Where is Round Rock?
Round Rock is just 30 minutes north of downtown Austin. Round Rock is one of the fastest growing areas in the Nation. In 2008, Round Rock ranked number 7 out of the Top 10 Best Places to live in the Nation, by Money Magazine.
Population of Round Rock
The City of Round Rock’s population has been hovering around 100,000 for the past several years. The U.S. Census Bureau’s July 2008 estimate put the city at 104,446 residents. A study conducted by the city’s planning department in January 2010, estimated Round Rock’s population at 97,885.
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History of Round Rock
Did you know that originally the city of Round Rock was not named Round Rock at all? It was not located where it is at this moment either. The little community was called Brushy and was located near the banks of Brushy Creek at the natural fording area by the round rock. On May 27, 1851, the Brushy Creek Post office was opened in a section of the Thomas C. Oatts’ store. Then in 1854, Mr. Oatts was asked by the postal authorities to come up with another name for the settlement, since there was already another town in the state that was called Brushy.That’s when Mr.Oatts decided to rename the town Round Rock in recognition of the huge round rock in the middle of Brushy Creek where Mr. Oatts and Jacob Harrell spent large portions of their days sitting and fishing. On August 24, 1854, the name Round Rock was officially given to the community. In 1876, the International and Great Northern Railroad forced the commercial are of Round Rock to move to the east, which would leave the original settlement to be referred to as Old Town. Today, the area has several businesses that have restored these buildings and established shops in them to hold their special historical value. The restoration of this area can be seen as attempt to emphasize the historic past of the City of Round Rock.
Chilsolm Trail
Part of the history of Round Rock involved the Chisholm Trail, which became one of the famed routes for hauling cattle to numerous points in the Midwest in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1865, Jesse Chisholm laid out his trail, starting on the Canadian River near Yukon, OK, the trail proceeded north to Wichita, KS. Originally the trail’s purpose was to have a way to move goods north in order to trade with the Indians. In 1866, Jesse took a wagon train of good plus 250 head of cattle over the same trail, thus the Chisholm Trail was born. The actual Chisholm Trail began north of Round Rock and Williamson County. The branch of the trail that went through Round Rock was not actually part of the Chisholm Trail but only a feeder. Through the years, all of the trails that fed into the Chisholm Trail, became known as the Chisholm Trail. The same purpose was the hauling of cattle from the Southwest to market in the Northwest.
