{"id":8234,"date":"2023-09-20T23:36:15","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T23:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=8234"},"modified":"2026-08-07T13:07:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T13:07:44","slug":"taylor-county-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/taylor-county-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"Taylor County, Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Taylor County is a county in Texas, United States, about 150 miles west of Fort Worth in the<br \/>\nWest Texas plains. It had a population of 143,208 at the 2020 census, an estimated 145,863 by<br \/>\n2024, and covers 919.4 square miles (2,381 km2) centred near 32\u00b019\u2032N 99\u00b053\u2032W.<\/p>\n<p>Abilene is the county seat and by far the county&#8217;s largest city; its postal code is 79601.<br \/>\nThe county holds 4 cities, 4 incorporated towns, 1 census-designated place and 5 unincorporated<br \/>\ncommunities, and it runs on Central Time.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Taylor County<\/h2>\n<p>Taylor County has 14 named places on record: 8 incorporated cities and towns, 1 census<br \/>\ndesignated place (CDP) and 5 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own.<br \/>\nUnincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal boundary.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Abilene<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>125,182<\/td>\n<td>79601<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Merkel<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>2,471<\/td>\n<td>79536<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tye<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>1,176<\/td>\n<td>79563<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tuscola<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>850<\/td>\n<td>79562<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Buffalo Gap<\/td>\n<td>Town<\/td>\n<td>543<\/td>\n<td>79508<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lawn<\/td>\n<td>Town<\/td>\n<td>311<\/td>\n<td>79530<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Trent<\/td>\n<td>Town<\/td>\n<td>295<\/td>\n<td>79561<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Impact<\/td>\n<td>Town<\/td>\n<td>22<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Potosi<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ovalo<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>79541<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hamby<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Caps<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>View<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Wylie<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Impact is an incorporated town completely surrounded by the city of Abilene, chartered in 1960<br \/>\nso its founders could sell liquor while Abilene stayed dry &mdash; it has no ZIP of its own and<br \/>\nuses Abilene&#8217;s. The county&#8217;s earlier settlement list also carried Blair, Bradshaw,<br \/>\nCozart, Elmdale, Guion, Happy Valley, Mount Pleasant, Rogers and Shep; none of those names<br \/>\nappear in current Census or Wikipedia records for Taylor County, so they are left off this list<br \/>\nrather than republished unverified.<\/p>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>79601 &mdash; Abilene (downtown; also serves 79602, 79603, 79604, 79605, 79606, 79608, plus<br \/>\nPO-box-only codes 79697&ndash;79699)<\/li>\n<li>79607 &mdash; Dyess Air Force Base<\/li>\n<li>79536 &mdash; Merkel<\/li>\n<li>79563 &mdash; Tye<\/li>\n<li>79562 &mdash; Tuscola<\/li>\n<li>79508 &mdash; Buffalo Gap<\/li>\n<li>79530 &mdash; Lawn<\/li>\n<li>79561 &mdash; Trent<\/li>\n<li>79541 &mdash; Ovalo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Hamby, Caps, View, Wylie, Potosi and Impact have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is<br \/>\ndelivered under the nearest incorporated town&#8217;s code.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Taylor County sits on the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado in West Texas, rolling plains<br \/>\nthat break into rockier terrain toward Buffalo Gap in the county&#8217;s south. Of its 919.4<br \/>\nsquare miles, 915.6 are land and 3.8 are water, a small share concentrated in reservoirs such as<br \/>\nLake Fort Phantom Hill and Kirby Lake rather than any natural lake. Clear Creek runs through<br \/>\ndowntown Abilene.<\/p>\n<p>Jones County lies to the north, Shackelford County to the northeast, Callahan County to the<br \/>\neast, Coleman County to the southeast, Runnels County to the south, Nolan County to the west and<br \/>\nFisher County to the northwest. <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/jones-county\/\">Jones County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/shackelford-county\/\">Shackelford County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/callahan-county\/\">Callahan County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/coleman-county\/\">Coleman County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/runnels-county\/\">Runnels County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/nolan-county\/\">Nolan County<\/a> and <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/fisher-county\/\">Fisher County<\/a> all border Taylor<br \/>\ndirectly.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Taylor County had a population of 143,208 at the 2020 census, and the latest county estimate<br \/>\nputs it near 145,863 residents as of 2024. Abilene and Merkel are the two largest communities,<br \/>\nwith Abilene alone holding well over 85 percent of the county&#8217;s population. Median<br \/>\nhousehold income runs $67,139 (2024 estimate), below Texas&#8217;s statewide figure of $75,780<br \/>\n(2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 156 people per square mile of land,<br \/>\nconcentrated almost entirely in and around Abilene.