Pflugerville, Texas
Encyclopedia
Pflugerville is a city in Travis
Travis County, Texas
As of 2009, the U.S. census estimates there were 1,026,158 people, 320,766 households, and 183,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 821 people per square mile . There were 335,881 housing units at an average density of 340 per square mile...

 and Williamson
Williamson County, Texas
Williamson County is a county located on both the Edwards Plateau to the west, consisting of rocky terrain and hills, and Blackland Prairies in the east consising of rich, fertile farming land, The two areas are roughly bisected by Interstate 35...

 counties in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. The population was 16,335 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

. A July 1, 2008 U.S. Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

 estimate placed the population at 39,653. The 2010 Census put Pflugerville's population at 46,936.

Pflugerville is a suburb of Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

 and part of the Austin–Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area
Greater Austin
Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos is a five-county metropolitan area in the US state of Texas, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. The metropolitan area straddles on the eastern edge of the and is situated in Central Texas....

.

Geography

Pflugerville is located at 30.446122°N 97.623989°W (30.446122, -97.623989), 14 miles (23 km) northeast of downtown Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

 along FM 1825
Farm to Market Road 1825
Farm to Market Road 1825 is a state-maintained farm to market road located in Travis County of the U.S. state of Texas.- History :...

 (Pecan Street) in northern Travis County. Pflugerville is situated 15 miles (24.1 km) northeast of the Colorado River
Colorado River (Texas)
The Colorado River is a river that runs through the U.S. state of Texas; it should not be confused with the much longer Colorado River which flows from Colorado into the Gulf of California....

.

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 11.3 square miles (29.4 km2).The city has one body of water - Lake Pflugerville
Lake Pflugerville
Lake Pflugerville is a reservoir in Pflugerville, Texas in the United States. Construction of the 180-acre reservoir began in 2005 and was completed in 2006. Pumps are used to flow water through a 16-mile pipeline to the reservoir from the lower Colorado River. Its main purpose is to provide water...

 - created in 2005 to serve as a water reservoir and recreation area, and two creeks, Gilleland Creek and Wilbarger Creek. A local school group Wilbarger Water Watchers in association with the LCRA
Lower Colorado River Authority
The Lower Colorado River Authority or LCRA is a nonprofit public utility that was created in November 1934 by the Texas Legislature. LCRA's mission is to protect people, property and the environment by providing public services for more than one million people in Central and Southeast Texas...

 monitor the waters of Wilbarger Creek to ensure it meets the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...

's national standard.

Early years

The area was initially settled by German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

 immigrant Henry Pfluger, Sr. (1803–67) and members of his family from late 1849 into early 1850. Pfluger had been a wealthy farmer in Germany, but lost all of his property during the Prussian War. He arrived in the country with $1,600 and purchased 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of land two miles (3 km) east of Austin from John Liese, a brother-in-law who had immigrated before him. In 1853, Pfluger paid Liese $960 for a 960 acres (3.9 km²) tract of land in an area known as Brushy knob. There, the family lived in a five-room log cabin and raised corn, wheat, rye, beans, sweet potatoes, and sugar cane.

Community development

The beginnings of a community wouldn't develop until after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. During the 1870s, a school and Lutheran Church were established at the settlement. The first commercial business in the community was a general store built by Louis Bohls in 1890. Two local organizations: the German-American Mutual Assistance Foundation, to insure residents against natural disasters; and "Pflugerville Schuetzen and Kegel Verein," a shooting and bowling club. Pflugerville's post office opened in 1893 with Louis Bohls serving as its first postmaster. The population reached approximately 250 during the mid-1890s and a small downtown developed even though most residents did their branching and shipping in Round Rock, eight miles (13 km) to the northwest. Wooden buildings were erected on Main Street and Pecan Street, many by Conrad Pfluger – one of Henry Pfluger, Sr.'s eight sons. In 1904, the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad (MKT) completed its track between Georgetown
Georgetown, Texas
Georgetown is a city and also the county seat of Williamson County, Texas, United States with a population of 47,400 at the 2010 census. Southwestern University, founded in 1840, is the oldest university in Texas and is located in Georgetown, about 1/2 mile east of the historic square...

