Junction, Texas | |
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City | |
Junction City Hall
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Nickname(s): Land of Living Waters, Front Porch of the West | |
Location of Junction, Texas |
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Coordinates: 30°29′23″N 99°46′17″W / 30.48972°N 99.77139°WCoordinates: 30°29′23″N 99°46′17″W / 30.48972°N 99.77139°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Texas |
County | Kimble |
Government | |
• Mayor | Russell Hammonds |
Area | |
• Total | 2.3 sq mi (5.9 km2) |
• Land | 2.3 sq mi (5.9 km2) |
• Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
Elevation | 1,703 ft (519 m) |
Population (2000) | |
• Total | 2,618 |
• Density | 1,145.0/sq mi (442.1/km2) |
Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
ZIP code | 76849 |
Area code(s) | 325 |
FIPS code | 48-38248 |
GNIS feature ID | 1374333 |
Junction is a city in and the county seat of Kimble County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,618 at the 2000 census.
Junction is located at 30°29′23″N 99°46′17″W / 30.489772°N 99.771335°W (30.489772, -99.771335), approximately 105 miles (169 km) northwest of San Antonio and 120 miles (190 km) west of Austin in central Kimble County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2), of which, 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) of it is land and 0.44% is covered by water.
Junction is named for its location at the confluence of the North and South Llano Rivers.
The community was founded in 1876 after the organization of Kimble County earlier that year. The original town site was named Denman after Marcellus Denman, who had surveyed and platted the new community. The name Denman was quickly changed to Junction City. In late 1876, Junction City won the designation of county seat from the unsuccessful and flood-prone settlement of Kimbleville. By 1879, a drugstore, livery stable, sawmill, and a few general stores were active in the community. Around 300 people were living in Junction City in 1882. The West Texas, Kimble County's first newspaper, began publishing in 1882. The county courthouse and its records were lost to a fire in 1884. A second, two-story brick stone courthouse was partially destroyed in an 1888 fire, but was repaired and remained in use until 1929, when the present courthouse was constructed. In 1894, Junction City became known simply as Junction. Infrastructure improvements marked the decade of the 1890s. Businessman Ernest Holekamp provided the city's first waterworks with a canal dug from the South Llano to Junction in 1895. A dam was built in 1896 on the South Llano River to provide power and water to the city and irrigation to surrounding lands.