Parker County, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Parker County
U.S. county
The Parker County courthouse in Weatherford
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1856
Named for	Isaac Parker, Texas legislator
Seat	Weatherford
Largest city	Weatherford
Area
• Total	910 sq mi (2,400 km2)
• Land	903 sq mi (2,340 km2)
• Water	6.6 sq mi (17 km2)  0.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	148,222
• Density	160/sq mi (60/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	12th, 25th

Parker County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2020, about 148,222 people lived there. The main city and government center is Weatherford.

The county was created in 1855. It was named after Isaac Parker. He was a state lawmaker who helped create the county. Parker County is part of the larger Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area. This area is also known as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Geography of Parker County

Parker County covers about 910 square miles. Most of this area is land. Only a small part, about 0.7%, is water. The Brazos River flows through the county.

Highest Point

The highest points in Parker County are Slipdown Mountain and Slipdown Bluff. They are about 1,368 feet (417 meters) tall. You can find them near the Advance community, southwest of Poolville.

Main Roads

Several important roads cross Parker County. These roads help people travel easily through the area.

• I-20
• I-30
• US 180
• US 377
• SH 171
• SH 199

Neighboring Counties

Parker County shares its borders with several other counties:

• Wise County (to the north)
• Tarrant County (to the east)
• Johnson County (to the southeast)
• Hood County (to the south)
• Palo Pinto County (to the west)
• Jack County (to the northwest)

Communities in Parker County

Parker County has many different towns and cities. Some of these communities are also in other counties.

Cities (in multiple counties)

• Azle (mostly in Tarrant County)
• Cresson (also in Hood and Johnson counties)
• Fort Worth (mostly in Tarrant County, with small parts in Parker and other counties)
• Mineral Wells (mostly in Palo Pinto County)
• Reno (a small part is in Tarrant County)

Cities (only in Parker County)

Towns

Other Communities

Some areas are called census-designated places. These are like small towns but are not officially incorporated.

• Briar (also in Wise and Tarrant counties)
• Carter
• Dennis
• Garner
• Horseshoe Bend
• Western Lake

There are also unincorporated communities. These are places where people live but they don't have their own local government.

• Goshen
• Poolville
• Whitt
• Peaster

Population of Parker County

In 2000, Parker County had 88,495 people. By 2020, the population grew to 148,222.

According to the 2020 census, most people in Parker County were non-Hispanic white (about 79.44%). About 13.37% were Hispanic or Latino. Other groups included multiracial people (4.44%), Black or African American people (1.10%), Asian people (0.67%), Native American people (0.59%), and Pacific Islander people (0.07%).

In 2023, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parker County's population was around 173,494. At that time, about 79.6% of the people were non-Hispanic White. About 15.1% were Hispanic or Latino. Other groups made up smaller percentages of the population.

Famous People from Parker County

Many interesting people have come from Parker County.

• Oliver Loving: He helped create the famous Loving-Goodnight Cattle Trail.
• Bose Ikard: He was a trusted cattle driver for Oliver Loving.
• Mary Martin: A well-known star from stage and movies.
• S.W.T. Lanham: He was the last Confederate veteran to become governor of Texas.
• Jim Wright: He was the youngest mayor of Weatherford, Texas. He also became the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Images for kids

• 

  The flag of Parker County, Texas.

• 

  The Parker County courthouse in Weatherford.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Parker para niños