Valley Mills is a city in Bosque and McLennan counties in central Texas, United States. The population was 1,229 at the 2020 census.
The McLennan County portion of Valley Mills is part of the Waco Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Valley Mills was named for a flour mill established on the banks of the Bosque River in 1867 by Dr. E.P. Booth and Asbury Stegall.
In 1881, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway (GC&SF) laid tracks a mile south of the community, across the Bosque River. Merchants, hoping to benefit from the railroad, began moving their stores across the river, to the tracks.
On February 17, 1882, a cyclone (tornado) hit the new townsite, destroying a large number of buildings. Nevertheless, the remaining residents from the community's original site moved across the river and rebuilt their homes. Thus, by the end of 1882 Valley Mills had extended into McLennan County.
Dairy farming and stock raising were the principal industries of the community. By 1900, however, the railroad and the nearby Chisholm Trail had made Valley Mills a prosperous retail and trading center for Bosque and McLennan counties. The community's population reached 855 by 1905. Like many rural Texas communities, Valley Mills declined during the 1930s. Following World War II, however, as farm prices increased and ranching prospered, the economy grew, and the population, which had declined to 803 by 1937, increased to 1,037 by the mid-1950s. During the next three decades Valley Mills maintained its position as a leading retail market and shipping point for Bosque and McLennan counties.
The town was hit by an F-5 tornado on May 6, 1973, nearly 20 years after the infamous 1953 Waco Tornado, and despite its F-5 rating, there were no deaths in the Valley Mills tornado.
In 1984, it had a newspaper, a municipal airport, more than 25 businesses, several dairy farms and ranches, and a population of 1,236. A new school was opened in 1988; it and four churches were the social centers of the community. In 1990, the population was 1,085. In 2010, the population was 1,203.
Geography
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Valley Mills has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Valley Mills had a population of 1,229, 462 households, and 371 families residing in the city.
The median age was 32.5 years. 29.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.5 males age 18 and over.
There were 462 households in Valley Mills, of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.1% were married-couple households, 14.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 937 || 76.2%
|-
| Black or African American || 31 || 2.5%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 5 || 0.4%
|-
| Asian || 2 || 0.2%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 113 || 9.2%
|-
| Two or more races || 141 || 11.5%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 234 || 19.0%
|}
2000 census
As of the census As of 2024, the rail line is used by the Texas Eagle, an Amtrak passenger train connecting Chicago to San Antonio via Dallas and Cleburne, but the train does not serve Valley Mills; the nearest scheduled stop is McGregor station in McGregor.
Air
Valley Mills Municipal Airport is a city-owned public airport used for general aviation and located approximately southeast of the central business district. The airport has no IATA or ICAO designation.
The airport covers at an elevation of above mean sea level (AMSL), and has two runways:
- Runway 6/24: 3,028 x 40 ft. (922 x 12 m), Surface: Turf
- Runway 14/32: 2,788 x 40 ft. (850 x 12 m), Surface: Turf
Notable people
- Isaac Brock (died 1909), once claimed to be the longest-lived American in history
- Donnie Sadler, Major League Baseball player
See also
- List of municipalities in Texas