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Terlingua

Ghost town · Brewster County, Texas

Terlingua quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1971, 1:24,000)
Terlingua quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1971, 1:24,000) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Terlingua is a ghost town in Brewster County, Texas, recorded as census-designated place in Brewster County, Texas, United States. It is one of 8 former communities in Brewster County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 9th among the 165 Texas counties with a vanished settlement on record.

At its height the population reached about 78.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Terlingua as a historical populated place: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 29.3217° N, 103.6161° W.

Key facts

Peak population78
Last recorded population78
Elevation2,892 ft
Nearest living townStudy Butte, TX
Distance to it4.5 miles
Coordinates29.32167, -103.61611

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Terlingua is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Study Butte, TX (population 172), about 4.5 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 2,892 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Images

Part of the quicksilver mining town Terlingua, Texas.
Part of the quicksilver mining town Terlingua, Texas. · George A. Grant / Wikimedia Commons · public-domain

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Terlingua?

Terlingua is in Brewster County, Texas, at 29.3217, -103.6161.

How many ghost towns are in Brewster County?

Brewster County, Texas has 8 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.