New Braunfels, Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| New Braunfels, Texas | |
| Motto: friendship | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| Counties | Comal, Guadalupe |
| Founded | 1845 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Bruce Boyer |
| Area | |
| - Total | 29.4 sq mi (76.1 km²) |
| - Land | 29.2 sq mi (75.7 km²) |
| - Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²) |
| Elevation | 630 ft (192 m) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - Total | 47,168 |
| - Density | 1,604.4/sq mi (619.8/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 830 |
| FIPS code | 48-50820[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1342440[2] |
| Website: http://www.ci.new-braunfels.tx.us | |
New Braunfels (pronounced "Brawnfulls") is a city in Comal and Guadalupe Counties in the U.S. state of Texas that is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Area. Braunfels means "brown rock" in German; the city is named for Braunfels, in Germany. In the 2000 census, its population was 36,494. According to the New Braunfels City website, the population in March 2007 was 51,066. It is the seat of Comal County[3].
New Braunfels has a sizeable German Texan community. During the 19th century, its name was often spelled Neu-Braunfels, even by English-speakers. The town holds a German-style festival, Wurstfest [1] ("sausage festival"), every November to celebrate the city's German heritage. The newspaper Herald Zeitung was written in German until World War II.
New Braunfels draws a fair amount of tourists from across the state, particularly because of the cold-spring rivers that run through the city. Many generations of families still return during the summer to tube down the Guadalupe River and Comal River. New Braunfels is the site of one of the most famous water parks in the United States, Schlitterbahn WaterPark Resort. The Comal River is one of the shortest in the world just 3.2 miles (5.2 km) long, before emptying into the Guadalupe River. The headwaters of the Comal are located in present day Landa Park, where hundreds of artesian springs flow from the Edwards Aquifer. The upper reaches are surrounded by park and private residences, while the lower portions are open for recreation.
The Gruene historical district is located within the city limits of New Braunfels. Founded by the sons of settlers Ernst and Antoinette Gruene, it had a bank, post office, school, general store, lumberyard, gristmill and cotton gin. It also had access to two railways for shipping cotton bales, a real coup in those times. Its most famous attribute was the dance hall, a family activity in those days. Due to the failure of the cotton crop from Boll Weevils, and the failure of the banks after 1929, it became a ghost town. This village was purchased by developers in the mid-70's and was saved from demolition by Cheryle Fuller, who did all the research to list it on The National Register of Historic Places, wrote the protective covenants of the Deed Restrictions, and successfully defended them in court. It has remained largely intact with some small improvements, and has become a vacation destination with the white water Guadalupe river below it.
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[edit] Founding
New Braunfels was established in 1845 by the German nobleman Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels, Commissioner General of the "Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas", also known as the "Noblemen's Society" (in German: Mainzer Adelsverein). Prince Carl named the city for Braunfels, his hometown in Germany.
The Adelsverein organized hundreds of people in Germany to settle in Texas. Immigrants from Germany began arriving at the Texas coast in December 1844, planning to travel inland to land grants purchased by Prince Carl. At the urging of Ferdinand Lindheimer, botanist and printer, in March 1845, as the German settlers were traveling inland along the Guadalupe River, Prince Carl bought a parcel of land from the Veramendi land grant, northeast of San Antonio. This tract had strong freshwater springs. Settlers began arriving at the site of the future city on March 21, 1845. As Spring 1845 progressed, the settlers built a fort, divided land, and began building homes and planting crops. Soon after founding the city, Prince Carl returned to Germany, never to return, leaving John O. Meusebach to capably manage the settlement.
In December 1845, Texas became a state in the United States of America, dashing any hopes the German aristocracy may have had of establishing a German principality within the politically and militarily weak Republic of Texas, and undermining the United States.
A second wave of German immigrants began arriving in 1846, even as the sponsoring Adelsverein teetered on bankruptcy. As hundreds of German immigrants continued arriving at the Texas coast in 1846, three disasters hit the German immigrants. The Mexican-American War broke out between the United States and Mexico, and oxcart teamsters who were contracted to carry the Germans and their belongings inland were diverted to the war effort along the south Texas coast. Additionally, extraordinarily wet weather was making creeks and rivers overflow their banks so that passage inland was extremely difficult. Finally, cholera broke out among the immigrants, and several hundred people died in the outbreak.
Meusebach stabilized the community's finances, and encouraged the settlers to establish additional neighboring communities. The largest of these secondary settlements was to be Fredericksburg, Texas, 80 miles to the northwest of New Braunfels.
New Braunfels thrived, and by 1850, it was the fourth largest city in Texas, with 1,723 people, following only Galveston, San Antonio, and Houston in population. In 1852, the Zeitung newspaper was established, edited by German Texan botanist Ferdinand Lindheimer. The newspaper continues to publish under its current name, the Herald-Zeitung.
[edit] Geography
New Braunfels is located at (29.701724, -98.123559)[4]. This is 30 miles (48 km) northeast of San Antonio and 45 miles (72 km) southwest of Austin.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.4 square miles (76.1 km²), of which, 29.2 square miles (75.8 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.51%) is water.
The city is situated along the Balcones Fault, where the Texas Hill Country meets rolling prairie land. Along the fault in the city, a string of artesian springs known as Comal Springs give rise to the Comal River, which is known as one of the shortest rivers in the world, as it winds three miles through the city before meeting the Guadalupe River.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 36,494 people, 13,558 households, and 9,599 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,247.7 people per square mile (481.7/km²). There were 14,896 housing units at an average density of 509.3/sq mi (196.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.30% White, 1.37% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 10.93% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.52% of the population.
There were 13,558 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,078, and the median income for a family was $46,726. Males had a median income of $31,140 versus $23,235 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,548. About 9.0% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
New Braunfels is served by the New Braunfels Independent School District, Comal Independent School District and New Braunfels Academy, the county's largest private school, as well other private schools.
[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.
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- The German Texans, Glen E. Lich, 1996, The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio, 232 pages.
- The History of the German Settlements in Texas, Rudolph Leopold Biesele, German-Texan Heritage Society, 1987 (original edition 1930), hardback, 261 pages.
- History of New Braunfels and Comal County, Texas, Oscar Haas, 1968, hardback, 338 pages.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- New Braunfels, Texas is at coordinates Coordinates:
- New Braunfels from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Official New Braunfels, Texas, web site
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