Buda, Texas
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| Buda, Texas | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Hays |
| Area | |
| - Total | 2.4 sq mi (6.3 km²) |
| - Land | 2.4 sq mi (6.2 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation | 702 ft (214 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 2,404 |
| - Density | 998.5/sq mi (385.5/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 78610 |
| Area code(s) | 512 |
| FIPS code | 48-11080[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1331525[2] |
Buda (pronounced /ˈbjuːdə/) is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,404 at the 2000 census. City leaders estimated the population exceeded 5,000 in mid-2007.
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[edit] Geography
Buda is located at (30.084229, -97.839081)[3]. This is 13 miles southwest of Austin and 60 miles northeast of San Antonio on Interstate 35.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), of which, 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²) of it is land and 0.41% is water.
[edit] History
The town of Buda sprang up along the route of the International-Great Northern Railroad, which was extended from Austin to San Antonio in 1880. Buda bore the name of “Du Pre” from its birth in 1881 until the autumn of 1887, when postal officials became aware that another Texas town was also named Du Pre. According to town lore, the name Du Pre came from the postmaster of the nearby Mountain City, W. W. Haupt, who pleaded with railroad officials, “Do, pray, give us a depot.” Alternate unconfirmed legends suggest that Du Pre was the name of an Austin newspaper editor who may have been instrumental in bringing the depot to the future town site, or given local topography, could borrow from the French phrase “du pre,” meaning “of the meadow.” Various news sources of the time also spelled the name as Dupre or Dupree. Mrs. Cornelia A. Trimble platted the town of Du Pre on April 1, 1881, releasing streets and alleys and also establishing a 150-foot wide “Reservation” between the lots and the railroad right of way. Though the reservation was the property of town citizens, the plat allowed the railroad to place buildings on the parkland, including the depot that would become the lifeblood of the town over the next few decades. The Du Pre plat followed the convention of the neighboring city of Austin, giving east-west streets the name of local trees: Ash, Elm, Live Oak and China Streets. The north-south streets were named after surrounding communities: Austin and San Marcos Streets. Trimble inherited the 550 acres nestled between Onion Creek and the International and Great Northern Railroad from her second husband, A. N. Hopkins, who according to local newspaper accounts was murdered by his friend, Theodore D. Ormsby, on July 9, 1863. On July 31, 1864 the widow married David Trimble, who at some point in the 1870s abandoned his wife. The 1881 plat includes the line, “The whereabouts of said D.A. Trimble being unknown.” The lots of Du Pre were auctioned off the day after Cornelia Trimble filed the plat. A notice appeared in the April 2, 1881 morning edition of the Austin Statesman: “Du Pre – Spend Saturday, April 2, at Du Pre, on International and Great Northern Railroad, fourteen and a half miles from Austin. Great sale of lots, for business or residence. Plenty of shade and water. Bring your families and don’t forget your lunch baskets. Round trip, morning train 9 A.M., back in the evening.” On April 7, 1881, the San Marcos Free Press noted that “The sale of lots at DuPre last week went off right brisk, 17 having been sold at prices ranging from $60 to $100. Some farm lots across the tracks were auctioned off also.” Several businesses quickly sprang up in the fledgling town, including the Carrington Hotel, which became known for serving good meals to hungry railroad travelers.
In 1883, the Chandler addition platted lots on the eastern side of the railroad tracks.
By the time Du Pre was forced to find a new name for itself, the Carrington hotel was already being referenced as “the Buda House.” In the “Dupre Notes” weekly column of the Sept. 25, 1886 edition of the Hays County Times and Farmer’s Journal, the author notes that “The Buda House is one of the best hotels in the state. The polite and entertaining hostess, Mrs. Carrington, meets all with a courteous welcome.” According to the town’s oral tradition, the name of Buda is a corruption of the Spanish word “viuda,” or “widow,” referencing the widows who supposedly worked as cooks at the Carrington Hotel. Others suggest that, like the town of Buda, Illinois, the name is a nod to the exiles of the failed Hungarian revolution who settled in the area.
