Megargel, Texas
| Megargel, Texas | |
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| Town | |
A row of abandoned shops in Megargel
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 Location of Megargel, Texas |
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| Coordinates: 33°27′14″N 98°55′39″W / 33.45389°N 98.92750°WCoordinates: 33°27′14″N 98°55′39″W / 33.45389°N 98.92750°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Archer |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km2) |
| • Land | 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,286 ft (392 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 203 |
| • Density | 340/sq mi (130/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 76370 |
| Area code(s) | 940 |
| FIPS code | 48-47460 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1362579 |
Megargel (/ˈmiːɡɑːrɡəl/ MEE-gar-gəl) is a town in Archer County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Wichita Falls, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 203 at the 2010 census. The town is named for Roy C. Megargel, the president of the railroad that developed the town.
Megargel was established as a result of the Gulf, Texas and Western Railroad extending services to Jacksboro and Seymour. The town was established in 1910. The community developed multiple businesses within three months because the purchasers of land who established businesses sixty days after acquiring their lots received discounts as an incentive to do so.
There were 350 residents in 1914. In 1923 the population increased to 475. Around that time H. Sheets drilled a new oil well in the Swastika oilfield, causing a population increase. Oil was discovered 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Megargel in 1925, and the town expanded even more. One year later the town had 1,000 residents, and in 1927 it increased by 200 more people. 1,200 people lived in Megargel in 1927, but the population began a decline after that point. The railroad stopped operations in 1943. The number of residents was 347 by 1950, 244 in 1990, 248 in 2000, and 203 in 2010.
In 2014 there were 130 active water meters out of the 200 in Megargel, and many houses were unoccupied. That year Bill Hanna of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram stated that downtown Megargel was "virtually empty, littered with crumbling and abandoned buildings and outdated gas stations." Hanna stated that some Megargel residents believed that the demise of the Megargel Independent School District was a factor in recent population declines.
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Wikipedia