| City of New Braunfels | |
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| — City — | |
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| Motto: friendship | |
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| Coordinates: 29°42′6″N 98°7′25″W / 29.70167°N 98.12361°WCoordinates: 29°42′6″N 98°7′25″W / 29.70167°N 98.12361°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| Counties | Comal, Guadalupe |
| Founded | 1845 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Bruce Boyer |
| Area | |
| - Total | 29.4 sq mi (76.1 km2) |
| - Land | 29.2 sq mi (75.7 km2) |
| - Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 630 ft (192 m) |
| Population (2007) | |
| - Total | 51,804 |
| - Density | 1,604.4/sq mi (619.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 830 |
| FIPS code | 48-50820[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1342440[2] |
| Website | http://www.nbtexas.org |
New Braunfels (pronounced /ˌnjuː ˈbrɔːnfəlz/ (
listen)) is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas that is a principal city of the San Antonio–New Braunfels metropolitan area. Braunfels means "brown rock" in German; the city is named for Braunfels, in Germany. The city's population was 36,494 as of the 2000 census, and estimated at 51,804 in 2007.[citation needed] It is the seat of Comal County[3].
New Braunfels has a sizeable German Texan community. During the 19th century, its name was often spelled Neu-Braunfels, even by English speakers. The town holds a German-style festival, Wurstfest ("sausage festival"), every November to celebrate the city's German heritage. The newspaper Herald Zeitung was originally two newspapers: The Herald (published in English) and The Zeitung (published in German) until World War II.
New Braunfels draws a fair amount of tourists from across the state, particularly because of the cold-spring rivers that run through the city. Many generations of families still return during the summer to tube down the Guadalupe River and Comal River. New Braunfels is the site of a water park, Schlitterbahn WaterPark Resort. The Comal River is one of the shortest in the world at just 3.2 miles (5.2 km) long, before emptying into the Guadalupe River. The headwaters of the Comal are located in present day Landa Park, where hundreds of artesian springs flow from the Edwards Aquifer. The upper reaches are surrounded by park and private residences, while the lower portions are open for recreation.
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New Braunfels was established in 1845 by the German Prince, Carl of Solms-Braunfels, Commissioner General of the "Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas", also known as the "Noblemen's Society" (in German: Mainzer Adelsverein). Prince Carl named the city for Braunfels, his hometown in Germany.
The Adelsverein organized hundreds of people in Germany to settle in Texas. Immigrants from Germany began arriving at Galveston in July, 1844. Most then traveled by ship to Indianola in December, 1844 and began the overland journey to the Fisher-Miller land grants purchased by Prince Carl. At the urging of Col. Jack Hayes, who realized the settlers would not have time to build homes and plant crops before winter, and as the German settlers were traveling inland along the Guadalupe River, Prince Carl bought two leagues of land from the Rafael Garza and Maria Antonio Veramendi Garza for $1,111.00.
The land, known as "Las Fontanas", was located northeast of San Antonio on the Camino Real and had strong freshwater springs. It was also approximately halfway between Indianola and the lower portions of the Fisher-Miller land grant. The first settlers forded the Guadalupe River on Good Friday, March 21, 1845, near the present day Faust Street bridge. As the Spring of 1845 progressed, the settlers built a fort, divided land, and began building homes and planting crops. Soon after founding the city, Prince Carl returned to Germany, leaving John O. Meusebach to manage the settlement.
In December 1845, Texas became a state in the United States of America, eliminating any ambitions the German aristocracy may have had to establish a German principality within the politically and militarily weak Republic of Texas, and undermining the United States.
A second wave of German immigrants began arriving in 1846, even as the sponsoring Adelsverein teetered on bankruptcy. As hundreds of German immigrants continued arriving at the Texas coast in 1846, three disasters hit the German immigrants. The Mexican-American War broke out between the United States and Mexico, and oxcart teamsters who were contracted to carry the Germans and their belongings inland were diverted to the war effort along the south Texas coast. Additionally, heavy rains flooded creeks and rivers, rendering passage inland difficult. Finally, cholera broke out among the immigrants, and several hundred people died in the outbreak.
Meusebach stabilized the community's finances, and encouraged the settlers to establish additional neighboring communities. The largest of these secondary settlements was Fredericksburg, 80 miles to the northwest of New Braunfels.
