Mineral Wells, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mineral Wells, Texas
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Downtown Mineral Wells, Texas
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Location within Palo Pinto County
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| Country | United States | |
| State | Texas | |
| Counties | Palo Pinto, Parker | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Council-Manager | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 21.16 sq mi (54.79 km2) | |
| • Land | 20.40 sq mi (52.83 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.76 sq mi (1.96 km2) | |
| Elevation | 902 ft (275 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 14,820 | |
| • Density | 700.4/sq mi (270.49/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 (Central (CST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−05:00 (CDT) | |
| ZIP Codes |
76067-76068
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| Area code(s) | 940 | |
| FIPS code | 48-48684 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 2411119 | |
| Website | MineralWellsTX.gov | |
Mineral Wells is a city in Texas, located in both Palo Pinto and Parker Counties. In 2020, about 14,820 people lived there. The city gets its name from special mineral wells that were very popular in the early 1900s. People believed the water from these wells had healing powers.
Contents
History of Mineral Wells
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Mineral Wells has an interesting past, especially with sports and military training. In 1919, the city was home to the spring training camp for the Chicago White Sox baseball team. This was the same year as the famous "Black Sox" scandal, which involved player "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.
Other famous baseball teams, like the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals, also trained in Mineral Wells in the 1910s and early 1920s. Their baseball field was right in the middle of town.
Military Training at Fort Wolters
Mineral Wells has a long military history, starting in 1864. In 1925, the U.S. War Department chose the area to become Camp Wolters. This camp was a training ground for the 56th Cavalry Brigade of the Texas National Guard.
Later, in 1956, Fort Wolters became the main training center for helicopter pilots in the United States Army. It taught new pilots how to fly helicopters. During the Vietnam War, many more pilots were needed. Fort Wolters then started training helicopter pilots for the Marine Corps in 1968 and the Air Force in 1970. Almost every helicopter pilot who served in Vietnam was trained at Fort Wolters.
Fort Wolters closed down in 1973. Its large area of 8,500 acres was then divided. Parts of it went to the city of Mineral Wells, private businesses, Weatherford College, and Lake Mineral Wells State Park.
Exploring Lake Mineral Wells State Park
Mineral Wells is famous for its state park, which offers many outdoor activities. You can go fishing, camping, horse riding, biking, and hiking on its trails. It's also a great spot for rock climbing. One popular climbing area is called Penitentiary Hollow.
Geography and Climate
Mineral Wells is located east of the Brazos River and the Palo Pinto Mountains. The city covers about 21.2 square miles (54.9 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.
Mineral Wells is about 51 miles (82 km) west of Fort Worth. It is also about 109 miles (175 km) east of Abilene.
Weather in Mineral Wells
The climate in Mineral Wells is known as humid subtropical. This means it has relatively high temperatures and rain spread out throughout the year.
| Climate data for Mineral Wells Airport (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 91 (33) |
97 (36) |
98 (37) |
102 (39) |
106 (41) |
114 (46) |
112 (44) |
113 (45) |
111 (44) |
104 (40) |
94 (34) |
91 (33) |
114 (46) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 58.0 (14.4) |
62.2 (16.8) |
70.5 (21.4) |
77.8 (25.4) |
84.5 (29.2) |
91.7 (33.2) |
96.1 (35.6) |
96.0 (35.6) |
88.5 (31.4) |
78.7 (25.9) |
67.3 (19.6) |
58.7 (14.8) |
77.5 (25.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 45.4 (7.4) |
49.7 (9.8) |
57.7 (14.3) |
64.9 (18.3) |
72.8 (22.7) |
79.9 (26.6) |
83.8 (28.8) |
83.5 (28.6) |
76.4 (24.7) |
66.0 (18.9) |
55.0 (12.8) |
46.5 (8.1) |
65.1 (18.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 32.8 (0.4) |
37.2 (2.9) |
45.0 (7.2) |
52.0 (11.1) |
61.0 (16.1) |
68.2 (20.1) |
71.4 (21.9) |
71.0 (21.7) |
64.3 (17.9) |
53.3 (11.8) |
42.7 (5.9) |
34.3 (1.3) |
52.8 (11.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 4 (−16) |
−4 (−20) |
10 (−12) |
27 (−3) |
32 (0) |
51 (11) |
58 (14) |
56 (13) |
40 (4) |
23 (−5) |
12 (−11) |
−8 (−22) |
−8 (−22) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.59 (40) |
2.19 (56) |
2.98 (76) |
2.63 (67) |
4.00 (102) |
3.55 (90) |
2.13 (54) |
2.49 (63) |
2.66 (68) |
3.28 (83) |
2.41 (61) |
1.89 (48) |
31.80 (808) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 5.8 | 6.2 | 7.3 | 6.9 | 8.9 | 6.9 | 5.0 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 6.5 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 76.9 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Population of Mineral Wells
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 577 | — | |
| 1900 | 2,048 | 254.9% | |
| 1910 | 3,950 | 92.9% | |
| 1920 | 7,890 | 99.7% | |
| 1930 | 5,986 | −24.1% | |
| 1940 | 6,303 | 5.3% | |
| 1950 | 7,801 | 23.8% | |
| 1960 | 11,053 | 41.7% | |
| 1970 | 18,411 | 66.6% | |
| 1980 | 14,468 | −21.4% | |
| 1990 | 14,870 | 2.8% | |
| 2000 | 16,946 | 14.0% | |
| 2010 | 16,788 | −0.9% | |
| 2020 | 14,820 | −11.7% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 15,454 | −7.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2020, the city of Mineral Wells had a population of 14,820 people. These people lived in almost 5,000 households. The population has changed over the years, with its highest recorded population in 1970.
Education in Mineral Wells
Students in Mineral Wells attend schools in the Mineral Wells Independent School District. There is also a private school called Community Christian School.
For older students, Weatherford College has a campus in Mineral Wells. It is located on the land that used to be Fort Wolters.
Famous People from Mineral Wells
Many notable people have connections to Mineral Wells, including:
- Barbara H. Bowman – a geneticist who studies genes.
- Adrian Colbert – an NFL football player.
- Alvin Garrett – an NFL football player and Super Bowl champion.
- Dan Herbeck – a journalist and author.
- Millie Hughes-Fulford – a medical researcher, biologist, and former NASA astronaut.
- Curt Knight – an NFL kicker.
- Shane McAnally – a singer-songwriter and music producer.
- Amanda Shires – a singer-songwriter.
- Alvy Ray Smith – a pioneer in computer graphics.
- James Vick – a UFC lightweight fighter.
Images for kids
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Entrance sign
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Site of historic Famous Mineral Water Company
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Crazy Water Retirement Hotel
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Downtown Mineral Wells
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Nazareth Hospital
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Crazy Water Hotel
See also
In Spanish: Mineral Wells (Texas) para niños
