Breckenridge is a city and county seat of Stephens County, Texas, Texas, United States. The estimated population was 5,349 as of February 2021.
Breckenridge was a stop on the since defunct Wichita Falls and Southern Railroad, one of the properties of Frank Kell and Joseph A. Kemp of Wichita Falls, Texas. The line was thereafter operated until 1969 by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.
History
thumb|left|Oil rig, Main Street, Breckenridge, Texas, 1920
The town of Breckenridge originated in 1854 as Picketville, either named after the structure of its early homes or after rancher Bill Pickett, who lived in the area at the time. In 1876, Stephens County was established, and its territory included Picketville. The town was renamed "Breckenridge" after former U.S. Vice President and Confederate Army General John C. Breckinridge, though with an altered spelling.
Breckenridge was a major oil producer in the early 1920s. The population jumped from around 1000 to 5000 in under five years.
Briefly, it was the home of legendary figure of the Old West, John "Doc" Holliday. Breckenridge's boomtown era was well documented by the hundreds of photographs of pioneer photographer Basil Clemons.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.2 sq mi (10.8 km<sup>2</sup>), of which 0.24% is covered by water.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Breckenridge has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.
Around 5:20 pm local time on April 9, 2008, three tornadoes, including two "sisters", were confirmed to have hit at least a portion of the town. Within the city limits, 15 citizens were reported as injured. Five buildings were destroyed, including the airport, which was a former Air Force training facility.
Demographics
2020 census
{| class="wikitable"
|+Breckenridge racial composition<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)
!Race
!Number
!Percentage
|-
|White (NH)
|3,123
|60.21%
|-
|Black or African American (NH)
|89
|1.72%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)
|19
|0.37%
|-
|Asian (NH)
|49
|0.94%
|-
|Pacific Islander (NH)
|1
|0.02%
|-
|Some Other Race (NH)
|21
|0.4%
|-
|Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)
|160
|3.08%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino
|1,725
|33.26%
|-
|Total
|5,187
|
|}
As of the 2020 census, Breckenridge had a population of 5,187, with 2,045 households and 1,267 families; the median age was 36.4 years, 27.5% of residents were under the age of 18, and 16.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.3 males age 18 and over.
99.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.3% lived in rural areas.
Of the 2,045 households in Breckenridge, 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.4% were married-couple households, 17.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Percent
|-
| White || 72.4%
|-
| Black or African American || 1.8%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 0.8%
|-
| Asian || 0.9%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || <0.1%
|-
| Some other race || 12.6%
|-
| Two or more races || 11.4%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 33.3%
|}
2000 census
As of the census