30 Smallest Towns in Texas - Page 16
Source: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images
30 Smallest Towns in Texas
1. Los Ybanez, Texas – Pop. 21
Area: 0.08 sq mi
County: Dawson
Origin: 1940s
Incorporated: 1983
History: The town was organized in the late 1970s, and incorporated in 1983 so alcohol could legally be sold there. Texas law makes all of the state’s counties essentially “dry,” but local governments can choose for alcohol sales to be legal through local elections. It was founded by the Ybanez family, who purchased the land of what used to be designated as barracks for military training exercises. The family refurbished several of the existing buildings and had family members move there to establish residency. The only business is a drive thru-only liquor store.
2. Impact, Texas – Pop. 21
Area: 0.09 sq mi
County: Taylor
Origin: 1950s
Incorporated: 1960
History: As part of the Abilene Metro Area, Impact was named after businessman Dallas Perkins’ advertising business. Perkins looked to capitalize on the local liquor market, given Abilene was a dry city, as well as the other surrounding cities and counties. He purchased 27 acres of farm land and pushed for incorporation. Two liquor stores were opened once Impact won a court ruling against Abilene, resulting in hundreds of thousands in sales during their first month. When Abilene legalized alcohol sales in 1978, Impact’s liquor business became unnecessary, closing not long after. Impact has been declining ever since.
3. Quintana, Texas – Pop. 26
Area: 2.39 sq mi
County: Brazoria
Origin: 1821
Incorporated: 1891
History: Located less than 60 miles from Houston, this 19th Century port town features miles of sandy beaches. It features Quintana Beach County Park, where many go to camp and fish near the coast. Spanish soldiers dying of thirst found the Brazos River and drank from the fresh water in 1528. Stephen F. Austin’s colonists landed the Lively there in 1821, laid the town out in 1833, and named it after General Andreas Quintana. It eventually became a popular resort destination for plantation owners prior to the Civil War. It once had a Confederate fort guarding row mouth of the Brazos River. The hurricane of 1915 turned it into a ghost town, and bouts of yellow fever, cholera and five other hurricanes have limited the town’s growth over the last century.
4. Corral City, Texas – Pop. 40
Area: 0.15 sq mi
County: Denton
Origin: Early 1970s
Incorporated: 1973
History: Geneva Helton and her husband purchased 20 acres of land in an effort to form an incorporated municipality in Denton County for the legalized sale of alcohol. Once incorporated in 1973, the town grew with the addition of mobile homes and RVs. The town began to decline in the 1990s after the retirement of Helton and the death of her husband. In the 2010s, Corral City was renamed “Draper” after former mayor James Draper. It reverted back to “Corral City” in 2020.
5. Spofford, Texas – Pop. 45
Area: 0.24 sq mi
County: Kinney
Origin: Late 19th Century
Incorporated: 1945
History: The town is named after C.K. Spofford, who built a hotel in town after the railroad came through it in 1882. The town peaked at nearly 400 residents in the 1940s, before experiencing a sharp population decline into the 1960s. It’s considered a ghost town by some, as all businesses have now closed.
6. Dayton Lakes, Texas – Pop. 55
Area: 0.97 sq mi
County: Liberty
Origin: Late 1960s
Incorporated: 1985
History: Marketed as recreational subdivision prior to its incorporation, after the formation of seven small lakes, Dayton Lakes was incorporated in 1985. The population has declined from nearly 200 during the 1990s, likely due to several floods from the Trinity River.
7. Lakeview, Texas – Pop. 58
Area: o.21 sq mi
County: Hall
Origin: 1890
Incorporated: 1938
History: The name “Lakeview” belonged to two sites in Hall County. The first site arose in 1890, attempting to become the county seat. Once that failed, most people sold their homes to farmers. The second Lakeview site came around in 1908 after David H. Davenport, whose homestead housed the post office and a general store, developed the site just north of it. The community survived two fires in 1918 and 1919, and boomed in growth to over 1,000 people in the 1920s. A 1930 fire and the Great Depression led to a decline through most of the 20th Century, despite a temporary boom in the 1940s.
8. Toyah, Texas – Pop. 58
Area: 1.62 sq mi
County: Reeves
Origin: Late 19th Century
Incorporated: 1933
History: Toyah is considered a ghost town, thanks in part to a 2004 tornado destroying much of it. Abandoned homes, business and cars on the streets are most of what remains. It began as a community trading post in the 1880s. Amelia Earhart once stopped in town to adjust her plane’s carburetor in 1928. The town reached a population of over 1,000 before declining after the Great Depression.
