Big Spring, Texas
Big Spring, Texas | |
|---|---|
Aerial view of Big Spring | |
| Nickname: "The Spring City" | |
Location of Big Spring in Howard County, Texas | |
| Coordinates: 32°14′36″N 101°28′31″W / 32.24333°N 101.47528°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Howard |
| Founded | 1882 |
| Incorporated | 1907 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Mayor | Robert Moore |
| • City manager | Todd Darden |
| • Assistant City Manager | Lesa Gamble |
| • Councilmember |
|
| Area | |
• Total | 19.226 sq mi (49.795 km2) |
| • Land | 19.138 sq mi (49.566 km2) |
| • Water | 0.088 sq mi (0.229 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,441 ft (744 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 26,144 |
• Estimate (2023) | 22,373 |
| • Rank | TX: 140th |
| • Density | 1,169/sq mi (451.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC–6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC–5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 79720, 79721 |
| Area code | 432 |
| FIPS code | 48-08236 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1330654 |
| Sales tax | 8.25% |
| Website | mybigspring.com |
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Big Spring is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Texas, United States, at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 87 and Interstate 20. The population was 26,144 at the 2020 census. Big Spring was established as the county seat of Howard County in 1882; it is the largest community in the county.
The city took its name from the single, large spring that issued into a small gorge between the base of Scenic Mountain and a neighboring hill in the southwestern part of the city limits. Although the name is sometimes still mistakenly pluralized, it is officially singular. "To the native or established residents who may wince at the plural in Big Spring, it should be explained that until about 1916, when for some unexplained reason the name dropped the final 's', the official name of the town was indeed Big Springs."