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Texas Connects Us: Take a Trip to the Coolest Town in Texas

Down Highway 180, often on the way to somewhere else, blink and you just might miss it.

Between Weatherford and Mineral Wells sits the small community of Cool, Texas.

"If you blink past the blinking light, you've gone too far," said Cool Mayor Dorothy Hall.

Residents say they never get tired of telling people they're from the coolest little town in Texas.

"It brings a sense of giddiness to people whenever you tell them. It's a conversation starter," Hall said.

So how did Cool get such a cool name?

Longtime resident and town commissioner Barbara Rothrock says the Parker County community gathered back in the late 1940s to vote on a name.

"There was always a breeze through here, and it was always cooler than Mineral Wells or Weatherford, so they called it Cool," Rothrock said.

The town boasts a population of 191, complete with a beloved community center available for residents, a new bank, two produce stands, a cafe, rolling hills and plenty of fresh country air.

There is no police department, and residents here say there's really no need.

"It's a community of people that have honor," said Laura Watkins, who serves as the Cool city secretary.

"You have to know what's inside the houses, the homes, the people that are in it," Rothrock said.

"Everybody wants to help each other here," said commissioner Gayle Godfrey.

"We rely on our neighbors and we're good with that. How cool is that?" Hall added.

So the next time you're on the north side of Milsap, make a turn at the light, stop in at the cafe and just enjoy the breeze.

"And that's what makes us the coolest little town in Texas," Watkins said.

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