# Hillsboro, Texas

Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Hill County, Texas, United States. It is located between Dallas, Fort Worth and Waco, directly on Interstate 35 in North Central Texas. Hillsboro draws trade from throughout the county, and from Interstate 35 travelers between Dallas, Fort Worth, and Waco.
Hillsboro is the gateway to Lake Whitney, Lake Whitney State Park, and nearby Lake Aquilla - all within a 15 minute drive from Hillsboro, Texas.

## History

In 1853, the Texas Legislature carved Hill County out of Navarro County. Named for physician and Republic of Texas Secretary of War Dr. George Washington Hill, the new county had only recently attracted Anglo settlement, following the establishment in 1848 of Fort Graham. County commissioners selected Hillsboro, originally spelled Hillsborough, as county seat. They established the town on land donated by Thomas Steiner, John Caruthers and Jonathan Newby, and the community soon had a school and post office, as well as a wood-frame courthouse. Cotton became the mainstay of Hillsboro’s late 19th-century economy. The city experienced rapid growth after the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad and other lines came to the town in the early 1880s. In addition to bringing new settlers and giving access to shipping and transportation, railroads provided many new jobs. The city continued to grow and incorporated in 1881. The cotton industry produced a building boom between 1890 and 1910, as evidenced by the numerous Queen Anne homes still intact today, as well as the noted 1890 Hill County Courthouse. In 1923, the community established the Hillsboro Junior College, which over the years has become Hill College.

## Education

The city of Hillsboro is served by the Hillsboro Independent School District.
Hill College, located in Hillsboro, provides high quality, comprehensive educational programs and services to enrolled students, the community, local workforce and area businesses and adult learners.
Hillsboro has private Christian academies and home school groups, in addition to the school district and college.

## Media

Locally, Hillsboro is served by KHBR Radio - 1560 AM and The Reporter newspaper. Hillsboro is also served by the Waco/Killeen/Temple TV market and the Waco radio market.
Additionally, most radio stations from the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex can be heard in Hillsboro.

## Culture

Hillsboro is a rural city located directly on Interstate 35 between Dallas-Fort Worth and Waco.
Hillsboro's location offers residents and business significant advantages, and as the seat of Hill County attracts trade from a 30+ mile radius of county cities, and a significant portion Interstate travelers. With an active and close knit community, Hillsboro's culture includes numerous events and programs continuously through the year for both residents and visitors.
Large annual events in Hillsboro include:
* January - Hill County Fair/Livestock Show
* February - Fire & Ice Dinner at the Rusted Chandelier
* March - Hill College Rodeo
* April - Wine and Photography Art Walk Downtown
* May - Churrofest Annual Celebration with Concerts & Margarita Walk
* May to October - The Hillsboro Farmers Market at the Courthouse Square
* May through September - Free Saturday Night Summer Concert Series, Weekly from 8 to 11 pm
* June - Bond's Alley Art Festival
* July - The 4th of July Late Bloomers Parade in the Historic Residential District
* September - Autumnfest Annual Celebration with Concerts and cider crawl
* December - Christmas Under the Stars Parade & Tree Lighting
* December - Holiday Tour of Homes (every other year)

## Geography

Hillsboro is located near the geographic center of Hill County. Interstate 35 passes through the eastern side of the city, with access from Exits 364 through 370. The I-35E/I-35W split is just north of the city limits. Hillsboro is 56 miles (90 km) south of Fort Worth, 62 miles (100 km) southwest of Dallas, and 34 miles (55 km) north of Waco.
Texas State Highway 22 runs through the center of Hillsboro on West Elm Street, South Waco Street, and Corsicana Highway. It leads west 19 miles (31 km) to Lake Whitney and east 40 miles (64 km) to Corsicana. Texas State Highway 171 passes through Hillsboro with Highway 22, but leads northwest 29 miles (47 km) to Cleburne and southeast 23 miles (37 km) to Hubbard.