9. Pyote, Texas – Pop. 67
Area: 1.27 sq mi
County: Ward
Origin: Late 19th Century
Incorporated: 1933
History: Once called “Pyote Tank,” Pyote once held a telegraph office. The town’s population rose to around 3,500 by 1928, after oil was discover in Winkler County in 1926. It became a major oil shipping junction, thanks to the Texas and Pacific Railway. The boom ended in the early 1930s after a spur was built that diverted oil shipping away from Pyote. It declined to 1,097 people by 1931. Fortunes changed in 1942 with the construction of Pyote Air Force Station, which was used for bomber training. One of the bombers stored there was the Enola Gay, which dropped the first atomic bomb. However, the population began declining again in the 1950s.
10. Valentine, Texas – Pop. 67
Area: 0.49 sq mi
County: Jeff Davis
Origin: Late 19th Century
Incorporated: 1912
History: The only incorporated municipality in Jeff Davis County, Valentine was another 1880s railway town. In the early 1900s it became a cattle shipping post. Its population peaked at over 600 in the 1930s, before declining after.
11. Putnam, Texas – Pop. 68
Area: 1.01 sq mi
County: Callahan
Origin: 1880
Incorporated: 1903
History: Founded as “Catclaw,” Putnam was founded along the Texas and Pacific Railway in 1880. It was known for fruit farming and oil production, but its population declined throughout the latter half of the 1900s.
12. Neylandville, Texas – Pop. 70
Area: 0.32 sq mi
County: Hunt
Origin: 1860s
Incorporated: 1967
History: Founded as an all-black community by freed slaves, the residents created a farmers co-op in the 1880s.
13. Seven Oaks, Texas – Pop. 73
Area: 1.40 sq mi
County: Polk
Origin: 19th Century
Incorporated: 1969
History: Named by an early English settler, Seven Oaks constructed numerous sawmills after the completion of Houston, East and West Texas Railway. The locally available timber ran out by the end of the 1910s, resulting in a decline into the 1920s.
14. Sun Valley, Texas – Pop. 73
Area: 0.16 sq mi
County: Lamar
Origin: 1970s
Incorporated: 1975
History: The population peaked at around 200 in 1975.
15. Miller's Cove, Texas – Pop. 76
Area: 0.17 sq mi
County: Titus
Origin: 1970s
Incorporated: Early 1980s
History: Founded as a residential community in the 1970s.
16. Domino, Texas – Pop. 79
Area: 0.45
County: Cass
Origin: Late 19th Century
Incorporated: 1970s
History: Domino is the only “wet” town in Case County. It was founded in the late 1800s as a flag stop along the Texas and Pacific Railway.
17. Mobeetie, Texas – Pop. 84
Area: 0.61 sq mi
County: Wheeler
Origin: 1874
Incorporated: 1879
History: Founded in the late 1800s as a trading post for hunters and trappers near Fort Elliott, Mobeetie was primarily the home to buffalo hunters. It was originally called “Sweetwater.” It was renamed “Mobeetie” in 1879 so the town could establish a post office. It became Wheeler County’s county seat, the first county in the Texas panhandle. The town peaked at 400 people in 1890, but Fort Elliott closed the same year. A 1898 tornado destroyed much of the town, eventually losing its county seat to Wheeler in 1907. The town was moved two miles so it could be along the Panhandle and Sante Fe Railway in 1929, leading to steady growth of Mobeetie. The town peaked at 500 right before World War II.
18. Rocky Mound, Texas – Pop. 85
Area: 0.41 sq mi
County: Camp
Origin: 19th Century
Incorporated: 1970s
History: Rocky Mound was settled as a Black community with a school as the center of the community.
19. Petronila, Texas – Pop. 86
Area: 1.82 sq mi
County: Nueces
Origin: 19th Century
Incorporated: 1983
History: Petronila is credited as the first European settlement in Nueces County.
20. Uncertain, Texas – Pop. 87
Area: 0.54 sq mi
County: Harrison
Origin: Early 19th Century
Incorporated: 1961
History: The town’s name comes from the original application for township, for which the residents filled in the town’s name as “Uncertain.” When the township was given, it officially became “Uncertain.”
