Runnels County, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Runnels County
U.S. county
The Runnels County Courthouse in Ballinger
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1880
Named for	Hiram G. Runnels
Seat	Ballinger
Largest city	Ballinger
Area
• Total	1,057 sq mi (2,740 km²)
• Land	1,051 sq mi (2,720 km²)
• Water	6.2 sq mi (16 km²) 0.6%
Population (2020)
• Total	9,900
• Density	9.37/sq mi (3.616/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	11th

Runnels County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 9,900. Its county seat is Ballinger. The county was created in 1858 and later organized in 1880. It is named for Hiram G. Runnels, a Texas state legislator.

History
Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
- 2020 census
Communities
- Cities
- Unincorporated communities
See also

History

Original inhabitants are the Jumano, followed by the Comanche.
1683–84 Juan Domínguez de Mendoza establishes a short-lived mission.
1852 Fort Chadbourne established.
1858 Runnels County, is formed from Bexar and Travis counties. It is named in honor of Hiram G. Runnels. Runnels City is the original county seat.
1862 Pickettville established by Mr. and Mrs. John Guest and their three sons, also Henry and Robert K. Wylie and their cowboys and a black servant, and Mrs. Felicia Gordon and her five sons. Ballinger settled by Richard Coffey and family.
1880 The county is organized, with a population of 980.
1888 Ballinger, namesake of William Pitt Ballinger is the new county seat.
1889 The stone county courthouse is erected in the Second Empire style. Architect Eugene T. Heiner.
1899 The community of Pumphrey, originally named New Hope, is established by Wm. M Pumphrey.
1911 The Santa Fe Depot is built by the A,T,& SF Railroad. The Ballinger Carnegie Library in Ballinger is dedicated.
1919 The Charles H. Noyes statue on the Ballinger Courthouse lawn, dedicated to the "Spirit of the Texas Cowboy", is sculptured by Pompeo Coppini.
1927 MacMillan oil field, is discovered near Ballinger.
1949 Eighteen new oil fields were explored.
1987 The county beef cattle industry experiences an all-time high .

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,057 square miles (2,740 km²), of which 1,051 square miles (2,720 km²) is land and 6.2 square miles (16 km²) (0.6%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 67
U.S. Highway 83
State Highway 153
State Highway 158

Adjacent counties

Taylor County (north)
Coleman County (east)
Concho County (south)
Tom Green County (southwest)
Coke County (west)
Nolan County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	980	—
1890	3,193	225.8%
1900	5,379	68.5%
1910	20,858	287.8%
1920	17,074	−18.1%
1930	21,821	27.8%
1940	18,903	−13.4%
1950	16,771	−11.3%
1960	15,016	−10.5%
1970	12,108	−19.4%
1980	11,872	−1.9%
1990	11,294	−4.9%
2000	11,495	1.8%
2010	10,501	−8.6%
2020	9,900	−5.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020

2020 census

**Runnels County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	6,841	6,062	65.15%	61.23%
Black or African American alone (NH)	165	132	1.57%	1.33%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	43	39	0.41%	0.39%
Asian alone (NH)	19	24	0.18%	0.24%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	6	0.00%	0.06%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	15	15	0.14%	0.15%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	57	268	0.54%	2.71%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3,361	3,354	32.01%	33.88%
Total	10,501	9,900	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

Communities

Cities

Ballinger (county seat)
Miles
Winters

Runnels County, Texas facts for kids

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