A section of Mineral Wells IS in Parker County — and the Desk prioritizes the border resident who can't tell the difference. Where the line is matters less than what's true for the resident. So even though most of Mineral Wells sits in Palo Pinto, our newsroom treats it as a first-class Parker County town for civic alerts, news, calendar, comparisons, and stats. This holds once a Palo Pinto County Desk launches — Mineral Wells stays native on both. Same principle applies to other border communities (Annetta, parts of Walsh) when they come up.

Locked 2026-05-26

Known for

Crazy Water Wells
Baker Hotel (1929)
Wolters Field airport

The Story of Mineral Wells

Mineral Wells exists because of a single well and a lot of optimism. In 1877 James Alvis Lynch moved his family west seeking a drier climate to ease their rheumatism, settling in a valley in the hills along the Parker–Palo Pinto line. In 1880 a driller sank a well in exchange for some of Lynch's oxen — and when the family drank the water, they swore they felt better.

Word of the "healing waters" spread fast. Within months strangers were streaming to the Lynch property, and in the fall of 1881 the town of Mineral Wells was formally established, with Lynch naming himself its first mayor.

The most famous of the many wells that followed was the Crazy Well — named, the story goes, for an elderly woman whose mental troubles seemed to lift after she drank from it twice a day. The water's naturally high lithium content gave the legend a kernel of science, and "Crazy Water" grew into a national brand.

At the height of the spa boom the towering Baker Hotel opened in 1929 as a 460-room international resort, drawing celebrities, musicians, cattle barons and politicians — and, by local legend, even Bonnie and Clyde. Though most of Mineral Wells lies in Palo Pinto County, a portion reaches into Parker County, and the Desk covers the whole Crazy Water town as one.

Sources: Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce; The Baker Hotel and Spa; Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas.

🗓️ Coming this week Full calendar →

TUE

Azle City Council

7pm

MON

Willow Park City Council

6pm

TUE

Aledo City Council

7pm

TUE

Hudson Oaks City Council

6:30pm

TUE

Reno City Council

7pm

THU

Springtown City Council

7pm

Activities

Things to do in Mineral Wells

Kids, library, sports, fitness, classes, camps, open play — sourced from libraries, parks, and partner orgs across Mineral Wells.

No activities currently on the desk for Mineral Wells. New programs are added when partner orgs publish a public schedule. See this weekend across Parker County or tip the desk on a missing program.

Civic & Government

Mineral Wells civic life

Reach the right desk

📞 Who do I call 🏛️ Your reps 🗳️ On the ballot 📅 Civic calendar

By the Numbers

Mineral Wells at a glance

Population

14,800

Type

city

School District

Mineral Wells ISD

ISD Enrollment

3,300

As of 2026-05-22

Grad rate

88.7%

Per-pupil spend

$9,840

County

Parker + Palo Pinto (mostly Palo Pinto)

School ISD comparison

All all 9 Parker County ISDs side-by-side: enrollment, accountability rating, graduation rate, per-pupil spending, AP offerings. Updated when TEA accountability publishes.

ISD	Students	Rating	Grad rate	Per-pupil	AP courses
Weatherford	8203	C	94.6%	$11,874	22
Aledo	8127	A	98.1%	$10,512	28
Azle	7218	C	97.7%	$10,395	18
Springtown	4166	C	92.1%	$10,928	12
Mineral Wells	3300	C	88.7%	$9,840	9
Brock	2190	A	95.0%	$10,800	11
Millsap	1100	B	100.0%	$14,256
Peaster	720	B	95.3%	$11,200	6
Poolville	610	B	94.1%	$11,400	5

Updated 2026-05-18

Median home price by city (Apr 2026)

MLS data, single-family detached, last 90 days. School ratings drive the spread more than acreage.

City	Median price	YoY change	Days on market
Aledo	$513,000	+6.0%	116
Willow Park	$500,000	+23.0%	114
Hudson Oaks	$478,000	+2.8%	36
Weatherford	$350,000	+8.5%	84
Azle	$312,186	-2.0%	69
Springtown	$400,000	+25.0%	151
Mineral Wells	$215,000	+0.4%	55