BlockBefore

Giddings, Texas

8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1919 and the latest in 1993. It stands in the Giddings census division. It lies in ZIP code area 78942. The Survey maps it on the Giddings quadrangle. 4,969 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 505 feet above sea level.

Giddings within Lee County

On record in Giddings

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 3 records

Population over time

3 figures

Giddings grew from 624 to 4,969 between 1880 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
1880624
20104,881
20204,969+88 (+2%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 8 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

249 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 249 fires within 5 miles of Giddings between 1996 and 2020, burning about 550 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 2 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
Debris and open burning98
Missing data/not specified/undetermined61
Equipment and vehicle use56
Power generation/transmission/distribution18
Railroad operations and maintenance4
Misuse of fire by a minor4
Recreation and ceremony4
Arson/incendiarism2
Smoking1
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
9 September 2019Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceHWY 290 W. # 2
9 September 2017Debris and open burning2.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceMIKE
9 September 2012Power generation/transmission/distributionunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceTOWER
9 September 2011Arson/incendiarismunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceMILLER
8 September 2011Power generation/transmission/distributionunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceSCHADE
7 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceHWY 77 S 2
7 September 2015Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceSCHNEIDER WELDING
7 September 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Lee County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Giddings: 1 unknown. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Bentonite. 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
MitschkeBentoniteUnknown

Every working recorded in Lee County

Storms near this place

45 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Giddings in 45 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 22 hail, 14 thunderstorm wind, 6 flash flood, 3 tornado. The reports record 1 injury. 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 2015Tornado (EF0)Giddings1 hurt, $10,000A high end EF-0 tornado touched down damaging a Ramada Hotel on Highway 290 east of the city of Giddings. Most of the damage consisted of uprooted trees rooted in wet soils while other damage included a destroyed outbuilding, whose debris were lofted into the Ramada Hotel causing window and roof damage to the hotel.
March 2000HailGiddings$500,000The extremely large hail damaged hundreds of cars windows and bodies and dented and damaged the roofs of dozens of homes. Many consider this to be the most devastating hail storm in the city of Giddings in over 50 years.
March 2005Thunderstorm WindGiddings$200,000Severe thunderstorm winds destroyed severely damaged a large barn northeast of Giddings along FM141. The winds destroyed the roof of the barn.
March 2000HailGiddings$100,000Large, very dense hail, propelled by winds estimated at 30 to 40 mph caused widespread damage to vehicles from northeast of Giddings to near Dime Box.
September 2000Thunderstorm WindGiddings$90,000Severe thunderstorm winds blew the roofs off several businesses in Giddings.
January 1998Tornado (F1)Giddings$80,000The tornado developed just south of Giddings, moving toward the northeast as it destroyed a barn and a mobile home. The tornado crossed SH 290 and damaged a nursery along with several small sheds before dissipating.
December 1997Thunderstorm WindGiddings$80,000no account filed
September 1997Thunderstorm WindGiddings$80,000no account filed
December 2002Thunderstorm WindGiddings$50,000Trees were knocked down and damage was reported to outbuildings between Giddings and Lexington as a result of severe thunderstorm winds.
January 1998Tornado (F1)Giddings$50,000A second tornado was spotted just northeast of Giddings by a Deputy Sheriff. It also moved briefly northeastward, destroying a barn and fence.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindGiddings$50,000Severe thunderstorm blew over a metal barn near Loebau. The storm then headed northeastward and destroyed the roof of a farm house.
March 1993HailGiddings$50,000Up to dime-size hail was reported in Giddings by a TV-36 Stormtracker. Two auto dealerships in Giddings reported significant damage to their stock. Several cars in town had windshields broken out and several homes had roof damage.
December 2002Thunderstorm WindGiddings$20,000High winds blew down trees in the Giddings area.
July 1998Thunderstorm WindGiddings$20,000Severe thunderstorm winds struck the Northrup area near Giddings, knocking down trees and taking the roofs off mobile homes and small sheds.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindGiddings$10,000A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 70 mph that snapped large Oak trees on the south side of Giddings.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindGiddings$10,000A farmer in Ledbetter reported damage to his barn along with trees blown down.
June 2003Thunderstorm WindGiddings$10,000The Lee County Sheriff's Department reported that severe thunderstorm winds blew down trees in the Giddings area.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindGiddings$2,000A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 60 mph. A dead tree was knocked down and the winds lifted a trampoline onto the roof of a house. The trampoline had been staked to the ground with two feet of rebar.
May 2024HailGiddings-A thunderstorm produced hail up to two inches in diameter in Giddings.
April 2023HailGiddings-A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Giddings.
May 2020HailGiddings-A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail just west of Giddings.
March 2018HailGiddings-A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail in Giddings.
May 2017HailGiddings-A thunderstorm produced half dollar size hail in Giddings.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindGiddings-A thunderstorm produced wind gusts measured at 75 mph in Giddings. The gusty winds were accompanied with quarter size hail.
May 2017HailGiddings-A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Giddings. The hail was accompanied by winds gusts estimated at 75 mph.
May 2016Flash FloodGiddings-Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that caused flash flooding closing numerous roads across the county. The CO-OP observer in Giddings reported 5.95 inches of rain since 3:30 PM.
January 2013HailGiddings-Hail size estimated at one inch.
April 2009HailGiddings-The Lee County Sheriff reported hail up to quarter size near the town of Northrup.
April 2009Flash FloodGiddings-FM2440 was closed due to water covering the road northwest of Giddings.
May 2007Flash FloodGiddings-Scattered showers and thunderstorms produced general 1 to 3 inch rain amounts with up to 6 inches near Northrup. Flash flooding closed many rural roads, including FM141 and FM448.
June 2007Flash FloodGiddings-Thunderstorms produced a general 1 to 2 inch rain over southern Lee County. Highest totals were 4 inches just east of Giddings. FM141 and FM180 were closed due to flash flooding.
October 2006Flash FloodGiddings-The thunderstorms dropped between 3 and 4 inches over Lee County, with totals of up to 8 inches near Mainheim as well as just west of Giddings. Many rural roads in northern Lee County were closed. Nearly all roads were reported to have been closed around Blue in northwest Lee County.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindGiddings-The thunderstorms that formed along the northern Texas Hill Country in the late afternoon moved into Lee County by late evening. The storms blew down trees and power lines between Giddings and Lexington.
August 2005Flash FloodGiddings-Evening thunderstorms over southern Lee County produced general 1 inch totals with highest amounts between 2 and 3 inches in the Giddings area. Flash flooding blocked roads in and around Giddings during the late night hours. Water briefly flooded several homes in Giddings.
May 2000HailGiddings-The combination of strong thunderstorm winds estimated at 40 to 50 mph and hail up to an inch in diameter destroyed crops just east of Giddings.
April 2019HailGiddings-no account filed
May 2017HailGiddings-no account filed
April 2014HailGiddings-no account filed
April 2014HailGiddings-no account filed
April 2014HailGiddings-no account filed
May 2011HailGiddings-no account filed
January 1999HailGiddings-no account filed
January 1998HailGiddings-no account filed
October 1995HailGiddings-no account filed
December 1995HailGiddings-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Lee 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
Serbin5.0 miles8
Northrup6.0 miles8
Manheim6.0 miles16
Hills6.1 miles16
Lincoln7.4 miles9
Loebau7.4 miles9
Sweet Home8.0 miles10
Fedor11.1 miles15

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 GiddingsAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q732349The 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 1336515. 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.