Welcome to Merkel ...
The town of Merkel is located in the Texas Panhandle.
Merkel is located in Taylor County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Merkel, you might consider that their post office opened in 1883.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Merkel has a population of 2,620 people<2> (see below for details).
The community of Merkel is 1,870 feet [570 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Merkel lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
The telephone area code for Merkel: (325)
The ZIP code for Merkel: 79536<4>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Merkel had an population of 2,620 people. This is an increase of 1.16% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 0.64% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Merkel had a population of 2,590 people. This makes Merkel the county's 2nd most populous community.
The population of Merkel represents 0.01% of the total population of Texas (which has 25,145,561 people), making it the state's 501st most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 2,590 people, the population of Merkel decreased 1.78% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 2,637 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Merkel.
Communities near Merkel ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Merkel.
- Abilene
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abilene
- Abilene is located in Taylor County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 124,407 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Abilene <5>
- Tye
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tye have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tye
- Tye is located in Taylor County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,341 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tye <5>
- Hawley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hawley have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley
- Hawley is located in Jones County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 625 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hawley <5>
- Buffalo Gap
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Gap
- Buffalo Gap is located in Taylor County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 582 people
- Trent
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trent
- Trent is located in Taylor County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 348 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trent <5>
- Impact
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east) - Mount Pleasant
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Mount Pleasant is located in Taylor County
- Stith
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stith
- Stith is located in Jones County
- Nolan
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nolan have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nolan
- Nolan is located in Nolan County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nolan <5>
- Anson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anson have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anson
- Anson is located in Jones County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,275 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anson <5>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Merkel. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Merkel.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Merkel. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Merkel.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Merkel. See our Newspapers Page for Merkel.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Merkel ...
Looking for more information about Merkel? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Merkel, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Merkel.
Adding Merkel to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Merkel in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Merkel was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Merkel post office opened in 1883.
We also found Merkel in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Merkel.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Merkel. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Taylor County: www.taylorcountytexas.org/
The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Texas' counties, including Taylor, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Merkel. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Merkel - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a town (such as Merkel). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Merkel or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |