About the Round Rock, Texas Area 

LOCATION 

The beautiful city of Round Rock in central Texas is located 9 miles north of Austin, just off interstate 35. This is 3 hours from Dallas and 94 miles north of San Antonio. Round Rock, which is 26 square miles, is almost centered between east-west interstates 10 and 20. 

TRANSPORTATION  

The Austin–Bergstrom International Airport is within one hour of Round Rock, and there is an Amtrak Train Station in Austin 9 miles away. The main east-west interstate several miles from Round Rock is Interstate 10, which goes from Los Angeles, California, to Jacksonville, Florida. At the completion of state highway 130 in 2007, heavy trucking will be using this route instead of I-35, giving passenger cars and commuters an easier trip to Austin and beyond. 

POPULATION 

Round Rock’s growth rate began to rapidly increase in the early 70’s and has continued to rise into the present. The population today is about 55,000 and is made up largely of the young and educated.  

BRIEF HISTORY 

There are no historical records about when the landmark round rock was first discovered as a low-water crossing in the Brushy River. After the first settlers had been conducting commerce since the mid 1830’s, they tried to open the first post office in 1854, using the name Brushy. But they found out it was already taken. Therefore, they choose the name Round Rock. 

The infamous outlaw Sam Bass met his demise in Round Rock. On a hot summer day, Sam and his band of outlaws came riding into town where Sheriff Grimes met them. Sam Bass was seriously wounded in the gunfight and was found dead the next day by the Texas Rangers. 

The real boon for the town of Round Rock was when in 1876 The Texas Land Company began building a new town across the creek, which became the end of the line for the Great Northern Railroad. Many of the original buildings built at that time still exist on Main Street. 

Today, the unemployment rate in Round Rock is one of the lowest in the country, with the median age of residents being thirty years old and the average household income at $65,000.