Brownwood, Texas
20 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1889 and the latest in 1996. It stands in the Brownwood census division. It lies in ZIP code area 76801. It lies near Round Mountain. The Survey maps it on the Brownwood quadrangle. 18,862 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,365 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Brownwood
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 7 records
Brown County Jaillisted 1983
Greenleaf Fisk Houselisted 2004
R.F. Hardin High Schoollisted 1999
Santa Fe Railroad Stationlisted 1976
St. John's Episcopal Churchlisted 1979
Walker, J. A., House and Rogers, R. B., Houselisted 1982- Weakley-Watson Buildinglisted 2020
Surveyed buildings and structures 1 record
- Continental Grain Company, 307 South Washington Street, Brownwoodfederal building survey, 11 photographs
Population over time
2 figuresBrownwood fell from 19,288 to 18,862 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 19,288 | |
| 2020 | 18,862 | -426 (-2%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 20 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1889 USGS Brownwood quadrangle1:125000
- 1894 USGS Brownwood quadrangle1:125000, 6 printings
- 1925 USGS Brownwood 3-b quadrangle1:48000
- 1928 USGS Zephyr quadrangle1:62500
- 1950 USGS Zephyr quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1954 USGS Brownwood quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1980 USGS Brownwood quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1985 USGS Comanche quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1996 USGS Brownwood quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
Photographs
8 of 38 photographs shown, 1939Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.
Lee, Russell, 1939. Library of Congress
Lee, Russell, 1939. Library of Congress
Lee, Russell, 1939. Library of Congress
Lee, Russell, 1939. Library of Congress
Lee, Russell, 1939. Library of Congress
Lee, Russell, 1939. Library of Congress
Lee, Russell, 1939. Library of Congress
Lee, Russell, 1939. Library of Congress
Every photograph of Brown County
Fires near this place
137 since 2005Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 137 fires within 5 miles of Brownwood between 2005 and 2020, burning about 1,519 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 7 were 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/undetermined | 61 |
| Debris and open burning | 30 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 21 |
| Smoking | 7 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 7 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 6 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | CR 134 / CR 135 |
| 5 September 2012 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | GRASS FIRE |
| 3 September 2011 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | HUDSON |
| 25 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | GRASS FIRE279 |
| 25 September 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | HWY 279 (7415) |
| 25 September 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 4.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | ALDERSGATE ENRICHMENT CENTER |
| 14 September 2017 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 5.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | US 377 5005 |
| 10 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 4851 CR234 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
3 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Brownwood: 3 producers. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Limestone, General, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownwood Pit Plant Texas Brick Co | Clay | Producer | ||
| Brownwood Quarry | Limestone, General | Producer | Sedimentary | |
| White's Mines Brownwood Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 160 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Brownwood in 160 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 61 hail, 60 thunderstorm wind, 34 flash flood, 2 tornado. The reports record 2 deaths and 4 injuries. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1997 | Flash Flood | Brownwood | 1 killed, $250,000 | Streams and creeks rose rapidly and overflowed in heavy rains. A motorist drowned when he attemped to cross a rapidly overflowing low water crossing on County Road 411 near Hogg Creek. His suburban was washed off the road by swift water. The passenger escaped and was rescued unharmed. The attempted crossing occurred around 2340 CST the night of the 22nd.Lake Brownwood rose nearly three feet above its spillway. At least 90 residents near the lake were stranded due to four-foot high waters at a low water crossing. In and around the city of Brownwood, streets and roads were closed due to the flooding. |
| February 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | 1 killed, $10,000 | One man was fatally injured when an apparent downburst flipped his mobile home. |
| April 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | 2 hurt, $50,000 | Two people were injured when a travel-trailer was blown over by thunderstorms winds at the Lake Brownwood State Park. Numerous trees were also blown over. Total damage across Brown county was over $1 million. |
| October 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | 2 hurt | Two old rotten trees fell onto a vehicle that had two passengers. Both passengers who were in the vehicle were injured. |
| June 2000 | Flash Flood | Brownwood | $7,500,000 | Rainfall of up to 10 inches inundated the city of Brownwood during the early morning hours of the 15th. All of the creeks and streams in the city overflowed, with the water flowing into several housing areas. At least 125 people were forced to evacuate their homes, with the Brownwood EMC estimating that 160 homes and businesses suffered some degree of water damage. |
| April 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $500,000 | Considerable amount of wind damage to homes and businesses was reported in Brownwood. |
| October 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $500,000 | A strong downburst with F1 wind damage had a path three miles long and quarter mile wide through Brownwood. The worst damage included a roof blown off two rooms at the Holiday Inn, a cinder block wall blown down, a freight trailer blown over, and a roofing company was "unroofed". |
| December 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Brownwood | $500,000 | no account filed |
| May 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $250,000 | The town of Brownwood experienced widespread wind damage across the central part of town. The Walmart, Krogers, Dollar General Store and a few other businesses experienced roof damage. The roofs were peeled off in a northeast to southwest direction. Some large oak trees were also blown over. This is consistent with straight line winds of 80 to 85 mph. |
| May 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $150,000 | Downburst winds occurred over an area from Lake Brownwood State Park to the towns of Early and north Brownwood. A wind gust to 67 mph was recorded at the Brownwood airport. Most of the damage was concentrated in Early and northeast Brownwood. Numerous trees were blown down and many fell on power lines. A warehouse was blown from its foundation near Lake Brownwood State Park. |
| January 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $150,000 | A radio tower was toppled by high winds along with several billboards. A Wal-Mart sustained major damage. |
