Editing Big Spring, Texas (section)

{{Short description|City in Howard County, Texas}}
{{Distinguish|Spring, Texas}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Big Spring, Texas
|settlement_type          = [[Administrative divisions of Texas|City]]
|nickname="The Spring City"
|motto                    = 
<!-- Images --------------->
|image_skyline            = BigSpringTX-Aerial (35967724513).jpg
|imagesize                = 275px
|image_caption            = Aerial view of Big Spring
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               = 
<!-- Maps ----------------->
|image_map                = Howard County BigSpring.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Big Spring in [[Howard County, Texas|Howard County]], [[Texas]]
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<!-- Location ------------->
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Texas]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Texas|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Howard County, Texas|Howard]]
<!-- Government ----------->
|government_footnotes     = <ref>{{cite web|title=City Council |url=https://www.mybigspring.com/directory.aspx?did=24 |publisher=City of Big Spring, Texas |access-date=June 28, 2024 }}</ref>
|government_type          = [[Council-manager government|Council-Manager]]
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Robert Moore
|leader_title1            = [[City manager]]
|leader_name1             = Todd Darden
|leader_title2            = Assistant City Manager
|leader_name2             = Lesa Gamble
|leader_title3            = [[Councillor|Councilmember]]
|leader_name3             = {{Ubl|District 1 – Nick Ornelas|District 2 – Diane Yanez|District 3 – Cody Hughes|District 4 – Homer Wilkerson|District 5 – Troy Tompkins|District 6 – Daniel Moreno}}
|established_title        = Founded
|established_date         = 1882
|established_title1       = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date1        = 1907
<!-- Area ----------------->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2023">{{cite web|title=2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2023_Gazetteer/2023_gaz_place_48.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 28, 2024 }}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 49.795
|area_land_km2            = 49.566
|area_water_km2           = 0.229
|area_total_sq_mi         = 19.226
|area_land_sq_mi          = 19.138
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.088
<!-- Population ----------->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 22373
|pop_est_as_of            = 2023
|pop_est_footnotes        = <ref name="USCensusEst2023" />
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="2020 Census (City)" />
|population_total         = 26144
|population_density_km2   = 451.4
|population_density_sq_mi = 1169
|population_rank          = TX: [[List of municipalities in Texas|140th]]
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = –6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = –5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis />
|elevation_m              = 744
|elevation_ft             = 2441
|coordinates              = {{coord|32|14|36|N|101|28|31|W|region:US-TX_type:city|display=inline}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]s
|postal_code              = 79720, 79721
|area_code                = [[Area code 432|432]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 48-08236
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1330654<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|1330654}}</ref>
|blank2_name              = [[Sales tax]]
|blank2_info              = 8.25%<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avalara.com/taxrates/en/state-rates/texas/cities/big-spring.html|title=Big Spring (TX) sales tax rate|access-date=June 28, 2024}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|https://www.mybigspring.com/|mybigspring.com}}
|footnotes                = 
}}
[[File:Big Spring 1.jpg|thumb|The Municipal Auditorium in Big Spring]]

'''Big Spring''' is a city in and the [[county seat]] of [[Howard County, Texas|Howard County]], [[Texas]], United States, at the crossroads of [[U.S. Route 87 in Texas|U.S. Highway 87]] and [[Interstate 20 in Texas|Interstate 20]]. The population was 26,144 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="2020 Census (City)">{{cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Big_Spring_city,_Texas?g=160XX00US4808236 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=June 28, 2024 }}</ref> Big Spring was established as the county seat of Howard County in 1882; it is the largest community in the county.

The city took its name from the single, large spring that issued into a small gorge between the base of Scenic Mountain and a neighboring hill in the southwestern part of the city limits. Although the name is sometimes still mistakenly pluralized, it is officially singular. "To the native or established residents who may wince at the plural in Big Spring, it should be explained that until about 1916, when for some unexplained reason the name dropped the final 's', the official name of the town was indeed Big Springs."<ref>{{cite book |last=Pickle |first=Joe |title=Gettin' Started, Howard County's first 25 years |date=1980 |publisher=Heritage Museum |location=Big Springs [sic], Tex. |isbn=0-89015-268-3 }}</ref>