Forsan

History

Forsan's development as a community dates back to the 1920s, when oil was discovered in the area. Oil companies began leasing local land and production from the first oil well began on November 9, 1925. On May 28, 1928, a town site on the ranch of Clayton Stewart was placed on the market. An office was set up and lots were sold at twenty-five dollars each. By December 1928, the growing community was known as Forsan. The name was derived from the fact that four paying oil sands were believed to be present in the area. Drillers would later discover that there were actually at least five sands present. A school and several businesses opened soon after. On March 5, 1929, Forsan's post office began operating. A true oil boomtown, Forsan's population had already reached 350 by 1931. The Great Depression's impact on Forsan was less significant than in other rural Texas towns. The population grew to 400 by 1936. That figure remained constant through the mid-1950s, but there was a decline in the number of businesses. The Elbow Common School District, based in the community of Elbow, consolidated with Forsan schools in 1960. On March 25, 1961, the first mayor and city council were elected following an earlier decision to incorporate the community. Forsan's population began to decline and by 1980, 239 people lived in the city. That number rose to 256 in 1990, but had declined to 226 as of 2000.

Geography

Forsan is located in southern Howard County at (32.109359, –101.365531). It is situated along FM 461 in southeastern Howard County, about southeast of Big Spring. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  282
• White-winged Dove

  Zenaida asiatica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  233
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  226
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  218
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  206
• Great-tailed Grackle

  Quiscalus mexicanus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  184
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  182
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  151

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2026-09-08
  25 km SW of Garden City, Texas
• M 3.6 — 2026-09-05
  26 km SW of Garden City, Texas
• M 2.6 — 2026-08-29
  19 km NE of Gardendale, Texas
• M 2.6 — 2026-08-28
  18 km NE of Gardendale, Texas
• M 2.8 — 2026-08-23
  17 km SE of Ackerly, Texas
• M 2.5 — 2026-08-15
  37 km SSE of Midland, Texas