Best Web Design in Wichita Falls, TX (2026)

Web Design for Wichita Falls, Texas

Wichita Falls is a North Texas city named for a waterfall on the Wichita River that a flood washed away in 1886, prompting the city to build an artificial one nearly a century later. Once dubbed 'Factory City' for its manufacturing base, it is defined today by oil-country roots, Sheppard Air Force Base, and the brutally hot Hotter'N Hell Hundred bike ride each August.

AppWT works with Wichita Falls, TX businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Wichita Falls

Also known as. Factory City. The Falls. WF.

History. Platted and named Wichita Falls on September 27, 1876, for the natural waterfall then in the Wichita River; the first permanent resident arrived in 1879. The Fort Worth & Denver City Railway reached town in September 1882, the same year Wichita Falls became the county seat of Wichita County. A flood in 1886 destroyed the original natural waterfall the city was named for; a 54-foot artificial waterfall was finally built beside the river in Lucy Park in 1987. Oil transformed the economy after the Electra field opened in 1911; by 1913 the North Texas fields produced about 46 percent of all Texas oil, and refineries appeared in Wichita Falls by 1915. 'Terrible Tuesday,' April 10, 1979, an F4 tornado tore through the city, destroying more than 2,500 homes and killing dozens; its roughly $400 million toll made it the costliest tornado on record at the time.

Local economy. Petroleum and the legacy North Texas oil fields (Electra field, area refineries). Agriculture on the surrounding irrigated region: cotton, wheat and other grains, and cattle. Manufacturing, the source of the historic 'Factory City' nickname (over 100 manufacturers by the 1950s). Sheppard Air Force Base, a major regional employer and home of the 80th Flying Training Wing. Flour milling, tied to early promoter Frank Kell, plus health care and retail.

Culture and community. The Hotter'N Hell Hundred, one of the largest sanctioned century bike rides in the U.S., drawing roughly 10,000 to 14,000 riders each August; its name is a triple play on 100 miles, 100-degree heat, and the city's 100th birthday in 1982. The Wichita Theatre downtown, which began life as the Wichita Opera House and is still in use. A cluster of local museums including the Kell House Museum, the Museum of North Texas History, and the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at Midwestern State University. Comanche heritage marked by the Wee-Chi-Tah sculpture and off-road trail, from a phrase meaning 'waist deep' at a river crossing.

What makes Wichita Falls distinct. The World's Littlest Skyscraper is remembered as a 1919 oil-boom swindle: promoter J.D. McMahon reportedly drew blueprints in inches instead of feet, built a tiny four-story tower rather than a high-rise, and left town with investors' money. The city is named for a waterfall that no longer exists in nature; the falls seen today are man-made. Sheppard AFB hosts ENJJPT, the only multinationally crewed and managed NATO jet pilot training program, which has trained more than 8,600 combat pilots for NATO allies. The Hotter'N Hell Hundred began as a centennial stunt after organizers rejected a proposed rocking-chair marathon in favor of a 100-mile ride in 100-degree heat.

Wichita Falls is a mid-sized North Texas city and the seat of Wichita County, home to Sheppard Air Force Base and known for the annual Hotter'N Hell Hundred bicycle ride.

Wichita Falls Landmarks and Local Life

• Newby-McMahon Building (World's Littlest Skyscraper) - 1919 four-story oddity featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not
• Kell House Museum - 1909 Classic Revival mansion built by railroad and oil businessman Frank Kell
• Depot Square Historic District - Texas Historic Landmark district with a restored rail depot and railroad exhibits
• Lucy Park - 170-acre riverside park home to the city's 54-foot man-made waterfall
• Wichita Falls Circle Trail - Over 20 miles of concrete trail looping the city, with its west start in Lucy Park

Wichita Falls at a Glance

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023.

• Median household income: About $58,568
• Adults with a bachelor degree or higher: About 25%
• Housing: About 57% of housing units are owner-occupied
• Housing: About 69% of housing is detached single-family homes