| Official Name: | Electra, Texas |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Motto: | "Wichita County's Best Kept Secret" |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Image Map1: | Wichita County Electra.svg |
| Mapsize1: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Texas |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Wichita |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 7.98 |
| Area Land Km2: | 7.97 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.01 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 3.08 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 3.08 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 2292 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1227 |
| Coordinates: | 34.0325°N -98.92°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 76360 |
| Area Code: | 940 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 48-22984[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2410419 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
Electra is a city in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area. The population was 2,292 at the 2020 census., down from 2,791 in 2010.[3] Electra claims the title of Pump Jack Capital of Texas, a title made official by the state in 2001,[4] and has celebrated an annual Pump Jack Festival since 2002.[5] It was named in honor of Electra Waggoner, an heiress to the Waggoner Ranch.[6] Electra is also known for its Grand Theatre which was refurbished and now a functioning theater.
Daniel Waggoner started a ranch in present-day Electra in 1852. Around 30 years later, the Fort Worth and Denver Railway was built, and its railroad tracks ran through the area. In 1885, Waggoner's son, William Thomas Waggoner, successfully lobbied railroad executives to build a railroad station at the site. By this time, the Waggoner ranch covered a half-million acres. Until this time, the town was called Waggoner, but following the building of the station and a post office in 1889, it was dubbed Beaver Switch, after the nearby Beaver Creek. The opening of 56000acres of land north of the railroad station brought more farmers to the area. The town was renamed again in 1907, this time after Waggoner's daughter, Electra Waggoner.
Water can be scarce in this region of Texas, so Waggoner started drilling for water for the town's new residents. Most of these drilling sites were befouled by crude oil, which made the water unfit for drinking. Three years later, a developer from Fort Worth named Solomon Williams bought the land from Waggoner. Soon thereafter, he annexed nearby land, subdivided the land, and placed advertisements in national media trying to increase the population. His efforts were successful, and the town grew from a population of 500 to 1,000 between 1907 and 1910. The Waggoner family still owns much of the same land they did in the beginning and still drills for oil there.
In 1911, the Electra Independent School District was created.
On 1 April 1911, the Clayco Oil gusher brought in an oil strike at a depth of 1600feet, producing 260 barrels of oil per day (BOPD). Word spread quickly, and the population increased to over 1,000, with many more oil workers commuting from Wichita Falls. The town soon had brick buildings, cement sidewalks, and a telephone exchange.[7]
In 1936, Electra had well over 6,000 residents, but by the 1960s, the population had decreased to just over 5,000. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex was growing, and many people moved away. By 2000, Electra's population had fallen to about 3,000.
Electra is located at 34.0308°N -98.9172°W (34.030809, –98.917281).[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.4 mi2 (6.3 km2), all land.
| White (NH) | 1,722 | 75.13% | |
| Black or African American (NH) | 114 | 4.97% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 12 | 0.52% | |
| Asian (NH) | 11 | 0.48% | |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 5 | 0.22% | |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 119 | 5.19% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 309 | 13.48% | |
| Total | 2,292 |
The City of Electra is served by the Electra Independent School District, which is composed of 210sqmi.
The three public schools are: B.M. Dinsmore Elementary School, with 225 students enrolled in prekindergarten through fourth grade; Electra Junior High with 172 students in grades five through eight; and Electra High School with 149 students enrolled in ninth through 12th grades. Electra High School's athletic teams are called the Tigers. The student/teacher ratio at each of the schools is 14:1, 13:1, and 9:1, respectively.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Electra has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.[13]