BlockBefore

Potosi, Texas

14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1890 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Abilene census division. It lies in ZIP code area 79602. It stands on Spring Creek. The Survey maps it on the Potosi quadrangle. 3,947 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,821 feet above sea level.

Potosi within Taylor County

Population over time

3 figures

Potosi grew from 1,664 to 3,947 between 2000 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
20001,664
20102,991+1,327 (+80%)
20203,947+956 (+32%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 14 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

145 since 2003

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 145 fires within 5 miles of Potosi between 2003 and 2020, burning about 2,048 acres in total. 5 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined51
Debris and open burning37
Equipment and vehicle use29
Power generation/transmission/distribution16
Natural5
Recreation and ceremony3
Arson/incendiarism2
Smoking1
Misuse of fire by a minor1

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 2017Debris and open burning1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceCONTROL BURN
9 September 2014Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceCOLONY HILL
7 September 2020Power generation/transmission/distribution10 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceGRASS FIRE
7 September 2019Equipment and vehicle use10 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceGRASS FIRE
5 September 2019Power generation/transmission/distributionunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceMAPLE ST & COLONY HILL RD
4 September 2008Debris and open burningunder an acreTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
30 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceGRASS FIRE
16 September 2014Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceFM18

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Taylor 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 Potosi: 1 occurrence. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Copper. 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
Lytle Cove-1CopperOccurrence1887

Every working recorded in Taylor County

Storms near this place

35 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Potosi in 35 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 20 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 2 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
August 2007Flash FloodPotosi$10,000,000Flooding was reported along Cedar Creek. Water entered homes along FM1750. Water entered approximately 10 homes and washed out several roads.
April 1993Tornado (F1)Potosi$500,000A gust front tornado moved across eastern Taylor County in the Potosi area and had a damage path approximately 5 miles long and 100-200 yards wide. Extensive damage to homes, businesses, cars, and trees.
March 2004Tornado (F1)Potosi$150,000This tornado started near the Potosi community and moved to the northeast before crossing into western Callahan County.
May 2005HailPotosi$12,000Large hail caused damage to vehicles and homes near Potosi.
August 1997Thunderstorm WindPotosi$10,000A barn roof was blown off.
March 2002Thunderstorm WindPotosi$3,000Strong thunderstorm winds ripped part of a roof off of a barn.
March 2026Tornado (EFU)Potosi-A storm chaser reported a brief tornado touchdown near Potosi.
March 2026HailPotosi-Public reported half dollar sized hail via social media over Potosi.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindPotosi-Photos from the public of a metal roof on a home peeled up and displaced.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindPotosi-A county official reported the following damage at a one family residence: A portion of a gutter peeled off, debris in the yard, a shed blown over upside down, a solar panel installation pulled slightly out of the ground, and large tree branches knocked down. Time estimated based off of radar.
May 2024HailPotosi-Public reported quarter size hail.
June 2023HailPotosi-Public reported quarter size hail.
June 2023HailPotosi-Amateur radio operator reported ping pong ball size hail.
May 2019Thunderstorm WindPotosi-A trained spotter reported that damaging thunderstorm winds knocked down trees 1.5 miles west-northwest of Potosi.
March 2014Thunderstorm WindPotosi-A trained spotter estimated a wind gust to 60 mph.
June 2014HailPotosi-A trained spotter and a COCORAHS observer measured hail at 1.75 inches about 3 miles northwest of Potosi.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindPotosi-Power poles were blown down by the strong thunderstorm winds.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindPotosi-Partial roof damage to a residence was reported near Potosi.
April 2011Tornado (EF0)Potosi-A trained spotter reported this tornado briefly touched down.
August 2007Heavy RainPotosi-Rainfall amount of 4.5 inches have fallen since 8 A.M.
August 2007Flash FloodPotosi-The Potosi Fire Department reported parts of Highway 36 were closed as well as portions of Farm Road 1750.
April 2002HailPotosi-Golf ball size hail fell on the Taylor Callahan County line near Dudley.
April 2023HailPotosi-no account filed
May 2015HailPotosi-no account filed
April 2015HailPotosi-no account filed
June 2014HailPotosi-no account filed
May 2013HailPotosi-no account filed
April 2013HailPotosi-no account filed
May 2008HailPotosi-no account filed
May 2001HailPotosi-no account filed
October 2001HailPotosi-no account filed
September 2000HailPotosi-no account filed
December 1999HailPotosi-no account filed
May 1994HailPotosi-no account filed
October 1994HailPotosi-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Taylor 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
Wylie7.0 miles15
Elmdale7.1 miles17
Abilene9.2 miles17
Buffalo Gap9.8 miles15
Caps10.5 miles15
Rogers10.8 miles13
Tuscola11.1 miles12
View12.1 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 PotosiAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q973633The 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 1344423. 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.