Johnson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 179,927. Its county seat is Cleburne. Johnson County is named for Colonel Middleton Tate Johnson Sr., a Texas Ranger, politician and soldier in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War (fighting for the Confederate States Army). Johnson County is included in the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area.

History

The first settler of Johnson County was Henry Briden, who built a log cabin on the Nolan River in 1849. His log cabin still exists, and can be seen along State Highway 174 in Rio Vista, Texas. The first county seat was Wardville, now located under the waters of Lake Pat Cleburne. In 1856, Buchanan became the county seat. Johnson County was divided in 1866, with the western half becoming Hood County. Camp Henderson became the new county seat and was renamed Cleburne in honor of Confederate General Patrick Cleburne.

In 2025, the sheriff in Johnson County utilized a national database generated by automatic license-plate readers to track down a Texas woman who possibly sought to have an out-of-state abortion.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (1.3%) are covered by water.

Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Highway 67
  • 25px U.S. Highway 287
  • 25px U.S. Highway 377
  • 20px State Highway 81
  • 20px State Highway 171
  • 20px State Highway 174

Adjacent counties

  • Tarrant County (north)
  • Ellis County (east)
  • Hill County (south)
  • Bosque County (southwest)
  • Somervell County (southwest)
  • Hood County (west)
  • Parker County (northwest)

Communities

Cities (multiple counties)

  • Burleson (small part in Tarrant County)
  • Cresson (partly in Hood and Parker counties)
  • Crowley (mostly in Tarrant County)
  • Fort Worth (mostly in Tarrant County, with small parts in Denton, Parker, and Wise counties)
  • Grand Prairie (mostly in Dallas County with small parts in Ellis and Tarrant counties)
  • Mansfield (mostly in Tarrant County and a small part in Ellis County)
  • Venus (small part in Ellis County)

Cities

  • Alvarado
  • Briaroaks
  • Burleson
  • Cleburne (county seat)
  • Coyote Flats
  • Godley
  • Grandview
  • Joshua
  • Keene
  • Rio Vista

Towns

  • Cross Timber

Census-designated place

  • The Homesteads

Unincorporated communities

  • Beulah
  • Bono
  • Egan
  • Lillian
  • Parker
  • Sand Flat

Demographics

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