Nocona is located east of Wichita Falls toward Gainesville on US 82 and Hwy 175 near the Red River and Lake Nocona.
It is in Montague County just south of the Texas/Oklahoma state line.
In 1887, Herman J. Justin moved his boot factory to the town to take advantage of the shipping facilities. In 1919 a second leather-goods business opened, and in 1925, when Justin's two sons moved their late father's business to Fort Worth, Enid Justin, their sister, opened the Nocona Boot Company.
More than 2,600 people lived at Nocona by the middle 1940s. Oil-equipment companies, clothing factories, and the success of Nocona Boots contributed to a growing economy.
By the 1960s Nocona had 3,375 residents and 147 businesses. In the late 1980s it had 3,000 people and 100 businesses. In 1990 the population was 2,870.