Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Valera, Texas, United States. Located in Coleman County, a small portion of the district extends into Runnels County, and covers ov ...

. On July 1, 1986, the Talpa Centennial Independent School District consolidated into the Mozelle Independent School District, which at that point was renamed Panther Creek.

Notable person

Roxy Gordon Roxy Lee Gordon (March 7, 1945 – February 7, 2000) was an American poet, novelist, musician, multimedia artist, and activist. Described as a "progressive country witness and outlaw poet," Gordon often used spoken vocals accompanied by music ...

, poet, novelist and musician.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Texas Unincorporated communities in Coleman County, Texas Former cities in Texas Populated places disestablished in 1982