Freer, Texas
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1956 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Freer census division. It lies in ZIP code area 78357. The Survey maps it on the Freer North quadrangle. 2,461 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 518 feet above sea level.
Research this city
Population over time
2 figuresFreer fell from 2,818 to 2,461 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 | 2,818 | |
| 2020 | 2,461 | -357 (-13%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 7 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.
- 1956 USGS Freer quadrangle1:62500
- 1956 USGS Laredo quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1971 USGS Freer North quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Alice quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
9 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 9 fires within 5 miles of Freer between 2006 and 2008, burning about 94 acres in total. None 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/undetermined | 4 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Debris and open burning | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 April 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 10 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 16 March 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 23 February 2008 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 15 February 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 6 January 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 5 January 2008 | Debris and open burning | 50 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 19 January 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 15 January 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
49 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Freer in 49 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 25 hail, 17 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood, 1 lightning. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2013 | Hail | Freer | $1,000,000 | NWS storm survey combined with Freer Fire Chief reports indicated that golf ball to baseball sized hail fell in the northeast portions of the city of Freer. The hail caused dents in vehicles including a new and used car lot. The baseball sized hail broke out windows in north facing buildings. Hail broke windshields out of the fire truck. |
| April 2010 | Lightning | Freer | $50,000 | Lightning struck an oil storage facility, causing an explosion and fire, along highway 16 just south of Freer. |
| April 2007 | Hail | Freer | $50,000 | Quarter size hail began around 515 PM LST. Golfball to tennis ball size hail was reported around 545 PM LST. Hail ended around or shortly after 600 PM LST CDT as supercell moved southwest of the city. Hail caused damage to some vehicles.|| |
| February 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | $25,000 | NWS storm survey concluded winds up to 60 mph swept through the city of Freer. The survey team observed damage to a couple of structures with their roof blown off. Several large trees were blown down. One house under construction with just the wood frame collapsed. Several tin sheds were damaged along with a few fences blown down. |
| October 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | $10,000 | Freer Police Department reported trees and power poles were blown down in the city. |
| February 2013 | Hail | Freer | $10,000 | The public reported quarter to golf ball sized hail just north of the city of Freer. The hail depth on the ground was 3 inches. |
| April 1994 | Hail | Freer | $5,000 | The Freer Police reported 0.75-inch hail at Freer. |
| August 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 1994 | Hail | Freer | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | $1,000 | Law enforcement officials reported two power lines down around Parklane Street and Stinson Drive in Freer. |
| October 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | $1,000 | NWS storm survey observed roughly half a dozen power poles broken in half along FM 3196 just north of Highway 44. The power poles were lying towards the southeast suggesting straight line winds. Winds were estimated between 70 and 80 mph. |
| March 2026 | Hail | Freer | - | Measured quarter size hail near the intersection of Hahl Street and TX-16 with reports of power outages in the area. |
| April 2024 | Hail | Freer | - | Social media video of hail with videographer, estimating quarter size hail near Freer high school. Time estimated by radar. |
| March 2022 | Hail | Freer | - | Emergency Manager relayed report of half dollar sized hail near Freer. |
| May 2017 | Hail | Freer | - | Storm chaser reported half dollar sized hail on Highway 44 northwest of Freer. |
| May 2017 | Hail | Freer | - | Storm chaser reported quarter sized hail near Freer. |
| May 2017 | Hail | Freer | - | Public reported quarter sized hail in Freer through social media. |
| May 2015 | Flash Flood | Freer | - | Water flowed over Highway 16 just south of Freer. Highway 44 east of Freer was flooded. |
| October 2013 | Flash Flood | Freer | - | U. S. Highway 59 and Texas Highway 44 west of Freer closed due to flooding. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Freer | - | Quarter sized hail occurred near Highway 59 southwest of Freer. |
| March 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | - | The Freer Police Department reported winds estimated up to 60 mph east of Freer. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | - | Large tree limbs snapped throughout the city of Freer. |
| July 2010 | Funnel Cloud | Freer | - | Several funnel clouds reported halfway to ground, just west of Freer. |
| July 2007 | Flash Flood | Freer | - | Between 5 and 7 inches of rain fell in northwest Duval County. Highway 44 west and northwest of Freer was closed due to flooding in several spots.| |
| June 2006 | Flash Flood | Freer | - | Doppler radar estimated 3 to 4 inches of rainfall fell over a very short period of time in Freer. A few roadways in and around Freer were flooded. |
| September 2006 | Flash Flood | Freer | - | Law enforcement reported the intersection of Highway 44 and F.M. 3196 barricaded due to high water over the road. Doppler radar estimated between 3 and 4 inches fo rain fell across this area. |
| October 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | - | Telephone poles reported blown down along Highway 16, north of Freer. Winds were estimated between 60 and 80 mph. |
| October 2005 | Hail | Freer | - | Quarter size hail observed to be 4 inches deep in some spots along Highway 44. |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | - | A supercell moved across the town of Freer resulting in damage on west and south side of town. Freer Police reported large tree limbs down, roof damage to an older home, a patio cover blown off a home, and downed telephone poles, including a new pole snapped in half. In addition, rain guages recorded close to 4.5 inches of rain. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | - | Roof damage reported by high winds at Bill's Department Store in Freer. |
| October 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | - | Wind Damage...numerous trees and powerlines blown down. |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | - | Damaging thunderstorm wind gusts destroyed 2 trailers. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | - | NWS spotter report of strong thunderstorm wind gust. |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | - | Several large trees and numerous power lines downed. |
| March 2007 | Hail | Freer | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Freer | - | no account filed |
| October 2005 | Hail | Freer | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Freer | - | no account filed |
| November 2004 | Hail | Freer | - | no account filed |
| December 2002 | Hail | Freer | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Freer | - | no account filed |
| November 2001 | Hail | Freer | - | no account filed |
| March 1999 | Hail | Freer | - | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | - | no account filed |
| March 1998 | Hail | Freer | - | no account filed |
| February 1998 | Hail | Freer | - | no account filed |
| April 1997 | Hail | Freer | - | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freer | - | no account filed |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| School Heights Addition Number 2 Colonia | 0.3 miles | 7 | |
| East Pearson Street Colonia | 0.6 miles | 7 | |
| George W Ward Addition Colonia | 0.7 miles | 8 | |
| Coronado Perez Addition Colonia | 0.8 miles | 7 | |
| George W Ward Addition Number 2 Colonia | 0.8 miles | 8 | |
| Williamson Addition Colonia | 0.9 miles | 8 | |
| Magnolia Road Colonia | 1.1 miles | 7 | |
| Highway 16 South Colonia | 1.6 miles | 8 |
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 Freer | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q969875 | 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 1336186. 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.
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.



