FM 179 was first designated on June 11, 1945 along a county road in
Dawson County from Lamesa north . On September 29, 1948, another section of FM 179 from SH 137 at Welch southeast to 1 mile north of Grandview school was created, creating a gap. On December 16, 1948, the 8-mile gap was closed. On March 24, 1953, FM 179 was rerouted north to FM 213, replacing part of
FM 2053, with the old route west to Welch becoming part of FM 2053 instead. On January 8, 1960, FM 179 gained when it was combined with
FM 2081, extending the road to FM 1317. On August 20, 1964, the highway gained another from
FM 1073, from
FM 401, and from
FM 594, extending the road to US 70. Previously, part of FM 594 was FM 1069 and part of FM 1073 was FM 1316. FM 179 reached its current length on September 19, 1968 when most of
FM 1070 was combined with the highway. ==Route description==