### Climate

Climate data for Hillsboro, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1903–present) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 89 (32) | 97 (36) | 100 (38) | 101 (38) | 104 (40) | 109 (43) | 113 (45) | 112 (44) | 110 (43) | 103 (39) | 93 (34) | 90 (32) | 113 (45) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 59.0 (15.0) | 62.7 (17.1) | 69.5 (20.8) | 77.1 (25.1) | 84.1 (28.9) | 91.5 (33.1) | 96.0 (35.6) | 97.0 (36.1) | 90.5 (32.5) | 80.3 (26.8) | 68.8 (20.4) | 60.4 (15.8) | 78.1 (25.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 46.5 (8.1) | 50.3 (10.2) | 57.2 (14.0) | 65.1 (18.4) | 73.1 (22.8) | 80.8 (27.1) | 84.4 (29.1) | 84.9 (29.4) | 78.3 (25.7) | 67.8 (19.9) | 56.3 (13.5) | 48.2 (9.0) | 66.1 (18.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 33.9 (1.1) | 37.8 (3.2) | 44.9 (7.2) | 53.0 (11.7) | 62.1 (16.7) | 70.0 (21.1) | 72.8 (22.7) | 72.8 (22.7) | 66.0 (18.9) | 55.2 (12.9) | 43.9 (6.6) | 36.1 (2.3) | 54.0 (12.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −1 (−18) | −1 (−18) | 12 (−11) | 26 (−3) | 36 (2) | 48 (9) | 55 (13) | 53 (12) | 38 (3) | 21 (−6) | 14 (−10) | −6 (−21) | −6 (−21) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.74 (70) | 2.77 (70) | 3.57 (91) | 3.68 (93) | 4.51 (115) | 3.61 (92) | 1.65 (42) | 2.18 (55) | 3.15 (80) | 5.05 (128) | 2.73 (69) | 3.10 (79) | 38.74 (984) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.7 (1.8) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 7.4 | 7.1 | 8.0 | 7.1 | 8.6 | 6.6 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 6.9 | 3.8 | 7.4 | 80.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Source: NOAA ||||||||||||||

## Demographics
### 2020 census

Hillsboro racial composition (NH = Non-Hispanic) :
| Race | Number | Percentage |
| White (NH) | 3,204 | 38.97% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 1,109 | 13.49% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 19 | 0.23% |
| Asian (NH) | 80 | 0.97% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 6 | 0.07% |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 21 | 0.26% |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 237 | 2.88% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3,545 | 43.12% |
| Total | 8,221 | |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,221 people, 2,925 households, and 2,024 families residing in the boundaries of Hillsboro Texas, however the population is thought to be far greater than the census numbers for the city reflect.

## National Register of Historic Places

* Farmers National Bank 68 W. Elm St.
* Gebhardt Bakery 119 E. Franklin St.
* Grimes Garage 110 N. Waco St.
* Grimes House Country Club Rd. and Corporation St.
* Hill County Courthouse Courthouse Sq.
* Hill County Jail N. Waco St.
* Hillsboro Cotton Mills 220 N. Houston St.
* Hillsboro Residential Historic District Roughly bounded by Country Club Rd., Thompson, Corsicana, Pleasant, Franklin, and Elm Streets.
* McKenzie Site Address Restricted
* Missouri-Kansas-Texas Company Railroad Station Covington St.
* Old Rock Saloon 58 W. Elm St.
* Sturgis National Bank S. Waco and W. Elm Sts.
* Tarleton Building 110 E. Franklin St.
* U.S. Post Office 118 S. Waco St.
* Western Union Building 107 S. Covington St.

## Notable people

* Jerry Allison, drummer for The Crickets
* Madge Bellamy, film actress of the 1920s and '30s, best known for the horror classic White Zombie
* Bob Bullock, former Texas lieutenant governor, comptroller, secretary of state, and state representative
* Richard H. Carmichael, United States Army general
* Vara Martin Daniel - American educator and First Lady of Guam.
* Troy Dungan, WFAA-TV chief weather forecaster
* Roger Edens, Hollywood producer, composer, and vocal arranger
* Mike Harris, basketball player
* Rafer Johnson, the 1960 Olympic decathlon gold medalist
* Bob Johnston, record producer, songwriter, and musician
* Maggie Jones, blues singer and pianist
* Crawford Martin, former Attorney General of Texas, Texas Secretary of State, Texas State Senator, and mayor of Hillsboro
* Dr. J. Vernon McGee, Theologian, Bible teacher, pastor, radio broadcaster
* Billy Patterson, former NFL football player
* Mary Ellen Rudin, American mathematician; professor Emerita at the University of Wisconsin.
* Drew Nellins Smith, author
* Derel Walker, CFL football player