Travis County

Travis County, Texas

Travis County, Texas

360 Bridge in Austin, Travis County, Texas. Photo by Adam Thomas on Unsplash.
Travis County, Texas

Travis County, Texas

Map of Travis County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

Travis County is in Central Texas, 150 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico. Austin, the state capital and county seat, is at the intersection of Interstate Highway 35 and U.S. highways 183 and 290, 100 miles southwest of Waco and seventy-five miles northeast of San Antonio. The geographical center of the county lies two miles northwest of downtown Austin at 30°18' north latitude and 97°45' west longitude. Travis County comprises 989 square miles on the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau and is divided by the Balcones Escarpment. The land west of the escarpment is more arid than that to the east, and the vegetation varies accordingly, ranging from juniper, mesquite, and scrub brush to oak, cottonwood, redbud, and pecan trees. Elevations in Travis County range from 400 to 1,300 feet above sea level. Between 21 and 30 percent of the land is considered prime farmland. The Colorado River, which bisects the county from northwest to southeast, flows from the Hill Country onto the Coastal Plain and provides drainage for the entire area. Wildlife in the area includes deer, coyote, bobcat, squirrel, beaver, opossum, ring-tailed cat, badger, fox, raccoon, and skunk, as well as a variety of birds, fish, and reptiles. Among the county's mineral resources are dolomite, limestone, industrial sand, gravel, oil, and gas. The climate is subtropical, with an average low temperature in January of 38° F and an average high in July of 96°. The average yearly rainfall is thirty-two inches, and the growing season is 270 days.

Fossilized remains of fish and aquatic plant life indicate that the Central Texas region, including Travis County, was once the floor of a shallow sea. Remnants of an extinct volcano (see PILOT KNOB) stand testament to a violent geological past. Archeological evidence dating from the Archaic Period suggests that hunting and gathering peoples established themselves in the region as early as 10,000 years ago. The Tonkawa and the Lipan Apache Indians were well established in Central Texas by the fourteenth century, and Comanche and Kiowa tribes arrived in the area by the eighteenth century. The first European known to have crossed the region was Domingo Terán de los Ríos, who made an inspection tour to East Texas in 1691. When the Spanish moved their missions out of East Texas in 1730, they relocated the missions of San Francisco de los Neches, Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de los Hasinai, and San José de los Nazonis near Barton Springs. In 1827 the Mexican government granted Stephen F. Austin his third, or "Little Colony," which was located east of the Colorado River and north and west of the Old San Antonio Road. Mina (Bastrop) became the headquarters of the colony, and Travis County developed as an offshoot of Mina. Settlers moving into the area in the early 1830s included Josiah and Mathias Wilbarger, Reuben Hornsby, Jacob M. Harrell, and John F. Webber. The onset of the Texas Revolution delayed further settlement activity, and the news of the fall of the Alamo prompted those settlers already in residence to flee.

Continue Reading

Vivian Elizabeth Smyrl | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Travis County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

400 ft – 1421 ft

Size

Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does

  • Land Area: 990.2 mi²
  • Total Area: 1,023.0 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 36.3°F
July mean maximum: 95.2°F

Rainfall, 2019

34.3 inches

Population Count, 2019

1,273,954

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

729,182

Unemployment, 2019

7.6%

Property Values, 2019

$223,070,105,103 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$67,504 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$21,341,265,622 USD

Wages, 2019

$14,558,766,887 USD

Travis County

Highlighted:
  • Travis County
Loading...
Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
Town
Town
Town Yes
Town 964,177 (2021) Yes
Town 3,183 (2021) Yes
Town 9,028 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 2,133 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 20 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 78,693 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 20 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 50 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 452 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 500 (2009) Yes
Town
Town Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 80 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 125 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 2,932 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 9,866 (2021) Yes
Town 3,035 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 18,409 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 2,456 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Lake Yes
Town 9,348 (2021) Yes
Lake Yes
Lake Yes
Lake Yes
Town 19,300 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 67,124 (2021) Yes
Town 35 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 1,157 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 200 (2009) Yes
Town 1,685 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 18,285 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 25 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 966 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 60 (2009) Yes
Town Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 66,884 (2021) Yes
Town 500 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 1,267 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 1,440 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 59 (2009) Yes
Town 123,876 (2021) Yes
Town 514 (2021) Yes
Town 4,587 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 18,189 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 656 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 2,535 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 90 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 542 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 416 (2021) Yes
Town 13,837 (2021) Yes
Town 3,322 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 1,184 (2021) Yes

Proud to call Texas home?

Put your name on the town, county, or lake of your choice.


Search Places »