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Boys Ranch, Texas

6 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Vega census division. It lies in ZIP code area 79010. It stands on Tascosa Creek. The Survey maps it on the Boys Ranch West quadrangle. 173 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 3,186 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Boys Ranch within Oldham County

Population over time

2 figures

Boys Ranch fell from 282 to 173 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010282
2020173-109 (-39%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 6 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

20 since 2006

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 20 fires within 5 miles of Boys Ranch between 2006 and 2020, burning about 27,648 acres in total. 1 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined9
Equipment and vehicle use7
Smoking2
Debris and open burning1
Natural1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
21 August 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined100 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceLS RANCH
12 July 2011Natural250 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceLIT RANCH
11 July 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined50 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceASSIST BOYS RANCH WITH SMITH FIRE
16 June 2020Equipment and vehicle use214 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceLIT
12 June 2018Debris and open burning5.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceBOYS RANCH (180612085)
4 March 2018Equipment and vehicle use50 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceLS RANCH
25 March 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined50 acresTexas A & M Forest Service80 MM FIRE
17 March 2019Equipment and vehicle use100 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceLIT FIRE BR ASSIST

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Oldham County

Mines and quarries near this place

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Boys Ranch: 1 producer, 1 past producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Judd Pit & PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Tascosa PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Oldham County

Storms near this place

60 of 83 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Boys Ranch in 83 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 60 hail, 19 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 1995Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch$25,000no account filed
June 2020Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch$15,000Ten 65-foot power poles and two 40-foot power poles were snapped due to thunderstorm winds. The time of occurrence has been estimated from radar data.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-The first severe wind gust of 59mph occurred at 2010 CDT, with another 58mph wind gust measured at 2012 CDT and the last 59mph wind gust at 2014 CDT.
May 2021Tornado (EFU)Boys Ranch-The tornado touched down in very rural portions of Oldham county|and remained in open prairie grassland with no structures or|trees hit and no damage reported. The entire life cycle of the|tornado was documented by a local storm spotter.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-This gust was measured at the West Texas Mesonet station 1 mile west-southwest of Boys Ranch.
May 2019HailBoys Ranch-Hail up to the size of quarters (1) reported at Boys Ranch.
May 2019HailBoys Ranch-Late report of quarter size hailstones.
October 2019FloodBoys Ranch-Water was reported to be over the road on FM 1061.
June 2015HailBoys Ranch-Pea to nickel size hail was reported 3 miles south of Boys Ranch.
July 2015HailBoys Ranch-Baseball size hail was reported 7 miles south of Channing.
September 2014HailBoys Ranch-A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Oldham County during the early afternoon hours of the 24th. As this line moved over the town of Boys Ranch (Oldham County), a member of the public reported golf ball size hail (1.75 inches) in town. After producing this hail the line of storms continued moving southwestward across the county.
September 2014HailBoys Ranch-A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Oldham County during the early afternoon hours of the 24th. As this line moved over the town of Boys Ranch (Oldham County), the County Emergency Manager reported golf ball size hail (1.75 inches) in town. After producing this hail the line of storms continued moving southwestward across the county.
September 2014HailBoys Ranch-A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Oldham County during the early afternoon hours of the 24th. As this line moved over the town of Boys Ranch (Oldham County), local broadcast media reported golf ball size hail (1.75 inches) in town. After producing this hail the line of storms continued moving southwestward across the county.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-A line of thunderstorms moved across the southern Texas Panhandle during the late evening hours of the 8th. As the line neared the town of Boys Ranch (Oldham County), the local fire department reported an estimated thunderstorm wind gust of 60 mph which blew several trees down. After producing this gust the line continued to move east across the southern Texas Panhandle.
December 2012Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-As the line of thunderstorms moved across Oldham County from west to east it caused hazardous cross winds on north-south running roads, three tractor trailers on US Highway 385 were overturned. No injuries or fatalities were reported with these vehicle accidents.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-A trained spotter also reported tree limbs down in Boys Ranch...however the trained spotter could not estimate the size of the tree limb while he was driving. No injuries were reported.
August 2008HailBoys Ranch-The hail was reported on U.S. Highway 385 about five miles south of the Canadian River.
April 2007Tornado (EF0)Boys Ranch-This tornado formed four miles west of Boys Ranch at 1751 CST and tracked north northeast. The tornado crossed U.S. Highway 385 at the Oldham and Hartley county line before exiting Oldham county at 1759 CST five miles northwest of Boys Ranch. The tornado continued in Hartley county for about another thirteen miles... before dissipating at 1827 CST. The tornado was rated as EF1 in Hartley county...but was rated as EF0 in Oldham county since it remained over open country. No damage or injuries were reported.
June 2004Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-Trained spotter reported one to two inch diameter limbs breaking off of trees.
September 2003Flash FloodBoys Ranch-Extensive flooding of bar ditches three to four feet deep along Farm to Market Road 1061.
September 1999HailBoys Ranch-Report of hail accumulation six inches deep.
June 2025HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
May 2024HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
May 2024HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
May 2024HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
May 2023HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
July 2023Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-no account filed
July 2022Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-no account filed
May 2021HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
May 2021HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
June 2019Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-no account filed
June 2018HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
June 2018HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
June 2017Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-no account filed
August 2017Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-no account filed
August 2017HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
August 2017Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-no account filed
July 2012Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-no account filed
April 2010HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
August 2009HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
June 2009HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
August 2009HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
July 2009HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
July 2009HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
July 2009HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
July 2009HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
July 2009HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
June 2008Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-no account filed
June 2008HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
April 2006HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
June 2006HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
June 2005HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
July 2005HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
July 2005HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
July 2005HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
April 2004HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
April 2004HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
June 2004HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
June 2004HailBoys Ranch-no account filed
June 2004HailBoys Ranch-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Oldham County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Old Tascosa (historical)0.1 miles6
Tascosa1.4 miles6
Hollicott Crossing6.7 miles6
Murdo7.4 miles6
Old Farm Crossing18.3 miles6
Strip Crossing21.3 miles6
Everett21.5 miles6
Vega21.9 miles6

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on Boys RanchAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q978281The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1352792. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.