| October 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $100,000 | Strong winds and heavy rains caused major damage in some parts of Brownwood. Three trees and a power line were blown down, and an empty metal warehouse was overturned. |
| May 1997 | Hail | Brownwood | $50,000 | Hail up to golfball-size fell over most of the city of Brownwood. |
| June 1997 | Flash Flood | Brownwood | $50,000 | Heavy rains caused some flooding of country roads. One carry-all was washed of the road and submerged in the floodwaters. The passengers escaped uninjured. |
| May 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $50,000 | A mobile home was destroyed by thunderstorm winds. |
| April 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged hangars at the Brownwood Airport. |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Brownwood | $35,000 | Very heavy rains produced flash flooding throughout Brownwood. Severe street flooding occurred and rescues of people from homes was also reported. |
| June 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $30,000 | Numerous trees and power lines were blown down by high winds. A tree was blown onto a car causing extensive damage, and at least one business lost its roof. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $25,000 | An apparent microburst tore through a small part of Brownwood. Several buildings suffered extensive roof and tree damage, including a grocery store that lost all of its large glass windows. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $25,000 | Large tree branches were blown down in Brownwood. |
| September 1996 | Flash Flood | Brownwood | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $20,000 | Numerous power lines and trees were downed when 80 MPH winds roared through the city of Brownwood. |
| March 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $15,000 | Trees downed and buildings damaged. |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $12,000 | Several power lines and trees were downed in the city of Brownwood due to strong thunderstorm winds. |
| March 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $10,000 | A roof to an agricultural barn was damaged on the southwest side of Brownwood. And a chain link fence was blown down at Gordon Wood Stadium. |
| April 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $10,000 | Power lines were blown down. A mobile home was damaged and a large old outdoor movie screen was destroyed. |
| June 2007 | Flash Flood | Brownwood | $10,000 | Significant street flooding occurred in Brownwood with cars stalled in the high water. Other roads in the county around Brownwood were closed due to flooding including Farm to Market Road 2525 and County Roads 257 and 234. |
| September 2003 | Flash Flood | Brownwood | $10,000 | Rainfall of up to 5 inches fell on the city of Brownwood causing significant flooding of streets. Some homes also had some minor flooding for a short time. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $10,000 | Trees and powerlines downed all over Brownwood. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $10,000 | Several trees and power lines were downed in Brownwood due to strong thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $10,000 | Two roofs were blown off and several trees blown over. A tractor trailer was also overturned. |
| October 1997 | Hail | Brownwood | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Brownwood | $9,000 | Golfball size hail was reported with minor damage to vehicles and roofs. |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $7,000 | The press box at the Brownwood High School football field suffered damage when high winds from a thunderstorm tore through the city. Trees and power poles were also snapped by the winds. |
| October 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $6,000 | no account filed |
| March 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $5,000 | High winds damaged a lumber yard and blew trees down. |
| June 2004 | Hail | Brownwood | $5,000 | Damage to car windows reported as a result of golf ball size hail. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $5,000 | Several power poles were downed and outbuildings damaged as high winds roared through the city of Brownwood. |
| October 2000 | Flash Flood | Brownwood | $5,000 | Heavy rainfall of 3 to 5 inches caused significant flooding in Brownwood. One apartment complex had a small amount of water enter the ground floor residences, while many city streets were impassable. |
| July 1998 | Flash Flood | Brownwood | $5,000 | Vehicles stranded in high water...with floodwaters also entering a few homes |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $5,000 | Powerpoles blown down |
| November 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $5,000 | Tree limbs and power lines were blown down by high winds. |
| May 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $5,000 | Power line poles were blown down by thunderstorm winds. |
| May 1994 | Tornado (F0) | Brownwood | $5,000 | Many trees, signs, and power line poles were blown down by a tornado. |
| October 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $5,000 | Wind damage was reported to railroad crossing guardrails. |
| October 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $5,000 | This thunderstorm developed over eastern Colemean county and moved east, becoming severe over Brown county. Car windshields were knocked out at four miles SE of Bangs. Large tree limbs were reported downed in Brownwood. Extensive roof damage was reported in May from large hail. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $4,000 | A mobile home was overturned and damged. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $4,000 | Powerlines blown down |
| March 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $3,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down by high winds. |
| February 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $2,000 | Several homes in Brownwood suffered roof damage when high winds blew through the town. Large tree limbs and power lines were also knocked down. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $2,000 | Six trees uprooted |
| March 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $2,000 | A roof was blown off a trailer. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | $1,000 | Telephone pole blown over |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | - | Public reported strong winds blew down a full size hackberry tree. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownwood | - | An emergency manager reported there were numerous large trees blown down across Brownwood. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Brownwood | - | Public reported half dollar size hail. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Brownwood | - | Public reported quarter size hail. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Brownwood | - | Public reported quarter size hail. |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluff View | 1.2 miles | 14 | |
| Woodland Heights | 2.6 miles | 20 | |
| Early | 3.3 miles | 20 | |
| Ricker (historical) | 3.8 miles | 20 | |
| Dalzell | 6.0 miles | 14 | |
| Bangs | 7.5 miles | 14 | |
| Tenmile Crossing | 7.6 miles | 20 | |
| Delaware Junction | 8.4 miles | 14 |
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 Brownwood | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q981222 | The 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 1372753. 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.








