Stephenville is a city in the county seat of Erath County, Texas, United States. It is on the North Bosque River, which forms nearby. Founded in 1854, it is home to Tarleton State University. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,847, and it is the principal city in the Stephenville Micropolitan Statistical Area. Stephenville is among several communities that call themselves the "Cowboy Capital of the World".

History

Stephenville is named after John M. Stephen, who settled there in 1854, and donated the land for the townsite laid out by George B. Erath when the county was organized in 1856. In the first two years of its settlement, the population increased to 776. The population then declined until 1871, because the townsite was in Comanche territory and raids were common, and because the hardships of the American Civil War led citizens to leave. The population grew after Stephenville became an agriculture and livestock center. Coal mining also became important to the area in 1886, and was a major segment of the economy for the 30 years.

Stephenville was incorporated in 1889, with the arrival of the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway. In the 1890s, many of the buildings around the town square were built, Tarleton State University opened, and the community's two newspapers merged to become the Empire-Tribune, which is still in operation. In February 1907, the Stephenville North and South Texas Railway was chartered by Stephenville and Hamilton business interests, which sold the line in 1910 to the St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas system. In the 20th century, industry became an important part of Stephenville, and the population has steadily increased since the 1920s.

In January 2008, dozens of people in Stephenville reported seeing patterns of lights in the night sky. Some described it as a single large unidentified flying object. The Air Force Reserve issued a statement from the NAS Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base that jets from the 457th Fighter Squadron were in military airspace designated for training during the time people reported seeing the lights. The F-16s had been engaged in training maneuvers and dropping counter-measure flares used to confuse heat-seeking missiles. Following news reports of the UFO sighting, "media calls came from all over the world", and local police Constable Lee Roy Gaitan gave more than 100 interviews. The town reacted in a "UFO frenzy"; T-shirts proclaiming the town “Alien Capital of the World” and “Erath County -- the New Roswell,” were rushed into production, and the local high school suddenly received $7,000 for college scholarships.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which  are land and  is covered by water.

Stephenville is served by three major US highways – US Highway 377, US Highway 281, and US Highway 67 (which joins into US Hwy 377).

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Stephenville has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, the town had a population of 20.9k people with a median age of 25.7 and a median household income of $48,602. 95.5% of residents are U.S. citizens. Over one year, it's median household income grew from $47,161 to $48,602, a 3.06% increase. Ethic groups in Stephenville include White (Non-Hispanic) (75.6%), White (Hispanic) (12.7%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (3.29%), Other (Hispanic) (2.68%), and Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.11%). No households reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider potential multi-lingual situations, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household. Universities include Tarleton State University (3,536 degrees awarded in 2021). In 2020, the median property value was $153,400, and the homeownership rate was 45.9%. The average reported commute time was 16.1 minutes, and average car ownership was 2 cars per household.

Education

Public library

 Stephenville Public Library

Public schools

 Stephenville Independent School District
 Stephenville High School (grades 9–12)
 Henderson Jr. High School (grades 7–8)
 Gilbert Intermediate School (grades 5–6)
 Hook Elementary School (grades 3–4)
 Chamberlin Elementary School (grades 1–2)
 Central Elementary School (grades Pre-K–K)
 Huston Academy (grades 7–12) (previously Erath Excels! Academy)

Postsecondary education

 Tarleton State University (member of the Texas A&M University System)
 Ranger College (Erath County Center)

Notable people

 Jessie G. Beach (1887 – 1954), paleontologist and museum aid, born in Stephenville.
 Art Briles, former football coach at Baylor University
 Leon Hale (newspaper writer), born in Stephenville
 Dustin Hodge, television producer and writer
 Brock Holt, professional baseball player, graduated from Stephenville High School
 Giovannie and the Hired Guns, American country rock band
 Jewel (singer), singer-songwriter, lived on a Stephenville ranch while married to Ty Murray. She refers to the town in the song "Stephenville, TX".
 Kevin Kolb, NFL quarterback
 Jess Lockwood, world champion bull rider
 J.B. Mauney, professional rodeo cowboy
 Ty Murray, world champion rodeo cowboy
 Carey Wentworth Styles, newspaperman, founder of The Atlanta Constitution, editor, managing editor, or special writer at "more than a dozen Texas dailies and weeklies." West End Cemetery
 Hugh Wolfe, professional football player

References

External links

 Stephenville Official City Site

Cities in Erath County, Texas
Cities in Texas
County seats in Texas
Micropolitan areas of Texas
Populated places established in 1856
1856 establishments in Texas