Cottle County in Northwest Texas is a broad rural county where Paducah provides the main road reference, the Pease River forks cut long valleys across the north, and the highest terrain is concentrated toward the west and southwest. US 83 runs north and south through Paducah, while routes 62 and 70 approach from the west and roads 104 and 328 extend toward the east. Cee Vee lies northwest of Paducah, Baker is northeast, and Delwin is southwest. The terrain-and-water map adds North Pease River, Middle Pease River, Pease River, Tongue River, North Wichita River, Shorty Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and other named drainage lines. Elevation ranges from about 447 to 687 meters with a mean near 553 meters, producing a clear contrast between western uplands and the lower northern and eastern valleys. The county, city, water, and elevation maps shown on this page are also available together as four high-resolution A3 JPG files in the ZIP download.
Paducah is the easiest place to establish orientation because several roads converge near the town and US 83 creates a strong vertical line across the county. From Paducah, Cee Vee is northwest, Baker is northeast, and Delwin is southwest. There is no dense chain of towns between those points; most of the county is open rural land divided by river and creek valleys. The physical maps make those spaces much more informative, especially where the Pease River system cuts the north and the western side rises into higher rolling breaks.
Table of Contents
Paducah Anchors US 83 and the County’s East-West Rural Roads
Paducah is the strongest road reference on the general county map. US 83 approaches from the north, passes through the town, and continues toward the southern boundary. Routes 62 and 70 reach the Paducah area from the west, while roads 104 and 328 extend east and northeast. This concentration makes the town easy to locate even though the surrounding county contains relatively few large settlement labels.
Cee Vee lies in the northwestern part of the county near route labels 176, 169, and 157. The landscape around it is much more rural than the Paducah center, with numerous creek lines and widely spaced roads. Moving north from Cee Vee brings the map closer to the North Pease River drainage, while moving west approaches the higher side of the county.
Delwin provides a southern-western reference. Routes 271 and 452 appear nearby, and road labels 290 and 294 sit farther west along the county edge. Large built-up areas are absent, so the map is dominated by rural roads and small channels. The elevation layer shows that this part of Cottle County is close to some of the highest terrain in the county.
Baker is shown northeast of Paducah near the route 328 direction. The northeastern side contains far more visible drainage than settlement, and the county boundary makes a pronounced inward bend near the eastern edge. Foard and Hardeman counties lie beyond that side. Comparing the road map with the physical layers shows that the Baker area is much lower and more heavily cut by drainage than the western uplands.
The Ranked City Map Contains One Major City: Paducah 1,077
The ranked city layer is unusually simple. Its header notes one major city, and the CITY INDEX lists only Paducah at 1,077. Cee Vee, Baker, and Delwin remain visible on the general county map but are not part of this ranked-city layer. The city map is therefore most useful for showing Paducah’s position within the county rather than for comparing several urban centers.
Paducah sits somewhat south of the county’s midpoint, and US 83 runs through it toward both the northern and southern boundaries. With no other ranked city points on the layer, the large rural spaces around Paducah become very obvious. Those spaces are not geographically empty: the water and elevation maps show long river valleys, branching creeks, and pronounced relief, especially in the west and north.
No connector lines or mileage values appear on the city map. The number 1,077 should therefore be read only as the value printed in the supplied CITY INDEX, not as a distance or travel-time figure. For road relationships, the general county map is better. For the land between Paducah and the smaller named places, the terrain-and-water and elevation maps provide far more information.
Neighboring county labels include Childress to the north, Foard and Hardeman to the east, Dickens to the southeast, Motley to the southwest, and King and Hall to the west. Paducah appears relatively central within that wider regional frame, but the physical landscape changes sharply from one side of the county to another. That makes the one-point city map a starting reference rather than a complete county description.
North Pease River and Middle Pease River Shape the Northern Half
The Pease River system is the dominant feature on the terrain-and-water map. North Pease River follows a long winding course near the northern edge, while Middle Pease River runs farther south across the north-central interior. The two major channels approach one another toward the northeast and continue into the Pease River. Numerous small tributaries branch into both valleys, giving northern Cottle County a strongly dissected appearance.
Tongue River provides another major reference on the western-central side. It extends along a long north-south valley and connects the higher western terrain with the broader Pease drainage. Richland Creek is labeled in the northwest, while Oliver Creek and Jackson Creek occupy narrower central valleys near the Middle Pease River system. These features show why the northern half cannot be described accurately as one level plain.
South and east of Paducah, the drainage changes in scale and direction. Shorty Creek crosses the central-eastern interior, and Cottonwood Creek stands out within a dense network of southeastern tributaries. Salt Creek, Buck Creek, and South Buck Creek divide the southern half into additional valleys. North Wichita River appears as a major channel near the southern and southeastern side.
