Wichita Falls is the county seat of Wichita County in North Texas, set along the Wichita River near the Oklahoma border. It is the principal city of a metropolitan statistical area that also includes Archer and Clay counties, and its population stood at about 102,316 in the 2020 census. The city traces its name to a waterfall in the Wichita River that early settlers found in the 1870s; that original falls was destroyed by an 1886 flood, and in 1987 the city built a 54-foot artificial cascade at Lucy Park to preserve the name and give the riverfront a landmark. Two institutions anchor Wichita Falls. Sheppard Air Force Base, a major Air Education and Training Command installation, is one of the region's largest employers, supporting thousands of military and civilian personnel and bringing a steady flow of military families to the city. Midwestern State University, a public liberal arts university, adds students, faculty, and cultural institutions, including its own museum of art. Together with a healthcare sector led by regional hospitals and a manufacturing base, these anchors give the city a stable, diversified economy that serves as the commercial hub for a wide swath of North Texas and southern Oklahoma. For residents, Wichita Falls pairs that regional role with an approachable cost of living and a distinct civic identity. Public schools are spread across three districts — Wichita Falls ISD, Burkburnett ISD, and City View ISD — and the city is known nationally for the Hotter'n Hell Hundred, a 100-mile cycling event held every August since 1982 that draws thousands of riders. Parks such as Lucy Park and the River Bend Nature Center, Lake Wichita, and nearby Lake Arrowhead State Park provide outdoor recreation, making Wichita Falls a practical, family-oriented North Texas base.