Elgin, Texas

File:Downtown Elgin, Texas 1916.jpg

File:Elgin commercial historic district 1.jpg

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. Elgin was established. The original plat placed the train depot in the center of a one-square-mile area.

The original plan for the Houston and Texas Central Railroad was to have run from McDade, {{convert|10|mi|0}} east of Elgin, southwest to the Colorado River at a point somewhere between Bastrop and Webberville, then to Austin following the river. These plans, however, were thwarted due to a major flood of the Colorado River in 1869, hence the rerouting of the railroad through what is now Elgin.

Elgin was incorporated, received a post office in 1873, and a Baptist Sunday school began meeting in a private home. Much of the town's early population was drawn from nearby Perryville, which the railroad had bypassed. Perryville, or Hogeye as it was nicknamed, was located {{convert|2.5|mi}} to the south. The town 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.[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hrpln Handbook of Texas Online entry on Perryville.] Retrieved 2008-11-13. 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 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 {{convert|16|mi}} to the north, through Elgin to Bastrop, the county seat, {{convert|16|mi}} 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, Elgin had a population of 1,100 and supported two hotels, a broom factory, two doctors, a dentist, and the Elgin Courier newspaper. The following year oil was discovered {{convert|5|mi|0}} 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-Americans and African-Americans to the area, as both free and slave labor.

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.

The eastern side of town was heavily damaged by a high-end EF2 tornado on March 21, 2022.{{cite report|via=National Weather Service in Austin, Texas|title=Texas Event Report: EF0 Tornado|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=1013297|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|year=2022|accessdate=December 3, 2022}}{{cite report|via=National Weather Service in Austin, Texas|title=Texas Event Report: EF2 Tornado|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=1013298|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|year=2022|accessdate=December 3, 2022}}

In 2022, city voters approved the decriminalization of possession of misdemeanor amounts of marijuana.{{cite news |title=San Marcos, Elgin voters approve ballot measures to decriminalize marijuana within city limits |url=https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/vote-texas/san-marcos-decriminalize-marijuana/269-3c47033f-7af3-4591-92b0-da62e48c0ff8 |access-date=10 November 2022 |publisher=kvue.com |date=9 November 2022}}

Elgin is located {{convert|25|mi}} east of downtown Austin and {{convert|18|mi}} north of Bastrop,Google Maps at the intersection of U.S. Highway 290 and State Highway 95.{{cite web| url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hge06| title=ELGIN, TEXAS|language=en|author=Paula Mitchell Marks| work=The Handbook of Texas Online| editor=Texas State Historical Association| access-date=2010-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208013935/https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hge06|archive-date=2010-12-08}} 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.{{Citation needed|date=April 2014}}

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.[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=28214&cityname=Elgin%2C+Texas%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Elgin, Texas]

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| collapsed =

| single line = yes

| location = Elgin, Texas (1 mile north) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1963–2020)

