Tom Green County, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tom Green County
U.S. county
Tom Green County Courthouse in San Angelo
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1875
Named for	General Thomas Green
Seat	San Angelo
Largest city	San Angelo
Area
• Total	1,541 sq mi (3,990 km2)
• Land	1,522 sq mi (3,940 km2)
• Water	19 sq mi (50 km2)  1.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	120,003
• Density	77.873/sq mi (30.067/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	11th

Judge Michael D. Brown Justice Center across from the Tom Green County Courthouse

Tom Green County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 120,003. Its county seat is San Angelo. The county was created in 1874 and organized the following year. It is named for Thomas Green, who was a Confederate soldier and lawyer. Tom Green County is included in the San Angelo metropolitan statistical area.

History

The county was established by the state legislature on March 13, 1874, and named after Thomas Green, a Confederate brigadier general. It originally comprised an area over 60,000 square miles (160,000 km²).

The original county seat was the town of Ben Ficklin. In 1882, flood waters of the Concho River destroyed the town and drowned 65 people. The county seat was moved to San(ta) Angela. In 1883, the town's name was officially changed to San Angelo by the United States Post Office.

Tom Green County has an unusual shape, with a long, narrow strip of land extending to the west. This feature is because Reagan County to the west used to be part of Tom Green County, and the state of Texas required that all counties have a contiguous land route to their county seat. Therefore, the small strip of land served to connect the two main regions. In 1903, the residents of the western section voted to form their own county (Reagan County), while in the same vote it was decided that the connecting strip would remain as part of Tom Green County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,541 square miles (3,990 km²), of which 1,522 square miles (3,940 km²) is land and 19 square miles (49 km²) (1.2%) is covered by water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 67
• U.S. Highway 87
• U.S. Highway 277
• SH 208

Adjacent counties

• Coke County (north)
• Runnels County (northeast)
• Concho County (east)
• Schleicher County (south)
• Irion County (west)
• Reagan County (west)
• Sterling County (northwest)
• Menard County (southeast)

Demographics

2020 census

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

Former Texas Theater in downtown San Angelo

City

• San Angelo (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Carlsbad
• Christoval
• Grape Creek

Unincorporated communities

Ghost town

• Ben Ficklin

Military Base

• Goodfellow AFB

Education

View from U.S. Highway 87 northwest of San Angelo in Tom Green County

Colleges

• Angelo State University
• Howard College

Public school districts

• Christoval Independent School District
• Grape Creek Independent School District
• Miles Independent School District
• San Angelo Independent School District
• Veribest Independent School District
• Wall Independent School District
• Water Valley Independent School District

Transportation

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 67
• U.S. Highway 87
• U.S. Highway 277
• SH 208
• SH Loop 306

Notable resident

• August Pfluger is an American politician and retired military officer, and he is the U.S. representative for Texas's 11th congressional district.

Images for kids

• 

  Former Texas Theater in downtown San Angelo

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Tom Green para niños