Geography
Tuesday, 30 June 2009 11:12 Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 June 2009 15:24
Regional Information: The Cooke County region (FIPS code:48097) had an estimated population of 40,176 in 2008. The region consists of 899 square miles with a population density of 44.69 residents per square mile compared to a statewide density of 91.95. This county ranked 76th in 2000 population compared to all 254 counties in Texas. Cooke County is a member of TWC's Texoma Local Workforce Development region. This area is a rural county. This county also ranked 168th in size by square miles when compared to all counties in Texas. The Cooke County area is assigned to the following district(s): Texas Representative District(s) of 68 and State Senatorial District(s) of 30. The area is in the U.S. Congressional District(s) of: 4. The county seat is Gainesville and the county's major city, town or place is Gainesville. See Texas Online at http://www.state.tx.us/portal/tol/en/gov/11/1 for State and local updates. Cooke County is classified as a rural county by virtue of either its close relationship with a significant central city or lack thereof. Using 2000 Census population data, roughly 86.05 percent of all Texas population could be found in the 76 metropolitan counties defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 2003. In 1993 the county was classified as a rural county. Texas has established a network of 24 Councils of Government (COGs) to assist local governments in planning for common needs and to coordinate regional economic development activity. Cooke County falls within the Texoma Council of Governments region. For additional information and links to the COG regions see www.txregionalcouncil.org/.The Office of the State Climatologist in College Station, under the guidance of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, maintains 10-year intervals of weather compilations. For most recent interval as of January 1, 1993, the rainfall in the region averages 35.8 inches per year compared to the Texas average of 30.1 inches per year. The average growing season in the Cooke County region is 226 days. Texas is so climatically diverse that statewide averages are generally irrelevant as a means of comparison. The average temperature in January gathered by the Office of the State Climatologist ranges from 27 degrees to an average for July of 95 degrees. The Texas Department of Agriculture estimates the freeze dates range from Nov 8 to Mar 27. Current and past climate information can be found at http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/uszone5.html and http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html.
Natural amenities of the area, according to the U.S. Department of Interior, reflect an overall percent of surface water of 2.8 percent compared to 2.5 percent statewide. The land surface form topography for the region is described as tablelands with moderate relief. Considerably more detailed information can be found at: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/texaswater/sb1/ and http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/tx_geography.htm.
Local Workforce Boards: Cooke County is a member of the TWC Texoma local workforce board area. In order to contact the board or TWC's Tele Center by phone, call 1-800-939-6631. Local addresses, references to specific needs and services can be found at the Texoma web site at http://www.twc.state.tx.us/dirs/wdas/wda25.html. For further information on all Local Workforce Board go to http://www.twc.state.tx.us/dirs/wdbs/wdbmap.html.