Colorado City is a city in and the county seat of Mitchell County, in the rolling plains of West Texas. It sits along Interstate 20 roughly midway between Abilene and the Midland–Odessa metro area, and the Texas Colorado River flows through the county, giving the town its name. As one of the earliest settlements in the region, it has long carried the nickname "Mother City of West Texas." The community took shape in the early 1880s as a townsite on the Texas and Pacific Railway, quickly becoming a cattle shipping point for area ranchers. A speculative boom pushed the population toward 6,000 by the mid-1880s before a severe drought slowed growth, and the 1890 census counted about 2,500 residents. In the early 20th century the town stabilized as a ranching and agricultural trade center, with banks, a newspaper, and a courthouse anchoring the seat of Mitchell County. Interest in oil built through the 1910s and 1920s, and petroleum later became a mainstay of the local economy alongside ranching and, more recently, wind energy. Today Colorado City is a compact West Texas city of roughly 4,000 people. The economy is anchored by energy — oil and gas extraction and related services, plus growing wind generation — along with retail, construction, and public administration. The county courthouse and the town's historic downtown still reflect its railroad-era origins, and the city functions as the commercial and governmental hub of a sparsely populated county. Recreation and small-town life revolve around Lake Colorado City, a reservoir impounded in 1949 on Morgan Creek, and the adjoining Lake Colorado City State Park. The park offers fishing, boating, swimming, hiking, and camping, giving residents and travelers a year-round outdoor draw at the edge of town. Interstate 20 places the city within convenient reach of Abilene to the east and the Permian Basin to the west.