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Texas State...
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Texas Counties |
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Texas Counties
Texas is divided into 254 counties, more than any other U.S. state Texas was originally divided
into municipalities, a unit of local government under Spanish and Mexican rule. When the Republic of Texas
gained its independence in 1836, there were 23 municipalities, which became the original Texas counties. Many of
these would later be divided into new counties. The most recent county to be created was Kenedy County in 1921.
The most recent county to be organized was Loving County in 1931 |
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Bosque County, Texas
Bosque County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Meridian
Year Organized: 1854
Square Miles: 989 |
Court House: P.O. Box 647
County Courthouse
Meridian, TX 76665-0647 |
Etymology - Origin of County Name
the Bosque River (Bosque is Spanish for "wooded")
Demographics:
County QuickFacts:
Census Bureau Quick Facts
History
Bosque County (pronounced Bahs-key) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Its county seat is Meridian.
Clifton, however, is the largest city and the cultural/financial center of the county. Bosque is named for the Bosque
River, which runs through the center of the county north to south. The Brazos River makes up the eastern border along
with the Lake Whitney reservoir it feeds.
Bosque County was officially formed in February 1854 from McLennan County. Soon a site was chosen at which to
locate the county seat. Erath laid out the town of Meridian in the center of the county on land donated by Dr.
Josephus M. Steiner. Town lots were sold at a public auction on the Fourth of July 1854. Soon thereafter, the first
courthouse, a one-story log cabin, was erected in the middle of town. This building served the needs of the
residents until 1869, when a larger frame structure was built. In 1871 this second courthouse burned. For four years
the business of the county was conducted in a tent. In 1875 the third, and present, courthouse was completed, a
three-story structure of native stone.
More at Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. ","
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/hcb10.html (accessed November 4, 2008).
Geography
Bosque County is located in Central Texas. The county lies approximately sixty miles south of Dallas-Fort Worth
and forty miles north of Waco. Bosque County is bordered by Erath and Somervell counties to the north, Johnson and
Hill counties to the east, McLennan and Coryell counties to the south, and Hamilton County to the west. State
Highways 174, 144, 22, and 65 traverse the county, along with numerous county and farm-to-market roads; the public
road system comprises 1,106 miles.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,003 square miles (2,597 kmē), of which, 989
square miles (2,562 kmē) of it is land and 13 square miles (35 kmē) of it (1.34%) is water.
Bosque County is an agrarian area that covers 989 square miles. As a part of the Grand Prairie subdivision of the
North Central Plains, the land is primarily an area of shallow to deep, well-drained soils underlain by limestone.
Around the streams are deep, well-drained and moderately well-drained soils. Many believe that the soil is the most
important natural resource of the county because the life of the livestock and the flora and fauna depend heavily
upon it. Much sand, gravel, and limestone are mined in the county for construction. The alluvial soils of the
riverbottoms promote the growth of elm, cottonwood, river birch, sycamore, ash, pecan, and a variety of oak trees.
The area is also distinguished by clusters of flat-topped hills separated by low areas of flat grassland. Although
many grasses cover the prairie areas of Bosque County, Johnson grass is the most common. Numerous livestock graze in
the county, where sudden outcroppings of white limestone form tall, steep hills or cliffs. Throughout the plains
areas, cedars, oaks, and mesquites are prevalent. The only commercial mineral found in Bosque County is limestone.
In this region of rolling hills, the altitude ranges from 480 to 1,200 feet.
Bosque County is considered a "well-watered" area. The Brazos River borders the eastern edge of the county, and the
Bosque River cuts through the center of the county north to south. Besides the major rivers, there are numerous
smaller watercourses or tributaries, such as Mesquite, Grass, Hill, Duffan's, Fall, Honey, Meridian, Spring, Turkey,
and Mill creeks. Near the northeast corner of the county lies the well-known Kimball's Bend in the Brazos River. In
1951 Lake Whitney was constructed on the Brazos River at the southeastern edge of Bosque County. This reservoir is
used for recreation, flood control, and power generation. Throughout the county, the supply of water is adequate for
domestic use, livestock, and irrigation.
Neighboring Counties:
- Somervell County (north)
- Johnson County (northeast)
- Hill County (east)
- McLennan County (southeast)
- Coryell County (south)
- Hamilton County (west)
- Erath County (northwest)
Cities and Towns:
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- Clifton |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Cranfills Gap |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Iredell |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Meridian
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Morgan |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Valley Mills |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Walnut Springs |
city |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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