Timeline of Austin, Texas

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Austin, Texas, USA.

19th century

1873 map of Austin

The Goddess of Liberty on the Texas State Capitol Grounds prior to installation on top of the capitol rotunda.

• 1839
  • Austin designated capital of the Republic of Texas.[1]
  • Waller Plan is developed as Austin's first city plan.
  • December 27: Austin incorporated.
• 1840
  • Edwin Waller becomes first mayor.
• 1841
  • Houston-Austin coach begins operating.[2]
  • Austin Lyceum active.[3]
  • French Legation built.[1]
• 1842 - Texas seat of government relocated from Austin to Houston.[1]
• 1845 - Austin becomes part of the new U.S. state of Texas.[2]
• 1846 - Texas seat of government relocated back to Austin from Houston.[1]
• 1850 - Population: 3,841.[4]
• 1854 - Swenson Building and Ziller Building constructed.[5]
• 1855
  • Texas State Capitol built.[2]
  • St. David's Episcopal Church consecrated.[2]
• 1857 - General Land Office Building constructed.[2]
• 1859 - Buaas's Hall (assembly room) renovated.[5]
• 1860 - Wharton College opens.[5]
• 1871
  • Houston and Texas Central Railroad begins operating.[2]
  • Democratic Statesman newspaper begins publication.[6]
• 1872
  • Connectional High School and Institute founded.
  • Penn's Circulating Library in business.[7]
• 1873 - Austin Library Association active.[3]
• 1874 - St. Mary's Academy founded.[2]
• 1875 - Austin City Railroad begins operating.[8]
• 1876 - International–Great Northern Railroad begins operating.[2]
• 1877
  • Stuart Female Seminary founded.[9]
  • Tillotson College chartered.[2]
• 1878 - St. Edward's University founded.[2]
• 1881
  • November 9: State Capitol building burns down.
  • University of Texas at Austin established.[1]
  • Austin High School opens.
• 1884
  • Congregation Beth Israel synagogue established.[10]
  • Servant Girl Annihilator murders begin (ending in 1885.)
• 1885 - St. Edward's College established.[2]
• 1886
  • Driskill Hotel in business.
  • Hill City Quartet formed.[11]
• 1887 - Negro Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Institute opens.[2]
• 1888 - Texas State Capitol rebuilt.[2]
• 1894 - Heart's Ease Circle of King's Daughters (women's group) founded.[9]
• 1895 - Moonlight towers installed.[1]
• 1900
  • April: Austin Dam failure.
  • Samuel Huston College opens.[2]

20th century

1900s-1940s

• 1902 - Nixon-Clay College and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary established.[12]
• 1908 - Confederate Woman's Home opens.[2]
• 1910 - Congress Avenue Bridge rebuilt.
• 1911 - Texas Fine Arts Association and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 205[13] established.
• 1917 - University of Texas' School for Military Aeronautics opens.[14]
• 1918 - State Office Building constructed.[2]
• 1921 - Austin Civic Theatre founded.[1]
• 1923 - KNOW radio begins broadcasting.[15]
• 1926
  • Council–manager form of government effected.[2]
  • University Airport in operation.[14]
• 1929 - Howson Community Center established.[16]
• 1930
  • Municipal Airport opens.[14]
  • Population: 53,120.[2]
• 1933
  • Austin Public Library building opens.
  • State Highway Building constructed.

The Main Building of the University of Texas at Austin

• 1934
  • O. Henry House museum opens.
  • Junior League of Austin organized.
• 1935
  • Texas Federation of Women's Clubs Headquarters built.[2]
  • Flood.[1]
• 1937
  • UT Tower built.
  • KTBC radio begins broadcasting.[15]
  • Lyndon B. Johnson becomes U.S. representative for Texas's 10th congressional district.
• 1938 - Montopolis Bridge built.
• 1941 - Austin Daily Tribune Building constructed.
• 1942
  • Bergstrom Army Air Field established.[14]
  • Lamar Boulevard Bridge built.
• 1947 - Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin established.[17]