 and Austin, passing just outside of Pflugerville. Its close proximity to the line, however, caused the community to grow rapidly. On February 19, 1904, the town site of Pflugerville was platted by George Pfluger and his son, Albert, dedicating streets and alleys for the town from the Alexander Walter and C. S. Parrish Surveys in Travis County. The plat consisted of sixteen blocks, rights-of-way, and the depot grounds to the MKT. The first addition to the town was the six-block Wuthrich Addition, platted on November 22, 1904. The first cotton gin was built by Otto Pfluger in 1904. It was destroyed by fire in 1931 and a new one was built at the same location. On June 8, 1906, the Farmers State Bank of Pflugerville opened with William Pfluger as its president and A.W. Pfluger as cashier. The first issues of the Pflugerville Press, a weekly newspaper, began publishing on August 7, 1907 and operated through October 29, 1942. In 1910, black workers who worked in the Pflugerville cotton industry were not allowed to move into the town. Farmer La Rue Norton, who owned 1200 acres (4.9 km²) of land west of Pflugerville, set aside an acre and sold lots to the workers at $50 each. County records listed the settlement as Pflugerville's Colored Addition in April 1910. The first Geman Day celebration in Pflugerville took place on May 29, 1910. In 1913, H.S. Pfluger built the Sky Dome Theater, which showed motion pictures to the accompaniment of a player piano on Friday and Saturday nights. It closed in 1928. In the early 1920s, Pflugerville was home to an estimated 500 residents. During that period, several area school districts consolidated with Pflugerville High School
Pflugerville High School
Pflugerville High School is a public high school located in Pflugerville, Texas that serves 2,108 students from grades 9-12. The current principal is Kirk Wrinkle...

. Around 580 people lived in the community in 1930.

Decline

The arrival of the Great Depression
Great Depression in the United States
The Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. The market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement...

 halted what had been a lengthy period of growth in Pflugerville. The population fell slightly to 500 in 1940. In the years immediately after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the community lost around a quarter of its population as citizens moved to Austin and other larger cities with greater employment opportunities. Despite the challenges of population loss and limited economic development, Pflugerville managed to survive. The community gained national attention when the Pflugerville Panthers won 55 consecutive football games from 1958 to 1962.

Resurgence

Efforts to incorporate Pflugerville culminated in the holding of an election on July 24, 1965. A total of 102 votes were cast with 60 (58.8%) supporting the proposition and 42 (41.2%) opposed. The town incorporated under a commission form of government. On April 4, 1970, an election was held that changed the form of government from commissioner to aldermanic, providing for an elected mayor and five aldermen. Pflugerville's population began to rebound after its incorporation and by the 1970 census, it stood at 549. That figure had risen to 745 by 1980. A weekly newspaper, the Pflugerville Pflag, began publication in 1980. During most of the 1980s, new development made Pflugerville one of the fastest growing cities in Texas. Estimates from the late 1980s were as high as 3,900. Although the boom was slowed by a statewide recession, Pflugerville's population grew to 4,444 in 1990.

Recent history

Throughout the 1990s, the city of Austin experienced a rapid rise in its population. This was also the case in suburban areas surrounding the city. Pflugerville and communities such as Cedar Park
Cedar Park, Texas
Cedar Park is a city in Travis and Williamson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population is 48,937. The city is a major suburb of Austin, the center of which is approximately to the southeast, although Austin directly borders Cedar Park at the latter's...

, Round Rock, and Georgetown came to or more than doubled in size by the next census in 2000. Since then, Pflugerville has grown by approximately 20,000, with the total number of residents approaching 40,000 as of 2008. The 2010 Census placed Pflugerville's population at 46,936, however with annexations since the 2010 census and with Pflugerville's continued growth, the city estimates approximately 50,000.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 16,335 people, 5,146 households, and 4,425 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,440.6 people per square mile (556.2/km2). There were 5,239 housing units at an average density of 462.0 per square mile (178.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 77.18% White, 9.46% African American, 0.24% Native American, 4.31% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 5.99% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 2.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.69% of the population.

The 2010 census indicates 46,936 people. Demographics 27% hispanic, 64.1% white, 7.3% Asian, 15% African American.

There were 5,146 households out of which 56.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.0% were non-families. 10.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.39.

In the city the population was spread out with 34.6% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 38.8% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 3.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $71,985, and the median income for a family was $73,629. Males had a median income of $49,989 versus $32,188 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $26,226. About 1.7% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 1.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy and transportation

The City of Pflugerville remains one of the county's jurisdictions with a high property tax rate. Though with a recent influx of higher sales tax revenue, the City Council has lowered the property tax rate annually since 2003.

The city's past isolation from any major roadways, may have led to fewer businesses choosing to locate in town. (While a mile stretch of Interstate 35 is often referred by local media and residents as "in Pflugerville", the city of Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

 actually controls this land, either as part of the city or through its extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries.Any authority can, of course, claim ETJ over any external territory they wish...

.)

