Jacksboro is a city in Jack County, Texas, in the United States. Its population was 4,184 at the 2020 census.
History
Jacksboro was first settled in the 1850s, with newcomers attracted by land offers from the Texas Emigration and Land Office. Originally called "Mesquiteville", the community grew up along the banks of Lost Creek and spread out over the pastureland between Lost Creek and the waters of the West Fork of Keechi Creek. It was renamed "Jacksboro" in 1858, when it became the county seat, in honor of brothers William and Patrick Jack, veterans of the Texas Revolution. Regular postal service began in 1859. Jacksboro was located on one route of the Butterfield Overland Mail.
The county was one of the few in Texas to vote against secession before the Civil War. It continued to suffer from Native American raids until Fort Richardson was built and garrisoned in 1870 south of Jacksboro. The town gained national attention in 1871 when two Kiowa chiefs, Satanta and Big Tree, were tried for murder there.
The arrival of the Chicago, Rock Island & Texas Railroad in 1898 increased the town's commercial importance to the surrounding region, enhancing it as a center of trade. The completion of highways and other roads later on also connected the town to other markets.
Fort Richardson State Park, Historic Site, and Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway is in the southern part of the city. Jacksboro claims to have the first state 4-H club, formed in the 1910s.
On March 21, 2022, an EF3 tornado struck the town causing damage to around 80 homes and heavily damaging the high school. Nine people were injured.
Geography
Jacksboro is located in central Jack County. U.S. Route 281 runs through the city center, leading south to Mineral Wells and northwest to Wichita Falls. U.S. Route 380 joins US 281 in the center of Jacksboro, but heads west out of town on Belknap Street, leading to Graham. US 380 leaves Jacksboro to the southeast with US 281, but then leads east to Decatur. Fort Worth is southeast of Jacksboro via US 281 and Texas State Highway 199.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Jacksboro has a total area of , of which is covered by water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Jacksboro had a population of 4,184, a median age of 36.3 years, 21.6% of residents under the age of 18, and 13.5% of residents 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 159.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 176.0 males age 18 and over.
There were 1,221 households in Jacksboro, of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.6% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 2,773 || 66.3%
|-
| Black or African American || 308 || 7.4%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 42 || 1.0%
|-
| Asian || 33 || 0.8%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 2 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 655 || 15.7%
|-
| Two or more races || 371 || 8.9%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,141 || 27.3%
|}
2000 census
At the census