Hico, TX

Hico is a Hamilton County city that started on Honey Creek before moving into the cattle-and-cotton trade that made it a regional market. The 2020 census counted 1,335 residents. Its name came from the founder’s hometown in southwestern Kentucky, and the city incorporated in 1883, becoming Hamilton County’s shipping center. The old market-town role still shows in the downtown blocks, where the road through town feels built for ranchers, cotton wagons, and travelers headed across central Texas.

Hico’s most famous local argument is the Billy the Kid story. The Billy the Kid Museum presents the claim that outlaw William Henry Roberts, also known as Brushy Bill, was the real man behind the legend and spent his later years in Hico. Whether you buy that version or not, the town has made room for it in the middle of downtown. Hico City Park spreads along the Bosque River, and Hico ISD keeps the community’s school life close by. Market town, river park, and outlaw legend make Hico easy to remember.