Wichita County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 129,350. The county seat is Wichita Falls. The county was created in 1858 and organized in 1882. Wichita County is part of the Wichita Falls, Texas, TX metropolitan statistical area.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (0.8%) are covered by water. The county is drained by the Wichita River and other streams.
Major highways
- 20px Interstate 44
- 20px U.S. Highway 82
- 25px U.S. Highway 277
- 25px U.S. Highway 281
- 25px U.S. Highway 287
- 20px State Highway 25
- 20px State Highway 79
- 20px State Highway 240
- 20px State Highway 258
Adjacent counties
- Tillman County, Oklahoma (north)
- Cotton County, Oklahoma (northeast)
- Clay County (east)
- Archer County (south)
- Wilbarger County (west)
- Baylor County (southwest)
Geology
Wichita County is part of the Texas Red Beds, which are strata of red-colored sedimentary rock from the Early Permian. The fossils of Permian period vertebrates in the Texas Red Beds were first discovered by Edward Drinker Cope in 1877. Subsequent research has revealed rare fossils of Permian period amphibians like Trimerorhachis, as well as rich deposits of other Permian tetrapods such as Dimetrodon and Diadectes.