Elgin, Texas

For other uses, see Elgin (disambiguation).
Elgin, Texas
City

Elgin Courier building
Nickname(s): Brick Capital of the Southwest;
Sausage Capital of Texas
Motto: "Perfectly Situated"

Location of Elgin, Texas
Coordinates: 30°20′55″N 97°22′21″W / 30.34861°N 97.37250°W / 30.34861; -97.37250Coordinates: 30°20′55″N 97°22′21″W / 30.34861°N 97.37250°W / 30.34861; -97.37250
Country United States
State  Texas
Counties Bastrop, Travis
GovernmentThe city charter provides representation through eight council members, representing four wards, and a mayor elected at-large.
 • Type Home Rule,
Council-Manager form
 • City Council Mayor
Marc Holm

Ward 1
Jessica Bega
Mary Penson

Ward 2
Edward Maldonado
Juan Gonzalez

Ward 3
Craig Fromme
Phillip Thomas

Ward 4
Sue Brashar
Keith Joesel
 • City Manager Kerry Lacey
Area
 • Total 5.8 sq mi (15.0 km2)
 • Land 5.8 sq mi (15.0 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 581 ft (177 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 8,135
 • Density 1,404/sq mi (542.0/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 78621
Area code(s) 512 & 737
FIPS code 48-23044[1]
GNIS feature ID 1373617[2]
Website elgintx.com

Elgin (/ˈɛlɡᵻn/ with a hard g, unlike Elgin, Illinois) is a city in Bastrop and Travis Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 8,135 at the 2010 census.[3] The city is a suburb of Austin, and is part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Elgin is also known as the Sausage Capital of Texas[4] and the Brick Capital of the Southwest,[5] due to the presence of three operating brickyards in the mid-20th century (two of which are open to this date).

Geography

Elgin is located 25 miles (40 km) east of downtown Austin and 18 miles (29 km) north of Bastrop,[6] at the intersection of U.S. Highway 290 and State Highway 95.[7] Most of the city lies in Bastrop County, with a portion extending westward into Travis and Williamson Counties. Most of north Elgin is built on blackland prairie soil.

Education

Elgin is served by the Elgin Independent School District, which covers more than 168 square miles (440 km2) in portions of Bastrop, Lee, Williamson, and Travis Counties, and provides educational facilities and resources to meet the needs of more than 4,000 students as of 2010.[8] Austin Community College opened its ACC Elgin branch in the city in 2013.[9]

Economic development

The current demographics can be viewed at the Elgin, TX Economic Development Corporation website.[10]

Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber of Commerce is located in the original 1872 Houston and Texas Central Railroad building at 114 Central Avenue. Events and activities for Elgin can be followed on the Chamber website.[11]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
19101,707—
19201,630−4.5%
19301,82311.8%
19402,00810.1%
19503,16857.8%
19603,51110.8%
19703,8329.1%
19804,53518.3%
19904,8466.9%
20005,70017.6%
20108,13542.7%
Est. 20148,622[12]6.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]

Sports

Elgin is the birthplace of NFL Hall of Fame football player "Mean Joe" Greene.

Ray Culp, a two-time Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher, also was born in Elgin.

Elgin is host to three different sports for the youth of the community and surrounding area. Pop Warner football and cheerleading squads, Elgin Youth Football, which is a member of the Tri-county Football League, Little League and Elgin Youth Soccer Association are available.

Little League World Series 2006

The Elgin Major Girls softball team came from behind in the consolation match-up with the team from Tennessee to win third place in the 2006 Softball World Series in Portland, Oregon. Tennessee defeated Elgin 5-4 in seven innings.[14]

Little League World Series 2007

Elgin Little League's Major Girls' softball All-Stars defended their Southwest Region Championship and earned a second straight trip to the World Series in 2007. The championship game slipped from the Elgin Major girls' hands in a very close game against the undefeated Mattawan Little League team from Michigan, losing 2-0. Elgin took home the second place title for the 2007 Little League World Series as the Southwest Region champion. Elgin advanced to the finals with a 5-0 record.

Filmed in Elgin

Several notable films have used Elgin as a location:[15] They include:

Downtown

The Elgin Commercial Historic District: These buildings along Central Ave. are some of the oldest buildings in the district.

The Elgin Commercial Historic District includes 14 city blocks of commercial and industrial buildings. Most of these buildings are constructed of locally produced brick and were erected from 1872 to 1947. The Elgin Commercial Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Within the 14-block district, 67 buildings are considered contributing structures. A contributing structure is one which has maintained its architectural integrity. Southside includes Central Avenue and Avenue C in the downtown district. Five buildings are under restoration in the Southside area. During the past 14 years, private property owners, business owners, and the public sector have invested about $9 million in the downtown area. A majority of the buildings on Main Street, from Depot Street to First Street, have been restored or renovated, and many are currently under renovation. The Elgin Main Street Program provides a variety of incentives to building owners such as a discounted paint program, free dumpsters, and free advice on architectural design and restoration.

Elgin became a Texas Main Street city in 1990, and in 1999, 2000, and 2001 was selected as a National Main Street Community. Main Street is a national approach to saving our heritage by preserving historic downtown areas. Each year, three cities are selected by the Texas Historical Commission and Anice Read Main Street Center to become Main Street Cities. Communities make a commitment to hire a staff person, provide office space, supplies, and a small budget. The primary commitment is to preserving and revitalizing the historic commercial business district. Volunteerism is a key part of the success of any Main Street program.

