McCulloch County is a county in Texas, United States, on the Edwards Plateau near the geographic center of the state. It had a population of 7,630 at the 2020 census and covers 1,073 square miles (2,780 km2), of which 1,066 square miles (2,760 km2) are land, centred near 31°12′N 99°21′W.
Brady is the county seat and its postal code is 76825. The county has 1 city, 1 incorporated town, 1 census-designated place, and a wide scatter of unincorporated communities and former rural crossings. McCulloch County observes Central time and Texas has no civil townships.
Towns & Villages in McCulloch County
McCulloch County’s settlements range from Brady, the only city, down to a long list of rural crossings and post-office communities that thinned out through the 20th century as ranching consolidated. CDP = Census-Designated Place (unincorporated but tracked by the Census Bureau); Unincorp. covers everything from small hamlets to sites that are little more than a crossroads and a cemetery today.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brady | City · seat | 5,478 | 76825 |
| Melvin | Town | 149 | 76858 |
| Rochelle | CDP | 140 | 76872 |
| Voca | Unincorp. | — | 76887 |
| Mercury | Unincorp. | — | 76869 |
| Lohn | Unincorp. | — | 76852 |
| Doole | Unincorp. | — | 76836 |
| Fife | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Milburn | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pear Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Placid | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Salt Gap | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Selman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stacy | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Waldrip | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Whiteland | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Camp San Saba | Unincorp. | — | — |
| East Sweden | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Sweden | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Beasley Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Homer Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Knight Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Military Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mitchell Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Paul Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Walker Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Calf Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Marco | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Niblock | Unincorp. | — | — |
Brady is the only incorporated city and Melvin the only incorporated town; everything else on the list is unincorporated. The county’s low-water road crossings on the San Saba and Colorado rivers (Beasley, Homer Junction, Knight, Military, Mitchell, Paul Junction, Walker) mark historic ford points rather than settlements with a resident population today.
ZIP Codes
- 76825 — Brady (also serves the unincorporated crossings east of town)
- 76858 — Melvin
- 76872 — Rochelle
- 76887 — Voca
- 76869 — Mercury
- 76852 — Lohn
- 76836 — Doole
Fife, Milburn, Pear Valley, Placid, Salt Gap and the county’s other small unincorporated places share Brady’s or a neighboring town’s ZIP code rather than carrying their own.
Geography
McCulloch County sits on the Edwards Plateau in west-central Texas, a rolling landscape of limestone hills, mesquite and live-oak rangeland cut by the San Saba River across the north and the Colorado River along the southeastern edge. Elevations run from roughly 1,400 to 2,000 feet. The county has a small marker near Brady claiming the geographic center of Texas, a long-running local point of pride.
McCulloch County borders Coleman County to the north, Brown County to the northeast, San Saba County to the east, Mason County to the south, Menard County to the southwest, and Concho County to the west.
Demographics
McCulloch County had 7,630 residents at the 2020 census. Brady is by far the largest community, followed by Rochelle and Melvin. Median household income in the county runs below the Texas median of $75,780, typical of a ranching-dependent rural county on the Edwards Plateau. Population density is about 7 people per square mile, among the sparsest in central Texas.
Economy & Local Life
Ranching (cattle, sheep and goats) and hunting leases anchor the local economy, alongside oil and gas extraction and quarrying of the county’s limestone and gravel. Brady’s downtown serves as the trade center for the surrounding ranch country, home to the county courthouse and Heart of Texas Historical Museum. The county earned the nickname “Turkey Center of the Universe” in the 1920s, when it was one of the country’s leading turkey-producing counties, and Brady still holds an annual World Championship BBQ Goat Cook-Off each Labor Day weekend.
History
McCulloch County was created from Bexar County in 1856 and formally organized in 1876. It is named for Benjamin McCulloch, a Texas Ranger, Texas Revolution veteran and Confederate general who was killed at the Battle of Pea Ridge in 1862. Brady was established as the county seat and grew as a cattle-shipping point after the railroad arrived in the late 1800s.
Getting There
US Highways 87, 190, 283 and 377, along with State Highway 71, cross the county and converge at Brady.
- San Angelo — 44 miles west
- Brownwood — 41 miles northeast
- San Saba — 32 miles east
- Mason — 33 miles south
The nearest commercial airport is San Angelo Regional Airport (SJT); McCulloch County has no Amtrak service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is McCulloch County, Texas?
It sits on the Edwards Plateau in west-central Texas, near the state’s geographic center, between San Angelo and Brownwood.
What is the population of McCulloch County?
7,630 at the 2020 census.
How big is McCulloch County?
1,073 square miles (2,780 km2), of which 1,066 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of McCulloch County?
Brady is the county seat and the county’s only city.
How many towns are in McCulloch County?
One city (Brady), one incorporated town (Melvin), one census-designated place (Rochelle), and roughly two dozen unincorporated communities and rural crossings.
What ZIP codes are in McCulloch County?
76825 (Brady), 76858 (Melvin), 76872 (Rochelle), 76887 (Voca), 76869 (Mercury), 76852 (Lohn) and 76836 (Doole).
Why is McCulloch County called the geographic center of Texas?
A marker near Brady has long identified a point in the county as the state’s geographic center, a claim locally promoted since the mid-20th century.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.