Located in Colorado County, Texas, Provident City is a ghost town. The nearest town is Ganado, about 29 km (18 mi) away (Provident City lies NNW of town).
Provident City is a ghost town in the far southern panhandle of Colorado County in the U.S. state of Texas. The former settlement is located along County Road 190. The town was first settled through a land promotion scheme in 1909 and enjoyed a brief heyday. When the hoped-for railroad obviously would never come to town, people began moving away. The post office closed in 1953, and most of the land was bought up for ranching. The town no longer exists, though the original hotel survives in private hands. Reaching the site requires driving 4.3 miles (6.9 km) on a gravel road from the nearest highway.From the Wikipedia article “Provident City, Texas”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Provident City the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 244° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 84° in summer but only 37° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:31 AM | 90° E | 7:38 PM | 271° W | 61° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:28 AM | 62° ENE | 8:30 PM | 298° WNW | 84° | 14h 01m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:16 AM | 89° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 61° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 117° ESE | 5:33 PM | 244° WSW | 37° | 10h 16m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:57 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:16 PM | 5:51 PM | 6:16 PM | 10h 28m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 10m |
| March | 7:13 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:09 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:35 PM | 7:59 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:37 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:18 PM | 12h 52m |
| May | 6:09 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:38 PM | 13h 37m |
| June | 6:00 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 00m |
| July | 6:11 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:55 PM | 13h 51m |
| August | 6:31 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:28 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 12m |
| September | 6:48 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:33 PM | 7:57 PM | 12h 21m |
| October | 7:04 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:25 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 29m |
| November | 6:26 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:25 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:33 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 42m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 17m |
Local time (America/Chicago), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Provident City, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 32° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| February | 4:47 AM – 5:37 AM | 0.8 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:55 AM – 6:15 AM | 2.3 | 29° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:56 AM – 5:36 AM | 3.7 | 32° | SE → S |
| May | 11:52 PM – 5:02 AM | 5.2 | 32° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:04 PM – 4:44 AM | 6.7 | 32° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:01 PM – 3:21 AM | 5.3 | 32° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:34 PM – 1:24 AM | 3.8 | 32° | S → SW |
| September | 8:53 PM – 11:23 PM | 2.5 | 29° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:17 PM – 9:17 PM | 1.0 | 20° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.56 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 37% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 81 | 87 | 92 | 97 | 102 | 110 | 107 | 110 | 105 | 97 | 89 | 84 |
| Low °F | 19 | 19 | 24 | 34 | 44 | 63 | 66 | 64 | 52 | 37 | 26 | 24 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 3.0 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this ghost town
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Provident City?
What time is golden hour at Provident City?
Where does the sun rise and set at Provident City?
Can you see the Milky Way from Provident City?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Provident City?
How far is Provident City from Ganado?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.