NOVICE, TEXAS

Coleman County, Texas Panhandle / Texas Hill Country

31°59'19"N 99°37'31"W (31.988664, -99.625334)
FM 702 just off U.S. Highway 84
17 Miles NW of Coleman, the county seat
35 miles S of Abilene
Population: 139 (2010) 142 (2000)

Novice, Texas Area Hotels › Coleman Hotels

Railroad tracks
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, June 2010

History in a Pecan Shell

Once named Tyro in the 1870s, a post office opened under that name in 1880 (see 1882 map below) but closed the next year. When it reopened in 1884, the name submitted was something of a joke since the store owners there were novices in the business.

With the arrival of the railroad in 1910, the town moved one mile north to take advantage of the benefits the railroad offered. It was joined by another small town named Atoka.

First population figures available are from the mid 1920s when 200 residents were counted. The town experienced a minor oil boom in the early 1930s and the population jumped to 450. But the Great Depression reduced the populace to only 200 by the mid 1930s.

In 1971 Novice reported a population of 160, which has declined to just 142 when the 2000 census was over.

Novice City Hall
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, June 2010

Novice Community Center
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, June 2010

Church
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, June 2010

Novice United Methodist Church
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, June 2010
More Texas Churches

Novice Cafe & Store
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, June 2010

Abandoned building
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, June 2010

Abandoned building
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, June 2010

Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, June 2010

Windmills
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, June 2010
See Windmills in Texas

Novice City Limit
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, June 2010

1882 Coleman County map showing Novice as Tyro, near Blue Gap
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

Coleman County 1907 postal map showing Novice
(NW corner of Coleman County, near Atoka, NW of Coleman)
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

Take a road trip

Novice, Texas Nearby Towns:
Coleman, the county seat
Abilene
See Coleman County | Texas Panhandle / Texas Hill Country

Book Hotel Here:
Coleman Hotels | More Hotels

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