In Comanche County, De Leon is located southeast of Abilene south of I-10 from Eastland, at Hwys 6/16 at the head of Proctor Lake, on Leon River.
An annual Peach and Melon Festival is held in De Leon the first week of August. The celebration started in 1914 and features a De Leon High School reunion, free melon slicing, and the crowning of a festival queen. The event was attended by 32,000 people in 1983.
In 1990 the town had two peanut mills, a feed processing plant, and a pump manufacturing facility with a worldwide market. The population was 2,190.