Taylor

Formed January 22, 1858 (144^th county)

Taylor County (131,506), Abilene (117,063)

The Modern concrete and granite courthouse, located on 3^rd and Chestnut, was built in 1972.  Interstate Highway 20 bypasses the center of the city to the north.  The courthouse is sited 3 blocks south of Interstate Highway Business 20/United States Highway 80 as it comes through the city.  Tittle, Luther, Loving, and Lee designed this building.  Buffalo Gap has original courthouse (1880) from the January 22, 1858 organizing.  The county seat moved to Abilene in 1883 where the last three courthouses (1883, 1915, and 1972) have been.  The county was originally part of Bexar and Travis counties as the 144^th county.  Taylor County got its name from Edward, James, and George Taylor who fought and died at the Alamo.  Cattle producers and railroad officers named Abilene for Abilene, Kansas. 

Taylor County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge serves Taylor, Callahan, and Coleman counties and Three District Court Judges and Three County Court Judges serve Taylor County.  The county is situated in central Texas west of Fort Worth, Texas, south of Wichita Falls, Texas, and northeast of San Angelo, Texas.  One of the forks of the Brazos River crosses through the county south to north.  The county center is 16.9 miles South-Southwest of Abilene nearer Buffalo Gap.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Jones, Shackelford, Callahan, Coleman, Runnels, Nolan, and Fisher counties. 

The area of the county is 919 square miles.  It is 131 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 30 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 143.10 persons per square mile making it 34 out of 254 in the state.  Taylor County has 89.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 20 crosses east to west, Callahan County to Nolan County.  United States Highway 83 enters from Jones County on the north and exits into Runnels County on the south.  United States Highway 84 came with Interstate Highway 20 from Nolan County (west), splits in Abilene, and exits into Coleman County (southeast).  United States Highway 277 comes jointly with United States Highway 83 from Jones County, splits in Abilene, and goes to the southwest into Nolan County.  The county is a square with Abilene in the extreme north extending over into Jones County.  Abilene is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 85.1% of the county population.  This county is in the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area.