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History · Amargosa

Half of Amargosa’s homes were built after 2008

Most of Amargosa was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2008. Below: maps from 1920 on.

0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Amargosa’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Amargosa are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Amargosa’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Amargosa’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Amargosa, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Amargosa yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Amargosa is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Jim Wells County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Amargosa had a population of 305. Prior to 2010, the community was grouped with nearby Owl Ranch as part of the Owl Ranch-Amargosa census-designated place. The community is named for the Amargosa Creek that runs nearby. The word amargosa means "bitter" in Spanish.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 291 to 305 (+5%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Amargosa on the map, 1920 to 1963

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Amargosa. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Amargosa on the 1920 USGS mapAmargosa on the 1963 USGS map1920San Diego sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Amargosa.

Famous people

Famous people close to Amargosa

Nobody well known was born in Amargosa itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Robert CurlAmerican chemist · b. 1933
James P. AllisonAmerican immunologist and Nobel laureate · b. 1948
Sylvia GarciaAmerican politician · b. 1950
Bill HenryAmerican baseball player · b. 1927
Chase BryantAmerican country singer · b. 1993
G
George Berham ParrAmerican politician and felon · b. 1901
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Amargosa ColoniaAmargosa Number 2 ColoniaSan Petronilla Number 3 Colonia

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Amargosa’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.