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.
Population over time
3 figuresPotosi 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,664 | |
| 2010 | 2,991 | +1,327 (+80%) |
| 2020 | 3,947 | +956 (+32%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 14 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.
- 1890 USGS Abilene quadrangle1:125000
- 1892 USGS Abilene quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1954 USGS Abilene quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Kirby Lake quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Abilene quadrangle1:250000
- 1984 USGS Potosi quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Abilene quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
145 since 2003Regional 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/undetermined | 51 |
| Debris and open burning | 37 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 29 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 16 |
| Natural | 5 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 3 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2017 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | CONTROL BURN |
| 9 September 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | COLONY HILL |
| 7 September 2020 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 10 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | GRASS FIRE |
| 7 September 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 10 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | GRASS FIRE |
| 5 September 2019 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | MAPLE ST & COLONY HILL RD |
| 4 September 2008 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 30 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | GRASS FIRE |
| 16 September 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | FM18 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lytle Cove-1 | Copper | Occurrence | 1887 |
Storms near this place
35 since 1993Regional 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2007 | Flash Flood | Potosi | $10,000,000 | Flooding was reported along Cedar Creek. Water entered homes along FM1750. Water entered approximately 10 homes and washed out several roads. |
| April 1993 | Tornado (F1) | Potosi | $500,000 | A 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 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Potosi | $150,000 | This tornado started near the Potosi community and moved to the northeast before crossing into western Callahan County. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Potosi | $12,000 | Large hail caused damage to vehicles and homes near Potosi. |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potosi | $10,000 | A barn roof was blown off. |
| March 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potosi | $3,000 | Strong thunderstorm winds ripped part of a roof off of a barn. |
| March 2026 | Tornado (EFU) | Potosi | - | A storm chaser reported a brief tornado touchdown near Potosi. |
| March 2026 | Hail | Potosi | - | Public reported half dollar sized hail via social media over Potosi. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potosi | - | Photos from the public of a metal roof on a home peeled up and displaced. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potosi | - | 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 2024 | Hail | Potosi | - | Public reported quarter size hail. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Potosi | - | Public reported quarter size hail. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Potosi | - | Amateur radio operator reported ping pong ball size hail. |
| May 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potosi | - | A trained spotter reported that damaging thunderstorm winds knocked down trees 1.5 miles west-northwest of Potosi. |
| March 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potosi | - | A trained spotter estimated a wind gust to 60 mph. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Potosi | - | A trained spotter and a COCORAHS observer measured hail at 1.75 inches about 3 miles northwest of Potosi. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potosi | - | Power poles were blown down by the strong thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potosi | - | Partial roof damage to a residence was reported near Potosi. |
| April 2011 | Tornado (EF0) | Potosi | - | A trained spotter reported this tornado briefly touched down. |
| August 2007 | Heavy Rain | Potosi | - | Rainfall amount of 4.5 inches have fallen since 8 A.M. |
| August 2007 | Flash Flood | Potosi | - | The Potosi Fire Department reported parts of Highway 36 were closed as well as portions of Farm Road 1750. |
| April 2002 | Hail | Potosi | - | Golf ball size hail fell on the Taylor Callahan County line near Dudley. |
| April 2023 | Hail | Potosi | - | no account filed |
| May 2015 | Hail | Potosi | - | no account filed |
| April 2015 | Hail | Potosi | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Potosi | - | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Potosi | - | no account filed |
| April 2013 | Hail | Potosi | - | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Hail | Potosi | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Potosi | - | no account filed |
| October 2001 | Hail | Potosi | - | no account filed |
| September 2000 | Hail | Potosi | - | no account filed |
| December 1999 | Hail | Potosi | - | no account filed |
| May 1994 | Hail | Potosi | - | no account filed |
| October 1994 | Hail | Potosi | - | 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.
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 Potosi | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q973633 | 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 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.