This terrain-and-water image is intended for general geographic reference. It is not a flood-hazard map, parcel or legal-boundary map, depth chart, water-quality report, fishing-status guide, or navigation product. Those questions require specialized official data. For ordinary map reading, the Pease River forks provide the main northern framework, with Tongue River, Shorty Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and North Wichita River adding useful references farther south.
Elevation from About 447 to 687 Meters Rises Strongly Toward the West
The supplied elevation map reports an actual range of approximately 447 to 687 meters and a mean near 553 meters. The highest brown and orange terrain is concentrated along the west and southwest, with a broad high zone extending into the west-central county. The north, northeast, and much of the east are greener and generally lower, especially where the Pease River forks and their tributaries occupy wide valleys.
The western uplands are not one smooth plateau. Deep green valleys cut into the higher terrain, and several line up with Tongue River and smaller tributaries shown on the water map. The southwest contains some of the darkest high-elevation colors, yet narrow drainage corridors penetrate that high ground. This creates strong local relief over short distances.
The North Pease and Middle Pease valleys are among the clearest low corridors on the elevation surface. Both appear as long green bands across the northern half, and lower terrain expands toward the northeastern Pease River side. The southeast is also generally lower than the west, with Cottonwood Creek and North Wichita River occupying recognizable green valleys.
This elevation surface is suitable for county-scale comparison, not survey or engineering measurement. It should not be used to determine the exact elevation of a house, ranch parcel, road grade, or construction site. The 447–687 meter range and 553 meter mean are best treated as broad reference values showing the transition from the western uplands into the Pease River and eastern drainage valleys.
Paducah Sits Between Higher Western Breaks and Lower Eastern Drainage
Paducah is a useful point for comparing the county’s road and terrain patterns. On the general map, US 83 and several east-west roads converge around town. On the physical maps, numerous tributaries surround the same area, and the elevation surface rises more strongly toward the west while becoming lower to the east. The town therefore sits near a transition rather than in a completely uniform landscape.
The Cee Vee side in the northwest brings high western terrain close to the Pease River drainage. The Baker side in the northeast is lower and much more strongly defined by river and creek valleys. Delwin in the southwest returns to higher ridges cut by narrow drainage. These three directions look very different once the elevation colors and water lines are added to the road map.
The one-city ranked map can make Cottle County appear visually empty outside Paducah. The other layers show the opposite: the county contains a dense physical network of river forks, creeks, ridges, and valleys. Using Paducah as a fixed reference and then comparing Cee Vee, Baker, and Delwin on the county, water, and elevation maps gives a much fuller picture of the landscape.
Choose the File by Roads, Paducah, Waterways, or Elevation
The general county map is the best single reference for Paducah, Cee Vee, Baker, Delwin, US 83, and the main numbered roads. The ranked city map is intentionally simple and works best when the goal is to locate Paducah without other city markers. The terrain-and-water map is the best choice for North Pease River, Middle Pease River, Tongue River, Cottonwood Creek, and North Wichita River. The elevation map most clearly shows the contrast between the western uplands and the lower northern and eastern valleys.
Small creek labels and minor road details can be difficult to read in a reduced browser preview. The original JPG files are more convenient for enlargement and printing. They also work well for side-by-side comparison with Childress, Foard, Hardeman, Dickens, Motley, King, Hall, or other Northwest Texas counties when the same map type and a similar display scale are used.
The ZIP below contains four high-resolution A3 JPG files corresponding to the county, city, water, and elevation maps shown in the article. They can be enlarged for detailed label reading, printed for classroom or personal reference, or arranged with neighboring county maps for regional comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the ranked city map show only Paducah?
The supplied city layer contains one ranked major city, Paducah at 1,077. Cee Vee, Baker, and Delwin are visible on the general county map but are not included in this CITY INDEX layer, and no mileage connections are shown.
Where are the Pease River forks located in Cottle County?
North Pease River follows the northern side of the county, while Middle Pease River crosses the north-central interior. The two major channels approach each other toward the northeast and continue into the Pease River, forming long low valleys across the northern half.
Which part of Cottle County is highest on the supplied elevation map?
The west and southwest contain most of the highest terrain. The map reports an elevation range of about 447–687 meters with a mean near 553 meters, while the Pease River forks and eastern creek valleys occupy lower ground.
Sources and Reference Data
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles — official geographic boundary, road, and place data.
- USGS National Hydrography — official information about rivers, creeks, and hydrography.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program — official elevation and terrain data information.
- USGS The National Map Viewer — interactive access to boundaries, transportation, hydrography, terrain, and other geographic layers.
Map File Information
Download the Cottle County county, city, water, and elevation maps together as high-resolution A3 JPG files.
- Included Files: 4 maps
- File Type: JPG
Related Maps
- Motley County Texas map
- Wilbarger County Texas map
- Stonewall County Texas map
- Wheeler County Texas map
- Baylor County Texas map
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.