In the 1920s, Buda was known as the town hit by the "flapper bandit." On Dec. 11, 1926, a 22-year old University of Texas at Austin student named Rebecca Bradley posed as a reporter from the Beaumont Enterprise and convinced officials from the Farmers National Bank of Buda to let her use the typewriter. As the bank was closing up for the lunch hour, Bradley pulled out a .32 automatic, aimed it on bookkeeper Wayman Howe and cashier B. E. Jamison, and herded the two bankers into the main vault. Bradley drove back to her home in Austin with $1,000 in five-dollar bills, but was apprehended that evening. In the ensuing media frenzy, it came to light that Miss Bradley was actually Mrs. Otis Rogers, having secretly wed the young law student more than a year prior. Prosecutors were unable to find a jury willing to convict such a young girl. After multiple hung juries, Rebecca Bradley Rogers walked free.
Over the years, Buda was the center of an agricultural community that was dominated by cotton production, then dairy farming and beef cattle.
[edit] Current events
Because of its close proximity to Austin, Texas, Buda is rapidly becoming a bedroom community for commuters to Austin. Commercial development along the IH-35 corridor, such as the Cabela's sporting good store, is creating a spike in city sales tax revenue, while city leaders hope that revitalization of Old Town Buda will attract tourists and residents to the Main Street area. Buda has attracted national attention for its light-hearted wiener dog races, organized every April by the Buda Lions Club. The City of Buda, like the neighboring city of Kyle, Texas, is serviced by the Hays Consolidated Independent School District. Buda and Kyle share the Jack C. Hays High School, whose mascot is the Rebels, and Lehman High School, whose mascot is the Lobos. A popular local pastime is watching high school football games at the Bob Shelton Stadium, named for the long-time Hays High School coach. Rooster Teeth Productions, the creators of the machinima series Red vs. Blue and The Strangerhood, has its office in Buda.
[edit] Government
Buda is a home rule city with a council-manager form of government. As of 2008, the Buda City Council includes Mayor Pro-Tem Bobby Lane and Councilmembers Tom Crouse, Cathy Chilcote, Hutch White and Sandra Tenorio. The Interim City Administrator is Sarah Mangham. Other governmental entities include the Buda Planning and Zoning Commission, the Historical Commission, the Parks Commission, the Board of Adjustments and the Economic Development Corporation. Citizen Groups active in local politics include the Buda Area Chamber of Commerce and the Buda Downtown Merchants Association. In November, 2007, Buda citizens adopted a home rule charter by a margin of 77.85 percent, allowing the city to transition from general law to home rule.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 2,404 people, 866 households, and 685 families residing in the city. Based on utility hook-ups, the city estimated its 2008 population to be in excess of 5,000 residents. The population density was 998.5 people per square mile (385.1/km²). There were 910 housing units at an average density of 378.0/sq mi (145.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.95% White, 1.58% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 12.02% from other races, and 3.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.83% of the population.
There were 866 households out of which 44.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 36.7% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $54,135, and the median income for a family was $57,321. Males had a median income of $37,398 versus $30,064 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,167. About 3.3% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2007, Buda recorded $384 million of assessed property value within city limits. Based on a February 2007 survey of 14 central Texas cities, Buda had the highest per capita assessed property value at $85,431 per resident. The city recorded more than $3 million in sales tax collection in 2006, for a per capita sales tax collection of $675.
The city's ad valorem property tax rate for the FY07-08 budget is 18.7 cents per $100 of home valuation.
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
News from Buda
- The Hays Free Press - Local newspaper serving Buda, Kyle and northern Hays County
- The Free Press - Current articles
- Buda from the Handbook of Texas Online
- HaysWeb - Buda and Northern Hays County Information
- Hays Consolidated Independent School District
- Buda Area Chamber of Commerce
- Wiener Dog Races
- City of Buda
- Central Texas Real Estate Experts
- Buda, Texas is at coordinates Coordinates:
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