Johnson County is a county located in the U.S. state of
Texas. In 2007, its population was 149,797. Its county seat is
Cleburne, and the county is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth
Metroplex. Johnson County is named for Middleton Johnson, a Texas
Ranger, soldier, and politician.
Johnson County is located in north central Texas on the
southwestern edge of the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Cleburne,
the county seat, is fifty-five miles southwest of downtown Dallas
and twenty-nine miles south of downtown Fort Worth. The center of
the county is at approximately 97°23' west longitude and 32°24'
north latitude. Johnson County comprises 740 square miles with
three geographical areas. The western half is a part of the Grand
Prairie, where the predominant soil type is alkaline loam over
limestone. About one-third of the county is in the Eastern Cross
Timbers, with acid soils that are both loamy with clay subsoil and
sandy with loamy subsoils. The rest of the area to the east is
Blackland Prairie, with deep clayey, alkaline soils. The Grand
Prairie area supports grasses with cedar and mesquite and is
inhabited by white-tailed deer, coyotes, rabbits, and squirrels.
The Eastern Cross Timbers is a post oak savannah with some acreage
of improved Bermuda grass and kleingrass. Cash crops of cotton,
grain sorghum, and small grains are grown in the Blackland areas.
In addition, pastures of kleingrass and Bermuda grass have been
established. The primary natural resources in the county are sand
and gravel. The topography is level to gently sloping in the east
and changes gradually to steep in some western parts of the county.
Elevation ranges between 600 feet and 1,000 feet above sea level.
The primary water sources are the Brazos and Nolan rivers. The
Brazos flows along the southwestern border of Johnson County, and
the Nolan runs north to south through the center of the county to
join the Brazos. Secondary streams include Chambers, Buffalo,
Mountain, Village, Mustang, Valley, and Walnut creeks. The upper
portion of Lake Whitney, on the Brazos, and Lake Pat Cleburne, on
the Nolan, are the principal reservoirs. The average annual
precipitation is thirty-three inches, and temperature averages
range between a winter low of 35° F and a summer high of 96°. The
growing season averages 233 days.
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