History

Downtown Elgin in 1916

The city of Elgin owes its existence to a major flood of the Colorado River in 1869. Originally, the railroad was to have run from McDade, 10 miles (16 km) east of Elgin, southwest to the Colorado River at a point somewhere between Bastrop and Webberville, then to Austin following the river.

In 1871, the Houston and Texas Central Railroad (succeeded by the Southern Pacific Transportation Company) built through the area and established a flag stop called Glasscock named for George W. Glasscock, a local resident and Republic of Texas soldier who lived in the area in the 1830s. Glasscock was renamed on August 18, 1872, for Robert Morris Elgin, the railroad's land commissioner, following the practice of naming new railroad towns after officers of the company.[16] The community of Elgin was created. The original plat placed the train depot in the center of a one-square-mile area.

Elgin was incorporated and received a post office the following year, and a Baptist Sunday school began meeting in a private home. Much of the community's early population was drawn from nearby Perryville, which the railroad had bypassed. Perryville, or Hogeye as it was nicknamed, was located 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to the south. The community was known by three different names: the name Young's Settlement was chosen, probably in honor of the Michael Young family; Perryville, possibly for Perry Young, who was Michael Young's son; and Hogeye.[17] The post office was officially named Young's Settlement, and the churches and Masonic Lodge carried the name Perryville. The name Hogeye was given to the stage stop at the Litton home where the community dances were held and, according to legend, the fiddler knew only one tune: "Hogeye", which he played over and over as the crowd danced on the puncheon floor.

In 1879, Elgin was described as a "thriving depot town" of 400. It had a newspaper, a gin, and a gristmill. Three years later Methodists erected the first church building in town. In 1884, Elgin had five general stores, two druggists, three cotton gins, and a saloon; that year, Thomas O'Conner started a brick-making enterprise that eventually led Elgin to adopt the epithet "Brick Capital of the Southwest". In 1885, a group of citizens met in Elgin to organize a new north-south railroad which would run from Taylor, the rail head for the Missouri, Kansas and Texas ("Katy") Railroad 16 miles (26 km) to the north, through Elgin to Bastrop, the county seat, 16 miles (26 km) to the south. The Taylor, Elgin, and Bastrop Railroad was formed in 1886 and began building the line. That same year, the "Katy" acquired the line and continued the construction on to Houston. Thus, Elgin became the beneficiary of two major rail lines with eight passenger trains daily, adding to Elgin's business as a shipping point for cotton, wool, and livestock. By 1890, the community had a population of 1,100 and supported two hotels, a broom factory, two doctors, a dentist, and the Elgin Courier newspaper. The next year oil was discovered 5 miles (8 km) southeast of town, but the strike was not large. Coal proved better for the economy, when the large coal belt nearby was mined in the early 20th century, bringing Latin American and African American citizens to the area.

The year 1900 resulted in a bumper crop of cotton and Elgin prospered. Elgin grew slowly but steadily through the 20th century, from 1,258 in 1904 to 4,846 in 1990. The city incorporated in 1901, electing Charles Gillespie, building contractor, as mayor, as well as J.D. Hemphill as marshal, W.E. McCullough, J. Wed Davis, Ed Lawhon, Max Hirach, and F.S. Wade as aldermen. Local law enforcement was established to enforce newly established civil and criminal codes. By 1910, Elgin was enjoying a period of great prosperity as families from out on the prairie and surrounding communities moved to town and built nice homes.

By 1940, Elgin was also the site of two big brick and tile plants. Elgin enterprise was stimulated during World War II by the proximity of the army training facility Camp Swift. A third brick company was established in the town in the mid-1950s, lured by the high-quality clay deposits in the area. In addition to the brick plants, a local sausage factory processed thousands of pounds of beef and pork a week; Elgin Hot Sausage continued to enjoy a widespread reputation, and Elgin rapidly became the most important agricultural center in Bastrop County. Five cotton gins and a cotton oil mill were in operation at the same time. Other industries included feed and grain processing and hydraulic press manufacturing.

By the 1980s, proximity to Austin had begun to attract commuters to Elgin. In the mid-1980s, the Elgin Courier was still being published, the sausage had achieved wider fame, and two brick and tile plants were still in operation. Elgin was also the site of a furniture plant and a leather works.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Elgin has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.[18]

Notable People

Ray Culp - Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher
"Mean Joe" Greene -NFL Hall of Fame football player
Jake Helgren - Filmmaker
Margo Sawyer - Artist - Texas State Three Dimensional Artist

References

  1. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Elgin city, Texas". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  4. ↑ House Resolution 705, 74th regular session of the Texas Legislature.
  5. ↑ Handbook of Texas entry on Elgin
  6. ↑ Google Maps
  7. ↑ Paula Mitchell Marks. Texas State Historical Association, ed. "ELGIN, TEXAS". The Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
  8. ↑ City of Elgin-Education. Retrieved on 2008-11-12.
  9. ↑ http://www.kvue.com/news/Austin-Community-College-continues-expansion-across-central-Texas-221622051.html
  10. ↑ Demographics http://elginedc.com/demographics.htm
  11. ↑ Chamber of Commerce http://www.elgintxchamber.com/5128305_46362.htm
  12. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  14. ↑ Elgin Courier Retrieved on 2008-11-12.
  15. ↑ Movies in Elgin
  16. ↑ Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  17. ↑ Handbook of Texas Online entry on Perryville. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  18. ↑ Climate Summary for Elgin, Texas

External links

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