1950s-1990s

The Armadillo World Headquarters

The Pennybacker Bridge

• 1950 – Population: 132,459.[18]
• 1952
  • KTBC-TV (television) begins broadcasting.[19]
  • Burnet Drive-In cinema opens.[20]
• 1953
  • YMCA of Austin chartered.[21]
  • Travis High School opens in South Austin; McCallum High School opens in North Austin.
• 1956 - Ballet Academy founded.
• 1958
  • Goodwill Industries of Central Texas established.[21]
  • Town & Country Food Stores in business.[22]
• 1959 - Palmer Auditorium opens.
• 1960 – Population: 186,545.[18]
• 1961 — Lanier High School opens. Its name was changed to Juan Navarro High School in 2019.
• 1962 - Austin Aqua Festival begins.[1]
• 1963 - Jake Pickle becomes U.S. representative for Texas's 10th congressional district.[23]
• 1965
  • The Citizen newspaper in publication.[6]
  • Reagan High School opens. Its name was changed to Northeast High School beginning in the 2019-2020 school year.
• 1966 - August 1: Whitman shootings.
• 1967
  • Vulcan Gas Company music venue active.
  • Fair Housing Ordinance established.[24]
• 1968
  • Crockett High School opens.
  • Sister city relationship established with Saltillo, Mexico.[25]
• 1970
  • Armadillo World Headquarters music venue active.
  • University of Texas' LBJ School of Public Affairs established.
  • Population: 251,808.[18]
• 1971 - Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum dedicated.
• 1973
  • Austin Community College and regional Austin Transportation Study[26] established.
  • L.C. Anderson High School (Mesa Drive) and Aquarius cinema[20] open.
• 1975 - Austin Community Gardens created.[27]
• 1976 - Austin City Limits television music program begins national broadcast.
• 1978 - Sister city relationship established with Maseru, Lesotho.[25]
• 1979
  • Austin Public Library new main branch building opens.
  • Austin Shambhala Center founded.[28]
• 1980
  • Whole Foods Market in business.
  • Population: 345,496.[18]
• 1981
  • Capital Area Food Bank of Texas[29] and Le Chef College of Hospitality Careers established.
  • Austin Chronicle and Austin Press[6] newspapers begin publication.
  • Sister city relationship established with Lima, Peru.[25]
• 1982
  • National Wildflower Research Center and La Peña arts group[9] founded.
  • Pennybacker Bridge opens.
• 1983
  • Austin History Center active.[30]
  • Austin Children's Museum established.[31]
  • Sister city relationship established with Adelaide, Australia.[25]
• 1984 - St. Michael's Catholic Academy established.
• 1985
  • Austin Film Society organized.
  • Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival begins.
• 1986
  • Austin Lyric Opera founded.
  • Sister city relationship established with Taichung, Taiwan.[25]
• 1987
  • South by Southwest music festival begins.
  • Lamar Smith becomes U.S. representative for Texas's 21st congressional district.[32]
• 1988
  • Dell Computer Corporation in business.
  • Bowie High School established.
• 1990
  • Sister city relationship established with Ōita City, Japan.[25]
  • Population: 465,622.[18]
• 1991 - Sister city relationship established with Koblenz, Germany.[25]
• 1992
  • Austin Convention Center opens.
  • Hyde Park Theatre founded.
• 1993 - Sustainable Food Center[27] and Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association chapter[28] founded.
• 1994
  • Um-Al-Mumeneen-Sayeda-Khadija Mosque built.[28]
  • Goodwill Computer Museum founded.
• 1995
  • Lloyd Doggett becomes U.S. representative for Texas's 10th congressional district.[33]
  • Ordinary Mind Zen Group formed.[28]
  • City website online.[34]
• 1997 - Sister city relationship established with Xishuangbanna, China.[25]
• 1998 - Linh-Son Buddhist Temple established.[28]
• 1999
  • Austin–Bergstrom International Airport opens.[14]
  • Dell Foundation[21] and Foodways of Austin club established.
• 2000
  • Akins High School established.
  • George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2000 headquartered in Austin.
  • Area of city: 251 square miles.[35]
  • Population: 656,562.[35]
  • Sister city relationship established with Orlu, Nigeria.[25]

