200px|right|thumb|The Old Taylor County Courthouse has limited use.

Taylor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 143,208. Its county seat is Abilene. The county was created in 1858 and later organized in 1878. It is named for Edward Taylor, George Taylor, and James Taylor, three brothers who died at the Battle of the Alamo.

Taylor County is included in the Abilene, TX metropolitan statistical area, and is considered part of West Texas.

History

Among first inhabitants of the area were the Penteka. In 1849, Capt. Randolph Marcy, a U. S. Army engineer, passed through, scouting out West Texas-to-California routes.

The Texas Legislature established Taylor County in 1858 from Bexar and Travis Counties. The county is named for Alamo defenders Edward, James, and George Taylor. The Butterfield Overland Mail established the Mountain Pass Station at Merkel; it was in continual use until 1861. In 1880, the Texas & Pacific Railroad signed an agreement to run tracks through the future city of Abilene. Abilene became the county seat in 1883.

Lytle Lake was created in 1897. In 1906, Abilene Christian University opened its doors as Childers Classical Institute. In the 1920s, Hendricks Medical Center opened in Abilene as West Texas Baptist Sanitarium (1924) and the West Texas Historical Association was chartered in Abilene. Oil was discovered in the county a few years later (1929).

In 1933, Abilene donated land for use by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Dyess Air Force Base was established as Abilene AFB in 1942; it is named in honor of Texas native and Bataan Death March survivor Lieutenant Colonel William Dyess. The Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra was created, with Jay Dietzer as the first conductor, in 1950.

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Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (0.4%) are covered by water.

Major highways

  • 20px Interstate 20
  • 20px Interstate 20 Business
  • 20px U.S. Highway 83
  • 20px U.S. Highway 84
  • 25px U.S. Highway 277
  • 20px State Highway 36
  • 20px State Highway 153
  • 20px State Highway 351
  • 20px Loop 322

Adjacent counties

  • Jones County (north)
  • Shackelford County (northeast)
  • Callahan County (east)
  • Coleman County (southeast)
  • Runnels County (south)
  • Nolan County (west)
  • Fisher County (northwest)

Demographics