Texas County sits in the south-central Missouri Ozarks and covers a broad upland landscape cut by the Big Piney River and many smaller streams. Houston provides the central administrative reference, while Licking, Cabool, Raymondville, Summersville, and Plato are spread across widely separated parts of the county. U.S. 63 crosses the interior north to south, and U.S. 60 provides the strongest east-west route near Cabool in the southwest. High-resolution map files are available for download in the section below.
This page separates those features into a general county map, a ranked city map, a terrain-and-water map, and an elevation map showing roughly 255 to 504 meters of relief. High-resolution JPG originals of all four can be downloaded together in one ZIP for enlargement, A3 printing, classroom materials, reports, or personal reference.
Table of Contents
Houston and U.S. 63 provide the simplest countywide road reference
Houston is the easiest place to begin reading the general map. Texas County’s official website lists major county offices on North Grand Avenue in Houston, and the county history identifies the town as the seat of justice near the county center. U.S. 63 runs through the area, giving Houston a strong north-south connection across the county.
Following U.S. 63 north leads toward the Licking side, while the highway continues south toward the Cabool and U.S. 60 corridor. Route 38 extends west from the Houston area, and Route 32 provides an east-west reference across the northern county between the Plato and Licking sides.
Raymondville lies east of Houston, and Summersville marks the southeastern side. Route 17 provides a strong reference near Summersville, while Route 137 runs through the southeast. Route 181 appears near the southern boundary and helps organize the highland country east of Cabool.
Plato sits in the northwest, while Mountain Grove, Edgar Springs, Willow Springs, and Mountain View appear outside the county as useful regional references. Because Texas County is large and its settlements are widely spaced, locating Houston, Licking, and Cabool first is much easier than trying to follow every local road at once.
Licking, Cabool, and Houston lead a widely dispersed settlement pattern
The city map highlights Licking, Cabool, Houston, Raymondville, Summersville, and Plato. The map index labels Licking with 2,858, Cabool with 2,348, Houston with 2,226, Raymondville with 563, Summersville with 409, and Plato with 183. The three largest highlighted places are relatively close in index size, but they occupy very different parts of the county.
Licking lies in the northeast, Cabool in the southwest, and Houston near the center. Raymondville is east of Houston, Summersville farther southeast, and Plato in the northwest. Their wide distribution makes the six communities useful directional markers across a county without one continuous urban corridor.
Licking ranks first on the city index, but Houston carries the county-government role. Cabool provides the strongest reference for the U.S. 60 and U.S. 63 connection, while Licking helps organize the Route 32 side. Raymondville and Summersville identify the eastern highland areas where roads and stream valleys become more winding.
The official county website maintains community links for Houston, Cabool, and Licking, reflecting their importance as local service centers. The ranked city map is best used to learn the main positions first, with the general map supplying the smaller roads and surrounding place names afterward.
Big Piney River and Roubidoux Creek cut deep corridors through the Ozarks
The Big Piney River is the strongest water reference on the terrain map. It winds south through the center of the county and receives numerous tributaries along the way, producing a long low corridor through otherwise elevated terrain. The river valley is especially useful for understanding the landscape east and south of Houston.
Big Piney Creek appears farther north, while Roubidoux Creek and Rock Creek organize the western and northwestern uplands. Roubidoux Creek cuts a particularly distinct valley through rugged terrain. Spring Creek lies in the northeast, with Brushy Creek and Ratliff Creek adding smaller central-eastern drainage corridors.
Little Piney River crosses the southwest, and North Fork River appears near the southern boundary. Big Creek and South Ashley Creek provide eastern references, while North Prong Jacks Fork marks the southeastern side. Rather than one dominant drainage line, Texas County contains several deep stream systems separated by high ridges.
The terrain-and-water map is intended for geographic reference, not flood determination, depth analysis, navigation, parcel boundaries, or legal water boundaries. Big Piney River and tributary conditions can change with rainfall, so current flood or access decisions should rely on up-to-date official information.
Elevation ranges from about 255 to 504 meters
The elevation map reports an actual range of roughly 255 to 504 meters and a mean near 382 meters. The highest brown terrain is concentrated across the west and southwest, where several ridges approach the 500-meter level. Elevated ground also appears in the northeast and east, but the western uplands form the most continuous high terrain.
The Big Piney River follows a long dark-green valley through the center of the county. Lower tributary corridors branch away from it, especially east and south of Houston. In many places the land rises quickly from the river valley into surrounding ridges, producing strong local relief over short distances.
Roubidoux Creek in the northwest and Little Piney River in the southwest also occupy clear lower corridors. Big Creek and the southeastern valleys create similar green routes in the east. Texas County therefore combines a high overall upland surface with deeply cut drainage valleys across nearly every part of the map.
This county-scale elevation surface is useful for broad relief comparison, not for engineering, construction, drainage design, parcel-level elevation decisions, or survey-grade measurement. Site-specific work requires more detailed official elevation data or field surveying.
Compare the Houston road network with Big Piney River valleys and high uplands
Start with Houston and U.S. 63 when roads and settlement locations matter most. Licking lies to the north, Cabool to the southwest, and Raymondville to the east. U.S. 60 and Routes 32, 38, 17, 137, and 181 then provide additional orientation across the larger county.
For terrain, begin with the Big Piney River, then compare Roubidoux Creek in the west, Little Piney River in the southwest, and Big Creek in the east. Switching to the elevation map shows that these waterways occupy lower green valleys while high Ozark ridges remain tightly packed around them.
Texas County’s official history describes the county as 1,179 square miles of Ozark Highland and the largest of Missouri’s counties by area. That size helps explain why the main communities are so widely separated and why roads cross long stretches of rugged terrain between them.
The downloadable JPG originals contain more pixels than the WebP previews embedded on the page, making them better for enlargement, A3 printing, classroom handouts, reports, and personal reference. They remain general-purpose maps, however. Legal boundaries, live road restrictions, current water conditions, and precise site elevations should always be checked against current official sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Texas County government center?
Major Texas County government offices are in Houston. The town sits near the center of the county along U.S. 63, making it a useful reference for both administrative locations and the main road network.
How much elevation change is shown across Texas County?
The elevation map shows an actual range of about 255 to 504 meters with a mean near 382 meters. Western and southwestern Ozark ridges are high, while Big Piney River, Roubidoux Creek, and other stream valleys are substantially lower.
Which waterways are the best starting points on the terrain map?
Start with the Big Piney River through the center of the county. Roubidoux Creek in the west, Little Piney River in the southwest, and Big Creek in the east provide additional references for the major valley systems.
Map File Information
The download ZIP contains high-resolution JPG versions of the Texas County general map, city map, terrain-and-water map, and elevation map.
- File Type: JPG
Related Maps
Sources and References
Boundary and road reference data are supported by U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line, water features by USGS National Hydrography, and elevation data by the USGS 3D Elevation Program. County government and history information is available from the official Texas County website and its County History page.
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data. These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