21st century

The Frost Bank Tower

• 2001 - Sister city relationship established with Gwangmyeong, South Korea.[25]
• 2002 - Texas Archive of the Moving Image headquartered in city.
• 2003
  • Texas Rollergirls founded.
  • Frost Bank Tower built.
• 2005 - Austin Film Critics Association founded.
• 2009
  • May: Austin mayoral election, 2009 held.
  • Texas Tribune headquartered in city.[36]
  • Sister city relationship established with Antalya Kepez, Turkey.[25]
• 2010
  • February 18: 2010 Austin suicide attack.
  • Capital MetroRail begins operating.
  • Austin Bulldog begins publication.[36]
  • Area of city: 297.90 square miles.[37]
  • Population: city 790,390;[37] megaregion 19,728,244.[38]
• 2011 - Sister city relationship established with Angers, France.[25]
• 2012 - Austin Food & Wine Alliance established.
• 2013 - Population: 885,400.[39]
• 2014
  • November 28: Larry Steven McQuilliams, 49, fired at least 100 shots at several government buildings and a police station before dying of a gunshot wound.[40]
  • Sister city relationship established with Hackney, London.[25]
• 2018 - In March, a series of explosions centered in Austin killed two civilians and injuring another five.[41]

See also

• History of Austin, Texas
• List of mayors of Austin, Texas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Travis County, Texas
• Timeline of Texas
• Timelines of other cities in the Southeast Texas area of Texas: Beaumont, Houston, Pasadena

References

1. Nergal 1980.
2. Federal Writers' Project 1940, p. 166.
3. Davies Project. "American Libraries before 1876". Princeton University. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
4. J. DeCordova (1856). Texas Immigrant and Traveller's Guide Book. Austin: DeCordova and Frazier.
5. Gage 1960.
6. "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
7. Philip A. Metzger (1986). "A Circulating Library in the Southwest: J. S. Penn in Austin, Texas". Journal of Library History. 21 (1): 228–239. JSTOR 25541689.
8. Jackson 1954.
9. "Timeline". Women in Texas History. Austin: Ruthe Winegarten Memorial Foundation for Texas Women's History. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
10. "Austin, Texas". Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities. Jackson, Mississippi: Goldring / Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
11. Austin History Center. "Austin Chronology". O. Henry in Austin. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
12. Patterson's American Educational Directory. 29. Chicago. 1932. hdl:2027/uc1.b3970358.
13. Hollyman 1977.
14. Ragsdale 2004.
15. Jack Alicoate, ed. (1939), "Standard Broadcasting Stations of the United States: Texas", Radio Annual, New York: Radio Daily, OCLC 2459636
16. University of Texas Libraries. "Austin (Tex)". Texas Archival Resources Online. University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
17. "Chronology of Catholic Dioceses: USA". Norway: Oslo katolske bispedømme (Oslo Catholic Diocese). Retrieved May 30, 2015.
18. Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, US Census Bureau, 1998
19. Charles A. Alicoate, ed. (1960), "Television Stations: Texas", Radio Annual and Television Year Book, New York: Radio Daily Corp., OCLC 10512206
20. "Movie Theaters in Austin, TX". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
21. Mike Tigas and Sisi Wei (ed.). "Austin, Texas". Nonprofit Explorer. New York: ProPublica. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
22. Andrew Smith, ed. (2013). Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973496-2.
23. "Texas". Official Congressional Directory. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1968.
24. Austin History Center. "Five Decades of Social Change: A Timeline". Desegregation in Austin. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
25. "Sister and Friendship Cities Program". City of Austin. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
26. "Facts & Figures". Austin: Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
27. "History". Austin, TX: Sustainable Food Center. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
28. Pluralism Project. "Austin, Texas". Directory of Religious Centers. Harvard University. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
29. "Texas Food Banks". Food Bank Locator. Chicago: Feeding America. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
30. Austin Public Library. "Timeline of AHC History". City of Austin. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
31. American Association for State and Local History (2002). "Texas: Austin". Directory of Historical Organizations in the United States and Canada (15th ed.). p. 770+. ISBN 0759100020.
32. Civic Impulse, LLC. "Members of Congress". GovTrack. Washington, D.C. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
33. "Texas". Official Congressional Directory. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1997. hdl:2027/mdp.39015038905678.
34. Patricia A. Langelier (1996). "Local Government Home Pages". Popular Government. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 6 (3): 38+. ISSN 0032-4515. Special Series: Local Government on the Internet
35. "Austin (city), Texas". State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 29, 2009.
36. "Texas". CJR's Guide to Online News Startups. New York: Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
37. "Austin (city), Texas". State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
38. "Megaregions: Texas Triangle". America 2050. USA: Regional Plan Association. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
39. "The 15 Cities with the Largest Numeric Increase from July 1, 2012 to July 1, 2013" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 2014. Vintage 2013 Population Estimates
40. "Shooter targets federal courthouse, APD"
41. Jason Hanna; Madison Park; Steve Almasy. "Package connected to Austin bombs exploded in San Antonio". CNN. Retrieved 2018-03-21.

