IMPERIAL, TEXAS

Pecos County, West Texas

31°16'19"N 102°41'45"W (31.271968, -102.695799)

FM 1053 and FM 11
4 Miles S of the Pecos River
30 Miles NE of Fort Stockton the county seat
53 Miles SW of Odessa
Population: 278 (2010) 428 (2000) 720 (1990)

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Horsehead Crossing
about 12-1/2 miles ESE of Imperial on the Pecos River
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2007

History in a Pecan Shell

A post office and school opened here in 1910 and the town is said to be named after the Imperial Valley of California. Prior to the post office the community went by the name of Redlands. One Ben E. Bush laid out a townsite in 1911 and a small dam impounded water diverted from the Pecos River.

With an irrigation canal in place, an attempt was made to encourage settlement but the water had a high salt content which effectively killed that idea. The population was a mere 25 people in the mid-1920s which increased tenfold by 1949. By the late 1960s the population had mushroomed to nearly 1,000 residents, but has since declined to 428 - the number given for the 2000 census.

TX - Pecos River Horsehead Crossing sign

Sign to the Horsehead Crossing of the Pecos River
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2007

Imperial Public Library
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, October 2006

Water Tower
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, October 2006
More Texas Water Towers

Post Office
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, October 2006
More Post Offices

Imperial Through Truss Bridge floor beams, Pecos River, West Texas

Pecos River Through Truss Bridge ›
5.7mi almost due east of Imperial

Take a road trip

Imperial, Texas Nearby Towns:
Fort Stockton
Odessa
See Pecos County | West Texas

Pecos River

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