Stephenville is a city in and the county seat of Erath County, Texas, United States. It is upon the North Bosque River, which forms nearby. Founded in 1854, it is home to Tarleton State University. As of the 2020 census, the city’s population was 20,847, and it is the principal city in the Stephenville Micropolitan Statistical Area. Stephenville is in the middle of several communities that call themselves the “Cowboy Capital of the World”.

Stephenville is named after John M. Stephen, who established there in 1854, and donated the estate for the townsite laid out by George B. Erath in imitation of the county was organized in 1856. In the first two years of its settlement, the population increased to 776. The population then declined until 1871, because the townsite was in Comanche territory and raids were common, and because the hardships of the American Civil War led citizens to leave. The population grew after Stephenville became an agriculture and livestock center. Coal mining along with became important to the area in 1886, and was a major segment of the economy for the 30 years.

Stephenville was incorporated in 1889, with the coming on of the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway. In the 1890s, many of the buildings re the town square were built, Tarleton State University opened, and the community’s two newspapers combination to become the Empire-Tribune, which is nevertheless in operation. In February 1907, the Stephenville North and South Texas Railway was chartered by Stephenville and Hamilton business interests, which sold the parentage in 1910 to the St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas system. In the 20th century, industry became an important share of Stephenville, and the population has steadily increased in the past the 1920s.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 11.89 square miles (30.8 km), of which 11.89 square miles (30.8 km²) are house and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km) is covered by water.