Azle, Texas, Tarrant & Parker County. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Settled in 1846 with the arrival of Dr. James Azle Steward, the town got a jump start when Ash, Silver and Walnut Creeks were occupied by new arrivals. A post office opened in 1881 under the name O'Bar. Dr. Steward donated land for the townsite in exchange for naming rights. The town had an economy based on what it could raise - and evidently it could raise a lot. Corn, cotton, wheat, sorghum, watermelons, peanuts and fruit crops were grown.

Another contributing industry was dairy farming. By 1920 there were 150 people living in Azle. Growth took off in 1933 when Highway 199 was opened (then Highway 34). The 1940 population was 800 which grew to nearly 6,000 by 1980. The farmland has since given way to housing and the population is over 10,000.

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