| Jan record high F = 89

| Feb record high F = 98

| Mar record high F = 96

| Apr record high F = 100

| May record high F = 100

| Jun record high F = 107

| Jul record high F = 107

| Aug record high F = 108

| Sep record high F = 110

| Oct record high F = 97

| Nov record high F = 91

| Dec record high F = 86

| year record high F =

| Jan high F = 60.8

| Feb high F = 64.3

| Mar high F = 71.3

| Apr high F = 78.5

| May high F = 85.2

| Jun high F = 91.8

| Jul high F = 95.0

| Aug high F = 96.2

| Sep high F = 90.0

| Oct high F = 81.3

| Nov high F = 70.1

| Dec high F = 62.2

| year high F = 78.9

| Jan mean F = 50.0

| Feb mean F = 53.5

| Mar mean F = 60.3

| Apr mean F = 67.6

| May mean F = 75.0

| Jun mean F = 81.5

| Jul mean F = 84.1

| Aug mean F = 84.6

| Sep mean F = 78.9

| Oct mean F = 69.9

| Nov mean F = 59.4

| Dec mean F = 51.7

| year mean F = 68.0

| Jan low F = 39.2

| Feb low F = 42.7

| Mar low F = 49.4

| Apr low F = 56.7

| May low F = 64.8

| Jun low F = 71.2

| Jul low F = 73.3

| Aug low F = 73.0

| Sep low F = 67.9

| Oct low F = 58.4

| Nov low F = 48.7

| Dec low F = 41.1

| year low F = 57.2

| Jan record low F = 7

| Feb record low F = 10

| Mar record low F = 17

| Apr record low F = 33

| May record low F = 42

| Jun record low F = 54

| Jul record low F = 62

| Aug record low F = 59

| Sep record low F = 44

| Oct record low F = 29

| Nov record low F = 21

| Dec record low F = 0

| year record low F =

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch = 2.96

| Feb precipitation inch = 2.06

| Mar precipitation inch = 3.15

| Apr precipitation inch = 2.73

| May precipitation inch = 4.86

| Jun precipitation inch = 2.98

| Jul precipitation inch = 1.97

| Aug precipitation inch = 2.32

| Sep precipitation inch = 2.97

| Oct precipitation inch = 4.02

| Nov precipitation inch = 3.07

| Dec precipitation inch = 3.00

| year precipitation inch = 36.09

| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

| Jan precipitation days = 5.7

| Feb precipitation days = 5.8

| Mar precipitation days = 6.8

| Apr precipitation days = 5.2

| May precipitation days = 6.0

| Jun precipitation days = 5.9

| Jul precipitation days = 4.4

| Aug precipitation days = 3.8

| Sep precipitation days = 5.5

| Oct precipitation days = 5.8

| Nov precipitation days = 4.8

| Dec precipitation days = 5.7

| year precipitation days = 65.4

| Jan snow inch = 0.0

| Feb snow inch = 0.0

| Mar snow inch = 0.0

| Apr snow inch = 0.0

| May snow inch = 0.0

| Jun snow inch = 0.0

| Jul snow inch = 0.0

| Aug snow inch = 0.0

| Sep snow inch = 0.0

| Oct snow inch = 0.0

| Nov snow inch = 0.0

| Dec snow inch = 0.0

| year snow inch = 0.0

| unit snow days = 0.1 in

| Jan snow days = 0.1

| Feb snow days = 0.0

| Mar snow days = 0.0

| Apr snow days = 0.0

| May snow days = 0.0

| Jun snow days = 0.0

| Jul snow days = 0.0

| Aug snow days = 0.0

| Sep snow days = 0.0

| Oct snow days = 0.0

| Nov snow days = 0.0

| Dec snow days = 0.0

| year snow days = 0.0

| source = NOAA{{cite web

|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=ewx

|title = NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = November 5, 2023}}{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00412820&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = November 5, 2023}}

}}

{{US Census population

|1910= 1707

|1920= 1630

|1930= 1823

|1940= 2008

|1950= 3168

|1960= 3511

|1970= 3832

|1980= 4535

|1990= 4846

|2000= 5700

|2010= 8135

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}

|2020=9784}}

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,784 people, 3,033 households, and 2,158 families residing in the city.

As of the census of 2010,[https://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=48:4823044 2010 Census Interactive Population Search]{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} there were 8,135 people. The population density was {{convert|1,402.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 2,948 housing units at an average density of {{convert|508.3|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}. The racial makeup of the city was 57.14% White, 17.30% African American, 1.00% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 20.12% from other races, and 3.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 45.67% of the population.

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,869 households, out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.50.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,750, and the median income for a family was $48,125. Males had a median income of $31,368 versus $21,095 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,698. About 10.4% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 21.7% of those age 65 or over.

File:Elgin tx post office.jpg

File:Elgin tx post office mural.jpg

The Chamber of Commerce is located in the original 1872 Houston and Texas Central Railroad building.

The mural Texas Farm, by Julius Woeltz, is located in the Elgin Post Office. Created as part of the 1930s Federal Arts Project, it depicts men harvesting vegetables and picking corn.{{cite web|author=Smith, Mark L.|url=http://www.elgincourier.com/news/article_4e1ab192-dce3-11e6-8050-5730a45ace1e.html|title=Post office mural rooted in Elgin, art history|language=en|publisher=Elgin Courier|date=2017-01-17|access-date=2017-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422113319/http://www.elgincourier.com/news/article_4e1ab192-dce3-11e6-8050-5730a45ace1e.html|archive-date=2017-04-22}}

In 2006, the Elgin Major Girls softball team finished third in the Softball World Series in Portland, Oregon.[http://www.elgincourier.com/articles/2007/08/08/news/sports/sports01.txt Elgin Courier]{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Retrieved on 2008-11-12. In 2007, the Elgin Little League's Major Girls' softball All-Stars finished in second place in the Little League World Series.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

Elgin is served by the Elgin Independent School District, which covers more than {{convert|168|sqmi}} in portions of Bastrop, Lee, Williamson, and Travis Counties. It served approximately 4,000 students as of 2010.[http://www.elgintx.com/education.asp City of Elgin-Education.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081020113401/http://elgintx.com/education.asp |date=2008-10-20 }} Retrieved on 2008-11-12.

A branch of Austin Community College opened in Elgin in 2013.[https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code Sec. 130.166. AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.]{{Cite web |url=http://www.kvue.com/news/Austin-Community-College-continues-expansion-across-central-Texas-221622051.html |title=ACC opens its ninth campus in Elgin {{!}} kvue.com Austin|language=en|access-date=2014-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203093600/http://www.kvue.com/news/Austin-Community-College-continues-expansion-across-central-Texas-221622051.html |archive-date=2014-02-03 |url-status=dead }}

Movies filmed in Elgin include:{{Cite web |url=http://www.elgintx.com/MOVIES.ASP |title=Movies in Elgin |language=en|access-date=2009-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411185749/http://www.elgintx.com/MOVIES.ASP |archive-date=2009-04-11 |url-status=dead }}

{{colbegin}}

• 1974 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
• 1975 The Great Waldo Pepper
• 1982 The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
• 1993 What's Eating Gilbert Grape
• 1993 A Perfect World
• 1995 The Big Green
• 1996 Michael
• 1999 Varsity Blues
• 2002 25th Hour
• 2002 The New Guy
• 2003 The Alamo
• 2006 A Scanner Darkly
• 2014 Transformers: Age of Extinction
• 2015 My All American
• 2018 Fear the Walking Dead
• 2019 Mercy Black

{{colend}}

• Ray Culp, Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher
• Jake Helgren, Film director, producer and screenwriter
• Chester Snowden, Artist and illustrator
• Otho Davis, Football trainer
• Erika Thompson, Beekeeper

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist|2}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{official website|http://www.elgintx.com/}}
• [http://www.elgintxchamber.com/ Greater Elgin Chamber of Commerce]
• [https://map.chronicle.rip/Youngs_Praire_Cemetery Youngs Praire Cemetery deceased records and online map] at Chronicle Cemetery Map

{{Bastrop County, Texas}}

{{Travis County, Texas}}

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Category:Cities in Texas

Category:Cities in Bastrop County, Texas

Category:Cities in Travis County, Texas

Category:Cities in Greater Austin