Covington is a city in Hill County in central Texas, United States. Located at the intersection of FM 67 and State Highway 171, north of Hillsboro, it is near the northern boundary of Hill County. It was founded by Colonel James Jackson Gathings, formerly of North Carolina and Mississippi, in the spring of 1852, and is named for his wife's family. Gathings secured about of land in what is now Hill County, 100 of which were set aside for the new town of Covington. The population of Covington, 168 years later, was 261 at the 2020 census.

Geography

Covington is located in northern Hill County. State Highway 171 leads southeast to Hillsboro, the county seat, and northwest to Cleburne, while Farm to Market Road 67 leads northeast to Interstate 35 and southwest the same distance to Blum.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Covington has a total area of , of which , or 0.78%, are water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Covington had a population of 261. The median age was 39.5 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.2 males age 18 and over.

There were 106 households in Covington, of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.1% were married-couple households, 15.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 232 || 88.9%

|-

| Black or African American || 2 || 0.8%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 4 || 1.5%

|-

| Asian || 0 || 0.0%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 9 || 3.4%

|-

| Two or more races || 14 || 5.4%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 32 || 12.3%

|}

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 282 people, 111 households, and 79 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 122 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.78% White, 3.19% African American, 0.35% Native American, 2.84% from other races, and 2.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.38% of the population.

References

  • Covington, Texas, in the Handbook of Texas
  • Gathings College historical marker at StoppingPoints.com