Map of Megargel town, Texas

Megargel (/ˈmiːɡɑːrɡəl/ MEE-gar-gəl) is a town in Archer County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Wichita Falls, Texas metropolitan statistical area. Its population was 203 at the 2010 census. The town is named for Roy C. Megargel, the president of the railroad that developed the town.

Megargel town overview:
Name:	Megargel town
LSAD Code:	43
LSAD Description:	town (suffix)
State:	Texas
County:	Archer County
Elevation:	1,283 ft (391 m)
Total Area:	0.62 sq mi (1.60 km²)
Land Area:	0.61 sq mi (1.58 km²)
Water Area:	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km²)
Total Population:	203
Population Density:	308.20/sq mi (118.93/km²)
ZIP code:	76370
Area code:	940
FIPS code:	4847460
GNISfeature ID:	1362579

Online Interactive Map

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Megargel online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Megargel location map. Where is Megargel town?

Megargel location on the U.S. Map. Where is Megargel town. — Megargel location on the U.S. Map.

Megargel location on the Texas map. Where is Megargel town. — Location of Megargel in Texas.

History

Megargel was established as a result of the Gulf, Texas and Western Railroad extending services to Jacksboro and Seymour. The town was established in 1910. The community developed multiple businesses within three months because the purchasers of land who established businesses 60 days after acquiring their lots received discounts as an incentive to do so.

The town had 350 residents in 1914. By 1923, the population had increased to 475. Around that time, H. Sheets drilled a new oil well in the Swastika oilfield, causing a population increase. Oil was discovered 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Megargel in 1925, and the town expanded even more. One year later, the town had 1,000 residents, and in 1927, it increased by 200 more people. About 1,200 people lived in Megargel in 1927, but the population began a decline after that point. The railroad stopped operations in 1943. The number of residents was 347 by 1950, 244 in 1990, 248 in 2000, and 203 in 2010.

In 2014, 130 water meters out of the 200 in Megargel were active, and many houses were unoccupied. That year, Bill Hanna of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram stated that downtown Megargel was “virtually empty, littered with crumbling and abandoned buildings and outdated gas stations.” Hanna stated that some Megargel residents believed that the demise of the Megargel Independent School District was a factor in recent population declines.