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 11,605<br \/>\npeople, followed by retail trade at 8,854 and educational services at 8,266. Dyess Air Force<br \/>\nBase, home to the 7th Bomb Wing and its fleet of B-1B Lancer bombers, employs more than 5,000<br \/>\npeople and is the single largest employer in the area. Hendrick Health System and Abilene<br \/>\nIndependent School District are the next-largest employers, and Abilene Christian University,<br \/>\nHardin&ndash;Simmons University and McMurry University give the city an outsized higher-education<br \/>\npresence for its size. The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, built in the county&#8217;s southwest,<br \/>\nwas the world&#8217;s largest wind farm when it opened. Buffalo Gap&#8217;s Old Settlers Reunion,<br \/>\nheld each summer, is the county&#8217;s longest-running community event.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>The Texas Legislature created Taylor County in 1858 and it organized as a functioning county<br \/>\ngovernment in 1878, with Buffalo Gap serving as the first county seat. The county is named for<br \/>\nthree brothers, Edward, James and George Taylor, who died at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836. In<br \/>\n1881 the Texas and Pacific Railway bypassed Buffalo Gap for flatter ground to the north, and<br \/>\ncattleman Clabe Merchant staked out the townsite that became Abilene; the county seat moved<br \/>\nthere the same year. Dyess Air Force Base opened in 1942 as Abilene Army Air Base and was<br \/>\nrenamed in 1956 for Lieutenant Colonel William Dyess, a Taylor County native and prisoner-of-war<br \/>\nsurvivor of the Bataan Death March.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>Interstate 20 crosses the county east&ndash;west through Merkel, Tye and Abilene. US Routes 83,<br \/>\n84 and 277 and State Highways 36, 153 and 351 also run through the county, along with Loop<br \/>\n322 around Abilene.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sweetwater &mdash; about 40 miles west<\/li>\n<li>San Angelo &mdash; about 90 miles south<\/li>\n<li>Fort Worth &mdash; about 150 miles east<\/li>\n<li>Midland &mdash; about 150 miles southwest<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Abilene Regional Airport, about 3 miles southeast of downtown Abilene, is the county&#8217;s<br \/>\nown commercial airport, with daily flights to Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix, Denver and Houston. No<br \/>\nAmtrak line reaches Taylor County; the nearest station is in Fort Worth, about 150 miles east, on<br \/>\nthe Texas Eagle route.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Taylor County located?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt sits in West Texas on the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado, about 150 miles west of Fort<br \/>\nWorth, bordered by Jones, Shackelford, Callahan, Coleman, Runnels, Nolan and Fisher counties.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Taylor County?<\/strong><br \/>\n143,208 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 145,863.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Taylor County?<\/strong><br \/>\n919.4 square miles (2,381 km2), of which 915.6 square miles are land.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Taylor County?<\/strong><br \/>\nAbilene is the county seat, and has been since 1881 when it replaced Buffalo Gap.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns and cities are in Taylor County?<\/strong><br \/>\nEight incorporated places &mdash; Abilene, Merkel, Tye, Tuscola, Buffalo Gap, Lawn, Trent and<br \/>\nImpact &mdash; plus the Potosi CDP and five unincorporated communities: Ovalo, Hamby, Caps, View<br \/>\nand Wylie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes does Taylor County use?<\/strong><br \/>\n79601 through 79608 and 79697&ndash;79699 for Abilene, plus 79607 for Dyess Air Force Base,<br \/>\n79536 for Merkel, 79563 for Tye, 79562 for Tuscola, 79508 for Buffalo Gap, 79530 for Lawn,<br \/>\n79561 for Trent and 79541 for Ovalo.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Taylor County known for?<\/strong><br \/>\nDyess Air Force Base and its B-1B bomber wing, three Christian universities in Abilene, and the<br \/>\nHorse Hollow Wind Energy Center in the county&#8217;s southwest.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/texas\/\">Towns and villages in Texas<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Taylor County is a county in Texas, United States, about 150 miles west of Fort Worth in the West Texas plains. It had a population of 143,208 at the 2020 census, an estimated 145,863 by 2024, and covers 919.4 square miles (2,381 km2) centred near 32\u00b019\u2032N 99\u00b053\u2032W. Abilene is the county seat and by far [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Taylor County, Texas","_seopress_titles_desc":"All 14 towns and communities in Taylor County, Texas - type, population and ZIP code for each, plus Abilene, Dyess AFB and county history.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-8234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-texas","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8234"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8234\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9361,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8234\/revisions\/9361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}