Where Everybody Is Somebody & Home of Cowboys and Legends (Hico slogans)

“Where Everybody Is Somebody” and “Home of Cowboys and Legends” are slogans of Hico in Hamilton County. Hico has a “Billy the Kid” museum and claims that local resident Ollie P. Roberts was Billy the Kid, but this is not accepted by most historians.
 
 
Hico, Texas
WELCOME TO HICO, TEXAS
WHERE EVERYBODY IS SOMEBODY
   
Wikipedia: Hico, Texas
Hico (pronounced “high-coh”) is a city in Hamilton County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,341 at the 2000 census. Each July, Hico hosts the Hico Old Settlers Reunion.
 
Ollie P. Roberts a/k/a “Brushy Bill”, a resident of Hico, claimed to be Billy The Kid. Although his claim has been largely discredited by historians, Hico has capitalized to a small extent on his fame (or infamy) by opening a “Billy The Kid” museum where visitors can decide whether Brushy Bill was or was not the infamous outlaw.
 
Handbook of Texas Online
HICO, TEXAS. Hico, at the junction of U.S. Highway 281 and State highways 6 and 220, in northeastern Hamilton County, was named by its founder, Dr. John R. Alford, for his hometown in Kentucky. The original site in the mid-1850s was on Honey Creek. A post office was established in 1860, closed in 1867, and reopened in 1871. By 1874 the town had eight businesses, including a cotton gin, although most residents raised cattle and horses. Construction of the Texas Central Railroad in 1880 prompted the citizens to move 2½ miles to the line. Hico was incorporated in 1883 and became the county’s shipping center. In 1882 an Old Settlers’ Reunion was established in the community. The population was 1,480 in 1890, when a fire destroyed business houses on the east side of Pecan Street. A few weeks later another fire ravaged the west side. Rebuilding in stone ended the fire menace, but periodic overflows of the Bosque River have remained a threat to low-lying areas. Over the years Hico has prospered as a cotton and cattle market center. In 1940, although its population had declined to 1,242, the town was incorporated and had a post office, a bank, and fifty businesses. Hico had a population low of 925 in 1970, but by 1980 it had rebounded to 1,375. At that time the town had a post office, at least one bank, and thirty-five businesses. In 1990 the population was 1,342. 
     
Historic Texas Travel Destinations
Hico Texas
Home of Cowboys and Legends…
Hico Texas is a speck of a town along highway 281, between the rural towns of Stephenville and Hamilton, in North Central Texas. This community has a historic commercial district that is interesting for what it’s not. Yes it has antique stores and boutique shops. Yes it has a few restaurants. It also has a true vintage feel about it. The vintage painted signs on the sides of buildings are interesting. The place is fixed up, but not too fixed up.
 
The landscape of this area of Texas is fairly sparse. It’s rocky with rolling hills and occasional mesas and buttes. Side trips in this area of the state are recommended for those interested in recent geologic history. Recent being relative, of course.
 
I must mention Hico’s own legend. In the 1950’s, Hico resident Ollie Roberts, also known as Brushy Bill, apparently claimed to be the western outlaw Billy the Kid. There’s a Billy the Kid Museum downtown. They will be glad to tell you the story. 
 
Hico’s Nothin’ But Time Bed & Breakfast
Welcome to the tip of the hill country where Highways 6 and 281 come together to create a friendly, turn-of-the-century western town. The home of cowboys and legends and where “everybody is somebody.” With a western flair in the air you will want to wear your boots and hat and kick back on a bench or gazebo on main street (50 feet from your cowboy loft) and listen to the music coming from the Billy the Kid Museum.