Big Spring, Texas
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. With a population of 27,282 as of the 2010 census, it is the largest city between Midland to the west, Abilene to the east, Lubbock to the north, and San Angelo to the south. Big Spring was established as the county seat of Howard County in 1882; it is the largest community in the county.
Big Spring, Texas | |
|---|---|
The Municipal Auditorium in Big Spring | |
| Nickname: "The Spring City" | |
Big Spring Big Spring | |
| Coordinates: 32°14′36″N 101°28′31″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Howard |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • City Council | Mayor Robert Moore Nick Ornelas Diane Yanez Cody Hughes Gloria McDonald Troy Tompkins Maury Smith |
| • City Manager | Todd Darden |
| Area | |
| • Total | 19.00 sq mi (49.22 km2) |
| • Land | 18.91 sq mi (48.99 km2) |
| • Water | 0.09 sq mi (0.23 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,441 ft (744 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 26,144 |
| • Estimate (2019) | 28,187 |
| • Density | 1,376.0/sq mi (536.6/km2) |
| United States Census Bureau | |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes | 79720-79721 |
| Area code | 432 |
| FIPS code | 48-08236 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1330654 |
| Website | www |
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."