Mustang Ridge

Mustang Ridge is on U.S. Highway 183 fifteen miles south of Austin in southern Travis and northern Caldwell counties. It takes its name from a small line of hills in the area. A stagecoach way station on the Gonzales-to-Austin route was once located just to the east of the site. Nearby watering holes were popular stopping places for traildrivers and their herds on the way to Kansas. Ranching was the principal occupation of area residents until 1900, when cotton became the main business of the region. Tenant farming was common until ranching regained its importance after the Great Depression. Area schools were in the Creedmoor common school district before 1966, when they were consolidated with the Del Valle Independent School District. Mustang Ridge was incorporated in 1985, when its population was 435. The city limits included about 2,500 acres. In 1990 the population of Mustang Ridge was 576, and the community extended into Bastrop County. The population grew to 785 in 2000.