21. O'Brien, Texas – Pop. 88
Area: 0.50 sq mi
County: Haskell
Origin: 1906
Incorporated: 1958
History: O’Brien was established in 1906 with the completion of several railways. The population peaked at 800 in 1940, but a 1953 F4 tornado killed 17 people and destroyed many buildings, leading to the town’s decline. Oil, cotton, see and grain gave the town enough of a boost to help rebuild in the 1950s and 1960s, but the population hovered around 250.
22. Edmonson, Texas – Pop. 88
Area: 0.43 sq mi
County: Hale
Origin: 1929
Incorporated: 1963
History: Platted in 1929 along the Forth Worth and Denver Railway, it comes from what remained of Running Water, a town that was three miles south.
23. Dodson, Texas – Pop. 91
Area: 0.61 sq mi
County: Collingsworth
Origin: 1910
Incorporated: 1920s
History: Founded as a stop along the Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway, Dodson came from land donated by Elmore Dodson, a local rancher who wanted to ensure the railway passed through his section of the county. The town was called “Dodsonville” until 1937.
24. Toco, Texas – Pop. 92
Area: 0.17 sq mi
County: Lamar
Origin: Late 19th Century
Incorporated: 1971
History: Originally known as “Shady Grove,” Toco declined after World War II. The town became known as “Toco” during the 1970s.
25. Round Top, Texas – Pop. 93
Area: 0.95 sq mi
County: Fayette
Origin: 1826
Incorporated: 1870
History: Settled by the family of Stephen Townsend, for which the site was known as “Townsend,” Round Top was home to many who fought at the Battle of San Jacinto. It started primarily as an English settlement, followed by many German settlers. The site gained the name “Round Top” in the 1840s, due to the post office’s odd-shaped tower. The community is known for having the oldest continuous 4th of July Celebration west of the Mississippi River, which was first held in 1851. Its population reached 150 around that time. Round Top became known for cultural arts throughout then end of the 1800s. Its population peaked at 360 in 1900, before declining through the 1900s. The town is internationally recognized as a cultural center for the arts and education through the International Festival-Institute, founded in 1971. Its famed antiques fair, help twice a year, is well-known around the country.
26. Dorchester, Texas – Pop. 98
Area: 1.31 sq mi
County: Grayson
Origin: Late 19th Century
Incorporated: 1972
History: Dorchester was a popular retail center for farmers in the late 1800s, due to its proximity to the St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas Railway. The population peaked at 400 in the mid 1930s, before declining after.
27. Powell, Texas – Pop. 106
Area: 1.21 sq mi
County: Navarro
Origin: 1880s
Incorporated: 1961
History: On land once owned by Bud Powell, Powell was founded along the St. Louis Southwestern Railway, which was completed in 1881. Land comprised of local ranches was divided up for business, schools and churches. Oil was discovered in 1900, helping the population reach 500 in 1925. Oil production peaked at 33 million barrels in 1923, but by 1931, only a million barrels came from the oil field. The population declined from the 1930s through the 1970s, and again in the 1990s.
28. Kirvin, Texas – Pop. 107
Area: 0.40 sq mi
County: Freestone
Origin: C. 1906
Incorporated: 1911
History: A 1922 lynching of three Black men over the murder of a 17-year-old girl led to several instances following, with as many as 500 racist locals taking part in the murders. Evidence points to the innocence of at least two of the murdered men. This likely led to the town’s population declining from its 1914 peak of 800. The town’s population hit 75 by 1968, before temporarily rebounding in the 1990s and 2000s.
29. Aquilla, Texas – Pop. 110
Area: 0.28 sq mi
County: Hill
Origin: 1840s
Incorporated: 1879
History: Settled in the 1840s due to the timber in the area, Aquilla prospered during the mid-1800s. When the Texas Central Railroad passed a few miles south of town in 1879, many moved to be closer to it. The population declined into the 1890s. One of the state’s first chartered banks opened in 1905, along with a health spa. the population rebounded to 200 by 1910, and 500 by 1914. Sometime after that, the population declined into the 200s by the 1950s.
30. Marietta, Texas – Pop. 113
Area: 0.58 sq mi
County: Cass
Origin: Late 19th Century
Incorporated: 1963
History: The population peaked at 600 in 1892, but sharply declined to 124 by 1925.
30 Smallest Towns in Texas - Page 16 was originally published on 93qcountry.com
