The Town of Georgetown in Texas

If there is one Central Texas town that has grown significantly in the last 10 years, it would be Georgetown. The Williamson County seat is a picture-perfect small town, with its town square surrounding the historic courthouse. The town was founded in 1848, the same year Williamson County was established. The charming Victorian style limestone buildings surrounding the domed courthouse reflect Georgetown's early prosperity as a commerce center.

Built near the banks of the San Gabriel River, with fertile farmlands to the east and wide-ranging ranch lands to the west, Georgetown had no problem attracting settlers. The addition of a Southwestern University in 1873 brought more prosperity to the little agricultural community. It was a stop on the historic Chisholm Trail cattle drive and that was soon followed by a railroad. But as Georgetown grew, its small town charm remained the same. The Williamson County Sun has been publishing a weekly newspaper from its offices on the square since 1877.

In 1990, the population of Georgetown was around 16,000. The 2000 census put the population just over 28,000 and current city of Georgetown estimates has the population well over 50,000. Just 25 miles north of Austin, this not-so-little town has become known as a great place to raise a family. With highly rated schools, a brand new library and community center, Georgetown has a lot to offer families.

But it's not just those raising families that have raised the town population. Sun City is a Del Webb retirement community with three golf courses and other amenities geared toward the active senior lifestyle that has grown on the west side of Georgetown over the last fifteen years. Sun City attracts new residents from all over the country.

There is plenty to do around Georgetown that keeps its tourism industry thriving, too. A day or two could be spent just poking around the shops, restaurants and coffee shops on the square alone. Just off the square is the historic Palace Theater, first opened in 1926 featuring silent movies. Over the decades, the theater lost some of its luster and even shut down for awhile. In the 1990s, local residents formed the Georgetown Palace Theater, Inc to raise money to restore the theater to its old splendor. No longer a movie theater, The Palace is now an integral part of Georgetown's arts and culture as a live performance theater.

After loosening its civic ban on the size of business that could operate in Georgetown, the town has boomed. The Wolfe family, long time Georgetown residents, sold a large track of land that has become the shopping mecca called Wolfe Ranch right along I-35. Restaurant chains, movie theaters and well known stores abound all over Georgetown. Yet, the small town feel of Georgetown still remains. While the edges of the town spread south toward Round Rock and Austin and west toward Liberty Hill, the heart of Georgetown remains largely unchanged.

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