Living in Country around Merkel, TX
Country around Merkel is a rural area of about 5,047 people in Taylor County, Texas, named for the post office its ZIP code uses. It's about 17 miles from Abilene, TX and 191 miles from Dallas, TX, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 96°F and winter highs 58°F, with about 2 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $136k and rent runs about $1k a month.
5,047people
$136kTypical home
$1,198/moRent
96° / 58°Summer / winter
2"Snow
295Sunny days
52Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Rural — about 5,047 people spread over the area
- Part of a metro area
- About 17 people per sq mi
- 191 mi to Dallas, TX
- 17 mi to Abilene, TX
- 17 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $136k (≈$860/mo)
- Median rent $1,198/mo
- Median household income $71k
- Property tax about 1.0% of value
- 1.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 96°F
- Winter highs around 58°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
- 295 sunny days a year (160 totally clear)
- 70 cloudy days a year
- 23 of 90 winter days are gray
- 52 days a year with rain or snow
- 2" of snow a year
- Snow days are rare
- 18 days a year over 100°F
- 2 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- About average violent crime (398 per 100k), county-wide
- About average property crime (1,503 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 33
- 41% of households have kids
- 17% are 65 or older
- 16% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 27 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 20 mi to ABI airport
- 176 mi to DFW (major hub)
- 154 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 67% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1980
- 91% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 1,867 ft
- 327 mi to the ocean
- 201 mi to a big lake
- 18 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 18 mi to the nearest campground
- 11 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 112 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 18 bars within 25 mi
- 40 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 13 museums within 25 mi
- 2 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 17 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 36% of Texas districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 20 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 107 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- Vet in town
- 12 mi to the nearest dog park
- 9 congregations per 10k people
- 16 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Taylor County: R+50 in 2024
- Texas: R+14 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Moderate wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Moderate drought risk
- Low winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk