Hawley

History

The community is named for Congressman Robert B. Hawley. On evening of May 2, 2024, a strong EF3 tornado struck southwest of Hawley. One of the storm chasers following it, Freddy McKinney, happened to witness the tornado destroy the home of the Lambert family: Husband and father Wes, wife and mother Kasey, 7-year old son Lane, 4-year old daughter Allie, and their two dogs Millie and Scout. When he investigated the aftermath, the Lamberts had somehow miraculously survived their home's destruction after taking a direct hit from the tornado, but were seriously injured. Freddy took it upon himself to drive them all the way to Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene to get medical attention, and support a GoFundMe fundraiser to help them rebuild their lives after the tornado.

Geography

Hawley is located in southeastern Jones County. U.S. Routes 83 and 277, running concurrently, pass through the southwestern side of the city, leading northwest to Anson, the county seat, and southeast to Abilene. According to the United States Census Bureau, Hawley has a total area of , of which , or 0.25%, is covered by water. The Clear Fork of the Brazos River flows through the city, south of the center. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, dry summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Hawley has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,938
• Great-tailed Grackle

  Quiscalus mexicanus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  2,932
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,673
• White-winged Dove

  Zenaida asiatica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,389
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,270
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  2,131
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,008
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,996

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2026-06-06
  16 km NNE of Hermleigh, Texas
• M 2.8 — 2026-06-06
  16 km NNE of Hermleigh, Texas
• M 2.6 — 2026-04-04
  17 km NE of Hermleigh, Texas
• M 2.6 — 2026-03-16
  11 km SW of Rotan, Texas
• M 2.9 — 2026-03-14
  10 km SW of Rotan, Texas
• M 3.3 — 2025-12-02
  17 km NE of Hermleigh, Texas