Initial names for the community included Crewville and Crothers, both in honor of early McCulloch County residents. When a post office was established in 1879, the name Rochelle was suggested by a local settler from La Rochelle, France, which was accepted by postal officials.[3] A one-room schoolhouse was first built in 1886 when the community had a population of approximately 30.[2][5] The Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway Company laid its track from Brownwood to Brady in 1903. A second line, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad completed its track from Eden to Lometa in 1912. The arrival of the railroads caused Rochelle to grow substantially. The number of inhabitants had risen to around 700 by 1914. In 1930, several smaller schools consolidated with Rochelle High School. These schools were Placid, Claxton, Corn Creek, and Round Mountain.[5] Several more schools, including Cowboy, Fairview, East Sweden, and Mercury had transferred their students to Rochelle by the end of 1937.[5] Rochelle's population during the 1930s was just over 500 and remained at that level until the 1950s. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway abandoned its track through the community in 1959, accelerating the rate of decline.[3] By the early 1960s, only 100 people remained in Rochelle. That figure rose slightly to 163 in the 1960s and remained at that level through 2000.[2]
Although Rochelle is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 76872.[6]
Rochelle CDP, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
