Richland Springs, Texas
Town in the United States in San Saba County
About Richland Springs
Richland Springs is a town located in San Saba County, Texas, United States. Its population was 244 in 2020.
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How Richland Springs is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Richland Springs
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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Population over time
From 333 in 2000 to 244 in 2020 (−26.7%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 244 |
| 2010 | 338 |
| 2000 | 333 |
History
Richland Springs developed in the 19th century as a supply and processing center for local cotton growers and cattlemen. Jackson J. Brown and his family settled near the springs on Richland Springs Creek (then known as Richland Creek) in December 1854 and were soon followed by the Tankersley and Duncan families. A private fort, Fort Duncan, was established near the springs in the late 1850s when trouble arose with Indians on the frontier, but it apparently fell into disuse shortly thereafter. The Brown School was constructed in 1868 and named for the neighborhood's original settler. The area attracted settlers through the 1870s, and in 1877, a Richland Springs post office opened in the store of Samuel E. Hays.
The community took its name from the nearby springs and from local enthusiasm for the agricultural promise of the region. By 1890, local production of cotton, grains, and livestock supported a settlement of 150 residents, including a justice of the peace precinct, a constabulary, and several commercial and craft businesses. A local newspaper, the Eye-Witness, began publication in 1905. Not long after, the First State Bank was organized, and in 1911, completion of a trunk line for the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway linked the town with the main line between Galveston and Amarillo.
Richland Springs incorporated in 1932 and adopted a mayor-council form of city government. With a population nearing 500 and as many as 40 businesses, the town prospered until the onset of the Great Depression. World War II reversed the decline of the 1930s, and by the early 1950s, residents numbered 600. The number of businesses still had not returned to predepression levels when a three-year drought in the mid-1950s crippled the local economy again. The town's only bank failed, and within a decade, its residential and business populations had fallen by nearly half. An uneven recovery from the nadir of the 1960s was based on the production of local fruit and nut growers. In 1982, the town reported 420 residents and five businesses; by 1986, the number of businesses had risen to eight. In 1990, the town's population was 344, rising to 350 in 2000.
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