Kopperl | |
---|---|
Unincorporated community | |
Location within the state of Texas | |
Coordinates: 32°04′12″N 97°30′14″W / 32.07000°N 97.50389°WCoordinates: 32°04′12″N 97°30′14″W / 32.07000°N 97.50389°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Texas |
County | Bosque |
Elevation | 577 ft (176 m) |
Population (2008 est.) | |
• Total | 225 |
Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
ZIP codes | 76652 |
Area code(s) | 254 |
Kopperl (pronounced KOP-er-ul) is an unincorporated community in Bosque County, Texas, United States. It lies on the northwestern end of Lake Whitney, and has an estimated population of 225.
Kopperl was founded in 1881. Named after Galveston banker and railroad tycoon Moritz Kopperl, the town was established as a regional shipping point along the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. The population peaked at 329 in 1904 before declining to 225 by the 1970s, a figure it has maintained fairly consistently since.
Shortly after midnight on June 15, 1960, a freak meteorological phenomenon struck the community when a dying thunderstorm collapsed over Kopperl. The storm had rained itself out, and with little to no precipitation to cool the resulting downdrafts, superheated air was expended upon the community in the form of extremely hot wind gusts of up to 75 MPH. The temperature increased rapidly, peaking near 140° Fahrenheit (60° Celsius); twenty degrees above the official all-time high for the state of Texas. The storm, known as "Satan's Storm" by locals, soon became part of local folklore.
Kopperl is served by the Kopperl Independent School District.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Kopperl has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.