Irion County ( ) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,513. Its county seat is Mertzon. The county is named for Robert Anderson Irion, a secretary of state of the Republic of Texas.
Irion County is included in the San Angelo metropolitan area.
History
From 1858 to 1861, Butterfield Overland Mail crossed the region.
In 1876, John Arden brought the first flock of sheep from California, and Billy Childress established the Longhorn 7D Ranch.
The Texas Legislature formed Irion County from Tom Green County in 1889. Sherwood became the county seat.
Oil was discovered in Irion County in 1928.
In 1936, Mertzon became the county seat.
In 2020 Irion was the slowest county to comply with the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, forbidding the ban on same-sex marriages.
The Old Irion County Courthouse in Sherwood is the only property in the county listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (0.01%) is covered by water. The Spraberry Trend, the third-largest oil field in the United States by remaining reserves, underlies much of the county.
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Highway 67
- 20px State Highway 163
Adjacent counties
- Tom Green County (north and east)
- Schleicher County (southeast)
- Crockett County (southwest)
- Reagan County (west)