Stephenville 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 civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
of
Erath County, Texas, United States.
It is on the
North Bosque River, which forms nearby. Founded in 1854, it is home to
Tarleton State University. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,847, and it is the principal city in the Stephenville Micropolitan Statistical Area. Stephenville is among several communities that call themselves the "Cowboy Capital of the World".
History
Stephenville is named after John M. Stephen, who settled there in 1854, and donated the land for the townsite laid out by
George B. Erath when the county was organized in 1856. In the first two years of its settlement, the population increased to 776. The population then declined until 1871, because the townsite was in
Comanche
The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in ...
territory and raids were common, and because the hardships of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
led citizens to leave. The population grew after Stephenville became an agriculture and livestock center. Coal mining also became important to the area in 1886, and was a major segment of the economy for the 30 years.
Stephenville was incorporated in 1889, with the arrival of the
Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway. In the 1890s, many of the buildings around the town square were built,
Tarleton State University opened, and the community's two newspapers merged to become the ''Empire-Tribune'', which is still in operation. In February 1907, the
Stephenville North and South Texas Railway was chartered by Stephenville and
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilto ...
business interests, which sold the line in 1910 to the
St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas system. In the 20th century, industry became an important part of Stephenville, and the population has steadily increased since the 1920s.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...
, the city has an area of , of which are land and is covered by water.
Stephenville is served by three major US highways –
US Highway 377,
US Highway 281, and
US Highway 67 (which joins into US Hwy 377).
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 is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
system, Stephenville has a
humid subtropical climate, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...
, there were 20,897 people, 7,291 households, and 3,771 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,440.4 people per square mile (556.1/km). The 7,579 housing units averaged 637.4 per square mile (246.1/km). Of the 7,291 households, 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.2% were not families. About 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was distributed as 27.8% under the age of 19, 21.4% from 20 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 17.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.3 years. There were 8,130 males and 8,933 females.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,175, and the median income for a family was $52,320. Males had a median income of $36,139 versus $30,007 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,596. About 13.6% of families and 26.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public library
* Stephenville Public Library
Public schools
*
Stephenville Independent School District
**
Stephenville High School (grades 9–12)
** Henderson Jr. High School (grades 7–8)
** Gilbert Intermediate School (grades 5–6)
** Hook Elementary School (grades 3–4)
** Chamberlin Elementary School (grades 1–2)
** Central Elementary School (grades Pre-K–K)
** Huston Academy (grades 7–12) (previously Erath Excels! Academy)
Postsecondary education
*
Tarleton State University (member of the
Texas A&M University System)
*
Ranger College (Erath County Center)
Notable people
*
Jessie G. Beach
Jessie G. Beach ( – ) was an American Paleontology, paleontologist and museum aide. She worked for the Smithsonian Institution's department of paleobiology at the United States National Museum (now the National Museum of Natural History). Beach ...
(1887 – 1954),
paleontologist
Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...
and museum aid, born in Stephenville.
*
Art Briles, former football coach at Baylor University
*
Dustin Hodge
Dustin Hodge is an American television writer and producer. He is the founder of Hodge Productions, a Colorado media company. He is known for working on a variety of nonfiction content. His most notable works are as the showrunner for Little Brit ...
, television producer and writer
*
Brock Holt
Brock Wyatt Holt (born June 11, 1988), nicknamed "The Brock Star", is an American former professional baseball player. Well known for his role as a utility player, Holt played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Re ...
, professional baseball player, graduated from Stephenville High School
*
Jewel (singer)
Jewel Kilcher (born May 23, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and author. She has received four Grammy Award nominations and, as of 2021, has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
Jewel was raised near Homer, Alaska, where she ...
, singer-songwriter, lived on a Stephenville ranch while married to
Ty Murray. She refers to the town in the song "Stephenville, TX".
*
Kevin Kolb, NFL quarterback
*
Jess Lockwood, world champion bull rider
*
J.B. Mauney, professional
rodeo cowboy
*
Ty Murray,
world champion rodeo cowboy
*
Carey Wentworth Styles, newspaperman, founder of ''
The Atlanta Constitution
''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...
'', editor, managing editor, or special writer at "more than a dozen Texas dailies and weeklies." West End Cemetery
*
Hugh Wolfe
Hugh Othello Wolfe (June 13, 1912 – May 20, 2010) was an American football fullback who played one season with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round of the 1938 N ...
, professional football player
References
External links
Stephenville Official City Site
{{Authority control
Cities in Erath County, Texas
Cities in Texas
County seats in Texas
Micropolitan areas of Texas
Populated places established in 1856
1856 establishments in Texas