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Weatherford () is a city in and 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 ...
of Parker County, Texas, United States. In 2020, its population was 30,854. Weatherford is named after Thomas J. Weatherford, a State senator and advocate for Texas's secession to the Confederate States during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
.


History


Beginnings

In 1854,
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
Reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...
Pleasant Tackett led 15 pioneer families into a land they called " Goshen," which would later become part of Parker County, itself to be created the following year by the efforts of State Representative Isaac Parker and State Senator Thomas Jefferson Weatherford in the
Texas State Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a po ...
. Evidence of a prior, failed attempt to colonize the region can be found in the abandoned cabin from 1852-53 located south of modern Weatherford on the J.H. Voorhies farm. In 1856 The railroad arrived in June 1880. The Santa Fe Depot (which houses the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce) was built in 1908 under
Jim Crow laws The Jim Crow laws were U.S. state, state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, "Jim Crow (character), Ji ...
, with waiting rooms segregated and separated by the ticket office.


Geography

Weatherford is located west of Fort Worth on Interstate 20. It is the county seat for Parker County. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of of which is land and (7.86%) is water.


Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The Köppen Climate System describes the weather as humid subtropical, and uses the abbreviation ''Cfa''.


Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 30,854 people, 11,528 households, and 7,643 families residing in the city.


Arts and culture

Weatherford is within the
Bible Belt The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States and the Midwestern state of Missouri (which also has significant Southern influence), where evangelical Protestantism exerts a strong social and cultural influence. The region has been de ...
. The Weatherford area is a large peach producer, and was named "Peach Capital of Texas" by the
Texas Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a p ...
. The peach is celebrated each year at the Parker County Peach Festival, which is Weatherford's largest event and one of the best-attended festivals in Texas. Weatherford has been described as the " cutting horse capital of the world". The headquarters of the National Snaffle Bit Association, an equestrian organization, is located in Weatherford.


Historic buildings

Several homes of the Queen Anne and Victorian styles were built at the turn of the 20th century; some are open for tours, arranged by the Parker County Heritage Society. The Parker County Courthouse is of the Second Empire style.


Government

Phil King represents Weatherford in the
Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...
.


Education

Weatherford is served by the Weatherford Independent School District.
Weatherford College Weatherford College (WC; officially Weatherford College of the Parker County Junior College District) is a public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general publi ...
is a 150-year-old community college, with more than 35 study areas and 19 professional/technical programs. The college was originally built by Masons and was one of the first in Texas.


Media

The '' Weatherford Democrat'' has been publishing since 1895. ''The Weatherford Telegram'' began publishing as a weekly newspaper in 2006.


Transportation


Roads


Interstate

* is a major route that runs east to west through south Weatherford. To the east, the Interstate 20 goes through Hudson Oaks and
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 ...
. To the west, the I-20 pass by Brock.Texas Official Travel Map
/ref>


U.S and State Highways

* is a United States highway that runs east to west through downtown Weatherford. To the east, US 180 goes through Hudson Oaks then converges with I-20. To the west, US 180 goes through Cool and Mineral Wells. * is a Texas State highway that runs north to south through Weatherford. To the south, Texas State Highway 171 runs through Cresson. * is a Texas State highway spur that start at US 180 and goes northeast to southwest eventually converging with I-20.


Farm to Market Roads

* is a Farm to Market road that runs north to south through Weatherford. To the north, FM 920 goes through Peaster. * is a Farm to Market road that runs north to south through Weatherford. To the north, FM 51 goes through Springtown. To the south, FM 51 goes through Granbury. * is a Farm to Market road that runs northeast to southwest through Weatherford. To the north, FM 730 goes through Azle.


Notable people

* Zach Britton, Major League Baseball pitcher for the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
and
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
* Mary Couts Burnett (1856–1924), philanthropist * Douglas Chandor (1897–1953), British-born portrait painter and garden designer, Chandor Gardens in Weatherford * Thomas Stevenson Drew, the third
governor of Arkansas The governor of Arkansas is the head of government of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Governor (United States), governor is the head of the Executive (government), executive branch of the Politics and government of Arkansas, Arkansas government a ...
, lived for a time in Weatherford * Joe B. Frantz, historian on the faculty of the
University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...
* Phil King, politician * Bob Kingsley, radio personality * Edwin Lanham, author; was reared in Weatherford * Kapron Lewis-Moore, defensive lineman for the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
*
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 ...
, Broadway star, known for her portrayal of
Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...
* Ted Minor, racing driver * Jack Porter, U.S. Senate candidate in 1948 * Taylor Sheridan, American screenwriter * William Hood Simpson lieutenant general during World War II * Bob Tallman, nationally known
rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...
announcer, operates a
ranch A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of landscape, land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often ap ...
in Parker County * Hippo Vaughn, Major League Baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs 1913–1921 * Jim Wright, former
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House or House speaker, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United ...
; grew up in Weatherford


Notes


References

* *


External links


City of Weatherford

Weatherford Chamber of Commerce
* Vie
Historic photos of Weatherford
from the Weatherford College Library, hosted by th
Portal to Texas History
{{Authority control Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Cities in Parker County, Texas Cities in Texas County seats in Texas