Bibliography

Published in 19th c.

• "Austin". Texas State Gazetteer and Business Directory. St. Louis: R.L. Polk & Co. 1884 – via Internet Archive.
• Historical and descriptive review of the industries of Austin, Austin, Texas, 1885, OL 7026404M
• "Austin". Texas State Gazetteer and Business Directory. Detroit: R.L. Polk & Co. 1890 – via Internet Archive.

Published in 20th c.

• Directory of the City of Austin. Morrison & Fourmy Directory Co. 1912 – via University of North Texas Libraries.
• Pearl Cashell Jackson (1915), Austin yesterday and today, Austin, Texas: E.L. Steck, OCLC 18393216, OL 6576381M
• Federal Writers' Project (1940), "Austin", Texas: A Guide to the Lone Star State, American Guide Series, New York: Hastings House
• A.T. Jackson (1954). "Austin's Streetcar Era". Southwestern Historical Quarterly. 58 (2): 235–248. JSTOR 30237667.
• Larry Jay Gage (1960). "The City of Austin on the Eve of the Civil War". Southwestern Historical Quarterly. 63 (3): 428–438. JSTOR 30240883.
• Stuart MacCorkle, Austin's Three Forms of Government (San Antonio: Naylor, 1973).
• Burnes St. Patrick Hollyman (1977). "First Picture Shows: Austin, Texas (1894 - 1913)". Journal of the University Film Association. 29. JSTOR 20687375.
• Austin Human Relations Commission, Housing Patterns Study: Segregation and Discrimination in Austin, Texas (Austin, 1979).
• Ory Mazar Nergal, ed. (1980), "Austin, TX", Encyclopedia of American Cities, New York: E.P. Dutton, p. 36+, OL 4120668M
• Paul D. Lack, "Slavery and Vigilantism in Austin, Texas, 1840–1860," Southwestern Historical Quarterly 85 (July 1981).
• David C. Humphrey, Austin: An Illustrated History (Northridge, California: Windsor, 1985).
• Anthony M. Orum, Power, Money and the People: The Making of Modern Austin (Austin: Texas Monthly Press, 1987).
• David C. Humphrey, "A 'Muddy and Conflicting' View: The Civil War as Seen from Austin, Texas," Southwestern Historical Quarterly 94 (January 1991).

Published in 21st c.

• Kenneth B. Ragsdale (2004). "Barnstormers, Businessmen, and High Hopes for the Future: Austin, Texas, Enters the Modern Air Age". Southwestern Historical Quarterly. 107 (4): 534–557. JSTOR 30239461.
• David Goldfield, ed. (2007). "Austin, Texas". Encyclopedia of American Urban History. Sage. pp. 52–53. ISBN 978-1-4522-6553-7.
• Andrew M. Busch (2015). "Crossing Over: Sustainability, New Urbanism, and Gentrification in Austin, Texas". Southern Spaces. doi:10.18737/M7W90Q.
• "Austin, TX". U.S. City Open Data Census. Sunlight Foundation and Open Knowledge International. 2018. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018.

External links

• David C. Humphrey. "Austin, TX (Travis County)". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.
• Items related to Austin, Texas, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America)
• "Historical Maps of Texas Cities: Austin". Perry–Castañeda Library Map Collection. University of Texas at Austin.
• Humanities and Social Sciences Division. "Resources for Local History and Genealogy by State: Texas". Bibliographies and Guides. Washington DC: Library of Congress.