New Braunfels thrived, and by 1850, it was the fourth largest city in Texas, with 1,723 people, following only Galveston, San Antonio, and Houston in population. In 1852, the Zeitung newspaper was established, edited by German Texan botanist Ferdinand Lindheimer. The newspaper continues to publish under its current name, the Herald-Zeitung.
New Braunfels is located at 29°42′06″N 98°07′25″W / 29.701724°N 98.123559°W (29.701724, -98.123559).[4] This is 30 miles (48 km) northeast of San Antonio and 45 miles (72 km) southwest of Austin.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.4 square miles (76.1 km2), of which, 29.2 square miles (75.8 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km2) of it (0.51%) is water.
The city is situated along the Balcones Fault, where the Texas Hill Country meets rolling prairie land. Along the fault in the city, a string of artesian springs known as Comal Springs give rise to the Comal River, which is known as one of the shortest rivers in the world, as it winds three miles through the city before meeting the Guadalupe River.
Gruene, Texas, or the Gruene Historical District, is located within the city limits of New Braunfels. Founded by the sons of settlers Ernst and Antoinette Gruene, it had a bank, post office, school, general store, lumberyard, gristmill, dance hall,and cotton gin. It also had access to two railways for shipping cotton bales, a real coup in those times. Its most famous attribute was the dance hall, a family activity in those days. Due to the failure of the cotton crop from Boll Weevils, and the failure of the banks after 1929, commercial activity slowed to a crawl. This village is now a Nationally Registered Historic District where you can dine in the ruins of the original Gristmill or enjoy live music at Gruene Hall. The community may also be researched through the Sophienburg Museum and Archives.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 36,494 people, 13,558 households, and 9,599 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,247.7 people per square mile (481.7/km2). There were 14,896 housing units at an average density of 509.3/sq mi (196.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 84.30% White, 1.37% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 10.93% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.52% of the population.
There were 13,558 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,078, and the median income for a family was $46,726. Males had a median income of $31,140 versus $23,235 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,548. About 9.0% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
New Braunfels is served by the New Braunfels Independent School District, Comal Independent School District, Central Texas Technology Center, and private schools.
The New Braunfels Public Library is located at 700 East Common Street. The library is a member of the Alamo Area Library System.
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New Braunfels is a resort town in the Texas Hill Country.
New Braunfels is usually considered a vacation destination. While it has no university of its own, it has a distinct college town feel, probably due to the huge numbers of students from universities in nearby San Antonio and San Marcos. As the name implies, it has a German heritage, and many of the local attractions capitalize on this. Most of the town's revenue comes from tourism drawn by the incredible rivers.
New Braunfels is also the home of several other smaller "towns" within the city. One of these "towns" is Gruene, TX [1], home of the Gristmill Restaurant and Gruene Hall.
New Braunfels is situated on IH-35 at SH-46, near the Comal and Guadalupe rivers. Access to New Braunfels is accessible via private plane charter, highway access, and the Greyhound Bus Line. Airport shuttles from Austin and San Antonio are available. From San Antonio, head north on IH-35 about half an hour (30 miles) until you reach the SH-46 exit. From Austin, head south on IH-35 for about an hour (60 miles), past San Marcos, and exit SH-46. From Houston, head west on IH-10 about two and a half hours (150 miles), exit SH-46, and head north for about 15 minutes (14 miles more).
Personal vehicle travel is the only effective motorized transportation in town. Print, download, or buy a local map and brave the roads. Traffic during summer weekends is very heavy. Prince Solms Park often has free parking after the for-pay lot is full. Parking costs $5-$10 depending on location. Many tube rental shops offer free parking all day with rental.
With heavy traffic and crowded roads, bicycle and foot are appealing travel options. There are a few bicycle rental shops in town. Remember that bicycles are considered vehicles in the eyes of law enforcement, so obey all traffic laws.
The Comal and Guadalupe rivers offer beautiful sights.
This seems to be what the Comal river was created for. People rent an innertube, hop in the water, and float a few miles down the river. The services of a tubing shuttle are often employed to get from the end back to the insertion point, but because of loops in the river it's a very short walk. Note a recent ordinances prohibit carrying coolers with a capacity over 16 quarts on the river in city limits [3], and consumption or carrying an open container of an alcoholic drink in city parks [4].
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In high season, hotels can fill. If this happens to you, consider a hotel in nearby Seguin or San Marcos.
| This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow! |
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