A Sizzling Little Town Where the Real West Begins

Taking pride in its heritage with a roadmap to future success

Known as the place “Where the Real West Begins,” Vernon is a small city, located along Texas’s Great Western Trail. Boasting a rich heritage, Vernon takes great pride in its past, even as it looks towards a vibrant, modern future. From bacon festivals to fiber broadband, the city is making the most of its deep roots and strong partnerships to cultivate a vibrant place to live, work, and thrive.

“We have a lot of history because of being in the Western culture,” highlights Mayor Pam Gosline, underscoring Vernon’s collaborative spirit. “We’re all partners, and for us to grow, it takes all of us. It just can’t be one taxing entity. It needs to be about building relationships with all the partners.” She names Wilbarger General Hospital, the North Texas State Hospital, Vernon College, Wilbarger County, and the Vernon Independent School District among those crucial partners, along with a thriving network of local businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Business Development Corporation.

Vibrancy on Main Street and Beyond

Downtown Vernon is in the midst of a transformation, thanks in part to a forward-thinking Main Street program. Haley Bounds, Director of Main Street and Tourism shares, “Beautification and place-making are our two main focuses in our Main Street right now.” Business attraction is also key, complementing the existing enterprises with even more options that cater to the community. “The Main Street beautification committee is working with our other city departments to make it more appealing for businesses to want to invest in our community and for our community members to want to reinvest as well,” she adds.

A big part of this effort involves attracting family-focused businesses to serve Vernon’s younger population. Bounds relays, “We’re looking to bring in more for families, something geared towards children, and also maybe some more food-related businesses that really cater to the people that work and live downtown.” Recently the city has welcomed the Vernon Boys and Girls Club Teen Center to Main Street, bringing some of that youthful energy to the area.

A façade grant is also available to support existing businesses and help with beautification efforts. “We do our best to allocate those funds to the necessary entities, the ones that are putting in the work to make our Main Street better,” Bounds remarks. “We try to give them all the help that they need to make that happen, to give our Main Street a much-needed face lift.”

Walkability is also an important goal as Vernon builds a community for the future. “We’ve applied for several grants, one through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and another one through TxDOT to add sidewalks and trails,” outlines Monica Wilkinson, Community Development Director. “Repeatedly, when we get input from our citizens, one of the top recreational amenities that our community is seeking is more walking trails. We have those at one or two of our parks, but we’d like to expand them throughout the community.”

Infrastructure First

City Manager Darell Kennon emphasizes the importance of investing in infrastructure for current and future needs. Currently, the city is replacing the first 8.5 miles of a 16‑mile, 24‑inch pipeline that dates back to 1953, which he says is “well past its useful life.” At a cost of $12 million, Vernon is taking out a loan to fund the project. “We have forty-five wells, sixteen miles north of town, and that’s our lifeline. Without that water, we don’t have a town,” Kennon expands.

“That project is currently in the works right now. We’re also going to extend that line with a $3 million EDA grant that we received. The city is going to have to match it with a million dollars, but we hope to extend it another three miles further.” Along with this, Atmos Energy is in the midst of a three-year project to replace all of its metal pipes in Vernon, making the city’s gas distribution safer.

When it comes to growth, Vernon has ample water supply, using only half of the existing 4 million gallons of daily capacity. As for wastewater, Kennon says, “Our discharge right now is about a million gallons a day, and our capacity is 2 million. So there again, we have the capacity for growth.” Recently completed upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant utilized $2.5 million in ARPA funding, with the city matching the amount.

“Infrastructure wise, we’re forward thinking to keep the community in good shape. That is not to say that we don’t have other projects that need our attention, but you have to tackle them as you can afford them, and that’s what we’re doing,” he asserts.

Connectivity is also a priority, and rural internet provider Syntrio has helped to ensure Vernon is prepared when it comes to internet solutions. Kennon conveys, “They had a three-year project to put fiber throughout all of Vernon, and they completed that. So, Vernon is in really good shape for fiber.”

Tackling Housing

Housing is another hot topic in Vernon, and the city is in ongoing talks with various developers looking to build and remodel in the area. One recent success is the addition of a senior living facility which brought sixty units to the community. Regarding single family development, Vernon has seen an increase in remodels, specifically of older buildings that might otherwise be demolished. “We’ve seen a lot of our old housing stock be renewed and created new housing units that way,” explains Wilkinson. The challenge Vernon faces is in attracting more developers to the city. “We definitely have the land available. It’s just a matter of getting those developers interested, because we have the demand, and we have the space, we just don’t have the actual developers that can take on that scale of project because of our distance from some of the larger cities,” she maintains.

Wilkinson also points to zoning updates that now allow for more flexible housing. “We added provisions for tiny homes, and we created an ordinance for accessory dwelling units. That means that in certain single family residential districts, property owners can apply to build a second housing unit on their property. That allows them to have some flexibility on their property, for an additional income, or to have family there.”

In addition, Vernon’s zoning already supports mixed-use development in the core, and some residential spaces exist above downtown businesses. “We are always working with developers that are interested in putting in living spaces in our downtown,” she confirms.

Industry and Innovation

Vernon continues to explore new economic opportunities, both in town and in the surrounding county. “There’s a group called OPS that’s doing an industrialized park. It is in the county, but it’s close enough to us to have a trickle-down effect,” expands Kennon. “They’re developing lots of things, like data centers and Bitcoin, and the infrastructure is the reason they’re here. The electrical infrastructure in that location is a huge magnet right now for businesses.”

Over the past decade, developers have taken advantage of Wilbarger County’s abundant sunshine and strong winds to install numerous solar and wind farms, utilizing infrastructure left behind by a retired coal fired power plant. This surge in green energy production has attracted Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency centers that benefit from the inexpensive, sustainable electricity. More recently, companies specializing in battery energy storage systems have shown interest, which Wilkinson says would help to stabilize the green energy grid in the region.

“There’s a lot of spin offs from the fact that we’re such a desirable place with cheaper electricity and all the green energy that we produce in this county,” she touts.

A Festival That Sizzles

Tyson Foods is one of Vernon’s cornerstone employers, having acquired the iconic Wright Brand bacon plant, an institution in the city since 1922. “Tyson and Wright Brand, for their 100-year anniversary, decided to have a community event, bringing together everyone to celebrate such a milestone for them as a business and for us as a community that supports them,” recalls Bounds. “This will be the fourth annual and it’s really special. It’s a quality-of-life event.”

Officially known as Bacon City, USA, this event draws over 10,000 visitors to Vernon in a single day. “We’re known as Bacon City USA. We’re the ‘Most Sizzling Little Town in Texas,’” boasts Mayor Gosline.

A Look Ahead

Vernon’s leadership culture is grounded in collaboration, transparency, and a commitment to lifelong learning, which has enabled the city to embrace innovation, and move forward with enthusiasm. “One thing that we do better than a lot of rural communities is full transparency,” acknowledges Gosline. “We encourage people to come to city commission meetings, we have a monthly newsletter that goes out, we’re very active on social media, we have a digitized board announcing community events. This is the citizens’ town, and we encourage participation from our citizens, and want them to be included.”

Moving forward Mayor Gosline says the top priorities include addressing the housing shortage, further strengthening infrastructure, and attracting new businesses and workforce to the city. Following this path, Vernon’s next chapter is sure to be full of excitement and opportunity.

AT A GLANCE

Who: Vernon, Texas

What: A thriving city embracing growth and revitalization

Where: Wilbarger County, Texas

Website: www.vernontx.gov