However, in November 2006, the first parts of a central Texas tollway system opened, including State Highway 130
State Highway 130 (Texas)
State Highway 130, also known as SH 130 and Pickle Parkway, is a tollway from Interstate 35 in Georgetown to US 183 and SH 45 at Mustang Ridge in Central Texas. Portions south of Mustang Ridge are now under construction [As of 7/2010]. When completed, SH 130 will run in a corridor east and...

 and State Highway 45
State Highway 45 (Texas)
State Highway 45 is a highway loop around Austin, Texas that exists in two open segments. The official designation of SH 45 is such to form a complete loop around Austin, a distance of roughly ....

 increasing accessibility to Pflugerville. Approximately three miles of 130 run through Pflugerville, including the intersection of 45 and 130. Because most of the land surrounding these tollways is undeveloped, the city is using this land to attract major commercial development, thereby improving its tax base and providing an opportunity to lower property tax rates. In fact, Stone Hill Town Center is now open with The Home Depot
The Home Depot
The Home Depot is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services.The Home Depot operates 2,248 big-box format stores across the United States , Canada , Mexico and China, with a 12-store chain...

, Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...

, SuperTarget
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...

, Bealls
Bealls (Texas)
Bealls is a United States chain of department stores headquartered in Texas. It is owned by Stage Stores Inc. The chain overlaps with the Florida-based Bealls chain, although the two are not related...

, Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. , or Dick's, is a Fortune 500 American corporation in the sporting goods and retail industries.The company's headquarters are on the grounds of Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dick's has 451 stores in 42 states as of...

, PETCO
PETCO
PETCO is a chain of retail stores that offers pet supplies and services such as grooming and dog training. Founded in 1965 and incorporated in Delaware, it is headquartered in San Diego, California...

, Ross Dress for Less
Ross Dress For Less
Ross Stores, Inc. , is a chain of American off-price department stores headquartered in Pleasanton, California, operating under the name Ross Dress for Less. It is the third largest off-price retailer in the United States, behind T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, both of which are owned by TJX Companies.As...

, Office Depot
Office Depot
Office Depot is a supplier of office products and provides many services. The company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines, computers, computer software and office furniture, while its business services encompass copying, printing, document reproduction, shipping,...

, 24 Hour Fitness and Cinemark Theatres
Cinemark Theatres
Cinemark Theatres is a chain of movie theatres owned by Cinemark Holdings, Inc. in North and South America and Taiwan. It has its headquarters in Plano, Texas.Cinemark's Missions Statement Reads as follows:...

 already open, and a St. David's HealthCare 24-hour emergency care facility to open by December 2011.

Before the Stone Hill development and the nearby Pfluger Crossing development (a development that includes a Wal-Mart Supercenter
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...

) opened their first stores in 2007, the city's two largest retailers were an Albertsons grocery store (which operated from 1996 to 2006) near Pflugerville High School and an H-E-B
H-E-B
HEB Grocery Company, LP is a privately held San Antonio, Texas-based supermarket chain with more than 315 stores throughout Texas and northern Mexico. The company also operates Central Market, an upscale organic and fine foods retailer.H-E-B ranked No...

 grocery store (operating since 2000) east of downtown.

In 2010, RRE Austin Solar broke ground on what will be one of the nation's largest solar farms, the Pflugerville Solar Farm.

The NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 television drama Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights (TV series)
Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...

was filmed in Pflugerville and Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

. They used Pflugerville High School's stadium, Kuempel Stadium, to film the football games.

Education

Public education in the city of Pflugerville is provided by the Pflugerville Independent School District
Pflugerville Independent School District
Pflugerville Independent School District is a public school district based in Pflugerville, Texas .In addition to Pflugerville, the district also serves the community of Windemere, parts of Wells Branch and Austin as well as rural areas in northeastern Travis County.In 2009, the school district...

 (PISD). The district serves Pflugerville, the community of Windemere
Windemere, Texas
Windemere is a census-designated place in Travis County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,868 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Windemere is located at , 14 miles northeast of downtown Austin....

 and part of Wells Branch
Wells Branch, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,271 people, 5,490 households, and 2,580 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,456.3 people per square mile . There were 5,625 housing units at an average density of 2,224.0/sq mi...

, a small portion of Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

 as well as rural areas in northeastern Travis County.

As of the 2008-2009 school year, PISD had a total enrollment of 21,719 students and operated three high schools (Pflugerville
Pflugerville High School
Pflugerville High School is a public high school located in Pflugerville, Texas that serves 2,108 students from grades 9-12. The current principal is Kirk Wrinkle...

, Connally
John B. Connally High School
John B. Connally High School is a public secondary school in Austin, Texas, United States. The school, which opened in 1996, serves 9-12 and is part of the Pflugerville Independent School District.-Football:...

, and Hendrickson
Hendrickson High School
Hendrickson High School is a high school in unincorporated Travis County, Texas, United States, north of Pflugerville. It is operated by the Pflugerville Independent School District.-External links:*...

), five middle schools, seventeen elementary schools, and two alternative campuses.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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