victorian architecture economic development energy and the
environment
Georgetown is located 30 miles from Austin on the northeastern
edge of Texas Hill Country. Portions of the town are located on either side of
the Balcones Escarpment, a fault line characterized by black, fertile soils of
the Black land Prairie, with the west side consisting of hilly, limestone karst
formations.
The North and
Middle Forks of the San Gabriel River run through the city, providing over 30
miles of hike and bike trails, parks and recreation for residents and visitors.
History the earliest known historical occupants of the county,
the Tonkawas, were a flint-working, hunting people who followed buffalo on foot and periodically set fire to the prairie to aid
them in their hunts. During the 18th century, they made the transition to a
horse culture and used firearms. The town was named for George Washington
Glasscock who donated the land for the new community;
the early American and Swedish pioneers were attracted to the area's abundance
of timber and clear water.
Victorian Architecture
in 1976, a local ordinance was passed t protect the historic central business
district. Georgetown has three National Register Historic Districts: Williamson
County Courthouse District, Belford National District and the University
Avenue/Elm Street District.
Southwestern University the
Oldest University in Texas is 1/2 Mile from the Historic Square
Economic Development Georgetown was an agrarian community for most of the 19th
and early 20th centuries. The Shawnee Trail, a cattle trail that led
from Texas to the rail centers in Kansas and Missouri, crossed through
Georgetown. The establishment of Southwestern University and construction of a railroad contributed to the town's
growth and importance. Cotton was the dominant crop in the area between the
1880s and the 1920s.
Population growth and industrial expansion continued modestly in the 20th
century until about 1960, when residential, commercial, and industrial
development, due to major growth and urban expansion of nearby Austin, greatly
accelerated. Currently, Georgetown is served by the appropriately named Georgetown Railroad, a short line railroad that connects with the Union Pacific Railroad
at Round Rock and at Granger.
Energy and the Environment in March 2015, Georgetown
announced that their municipal-owned utility, Georgetown Utility Systems, would
buy 100% of its power for its customers from wind and solar farms, effectively
making the city 100% green-powered.