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Fredericksburg, Texas

Fredericksburg is a city in Gillespie County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,911 at the 2000 census, and 10,432 in the 2005 census estimate. It is the county seat of Gillespie County. The community of Luckenbach, immortalized in Country music, is near Fredericksburg.

History

19th century

Fredericksburg (German: Friedrichsburg) was founded in 1846 by Baron Otfried Hans von Meusebach, new Commissioner General of the "Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas", also known as the "Noblemen's Society" (in German: Mainzer Adelsverein), and named in honor of Prince Frederick of Prussia, nephew of Prussia's King Frederick William III, and highest ranking member of the Mainzer Adelsverein.

Baron von Meusebach renounced his noble title and became known in Texas as John O. Meusebach. Settled largely by liberal, educated Germans fleeing the failed Revolution of 1848, Gillespie County voted against secession prior to the American Civil War. Fredericksburg is also the home of the architect, Chester Nagel.

The town is also notable as the home of Texas German, a German dialect spoken by the first generations of settlers who initially refused to learn English. They brokered with the Natives of that region the only Indian-Anglo treaty in the United States which has not yet been broken. They were an important part of the Pro-Union Texas resistance during the Civil War, facing ostracization from their neighbors who remained loyal to Texas. Its concentration of German-American settlers means that it shares many cultural characteristics with New Braunfels, another German Texan town.

20th century

Fredericksburg was the birthplace of Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Forces in World War II. The hotel owned by Nimitz's grandfather has been converted into a museum, named the National Museum of the Pacific War honoring the men and women who served with Nimitz in the war. After the war, the Japanese government gifted a Zen Garden to the museum as a tribute to the Nimitz Family.

The much larger George Bush Gallery, home to an I.J.N. Ko-hyoteki class midget submarine and an American B-25 is two blocks away from that.

The 33rd US Marine Corps Commandant, General Michael W. Hagee, graduated from Fredericksburg High School. General Hagee graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. He also holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He is a graduate of the Command and Staff College and the U.S. Naval War College.

Geography

Fredericksburg is located at (30.274058, -98.871822). This is about 63 miles (101 km) north of San Antonio and 67 miles (108 km) west of Austin.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.6 square miles (17.2 km²), all of it land.

Northern Gillespie County is home to one of the state's best-known geographical landmarks, Enchanted Rock. The Rock is a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome, that rises above ground, above sea level, and covers . It is one of the largest batholiths (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,911 people, 3,784 households, and 2,433 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,342.1 people per square mile (518.2/km²). There were 4,183 housing units at an average density of 630.0/sq mi (243.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.08% White, 0.27% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.09% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.00% of the population. English is spoken by 72.73% of the population, Spanish by 14.77%, and Texas German by 12.48%.

There were 3,784 households out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 30.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 81.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,276, and the median income for a family was $43,670. Males had a median income of $25,878 versus $22,171 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,788. About 7.5% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The city of Fredericksburg is run under the Council-Manager form of government. As per the Home Rule Charter

the governing body of Fredericksbug consists of a Mayor and four (4) Council Members. Both the mayor and the council members are elected by the city at large.

Mayor

Jeryl Hoover

Council Members

Tim Dooley
Jeff Jeffers
Tom Musselman (Mayor Pro Tem)
David Pedregon

Education

The city of Fredericksburg is served by the Fredericksburg Independent School District. The school's teams are called the "Billies", with the mascot being a male angora goat. The "Billie" name came from early Fredericksburg school teams being called the "Hillbillies"; a reference to the area surrounding the town—the Hill Country.

For higher education, Fredericksburg is home to Texas Tech University at Fredericksburg.

It also has some private schools, such as:

Ambleside School of Fredericksburg
Hertitage School
St. Mary's Elementary and Junior High School

Fredericksburg has a municipally-operated library adjacent to the Gillespie County Courthouse.

Tourism

The city has become a weekend destination for people in Central Texas, specifically those from Austin and San Antonio, who come for the bed and breakfasts, abundant hunting, fishing, antique stores, museums, the German influence in the form of bakeries, restaurants, stores, and peaches. Fredericksburg and the surrounding area are home to over 300 accommodations that are better known as bed and breakfasts. The nearby Wildseed Farms is also a popular destination for gardening enthusiasts.

Fredericksburg is also home to a unique form of residential architecture called "Sunday Houses". These houses were built by the early German settlers of Fredericksburg as weekend homes, since a large majority of the counties' population lived in outlying rural areas. The settlers would use these homes while in town for the weekend; often to patronize local merchants and attend church services. The form of these houses often consisted of several rooms downstairs, with an upstairs sleeping loft that was accessed by an outside staircase.

Fredericksburg is home to an award-winning brewpub and is also located near the center of the wine industry in central Texas. The designated American Viticultural Areas of Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country AVA and the much larger Texas Hill Country AVA both include Fredericksburg inside their boundaries. Fredericksburg is a common starting point or destination for tourists visiting wineries in the Texas Hill Country.

Airport

Fredericksburg's airport (FAA locator T82) is located on State Highway 16 South, about from downtown, and features a 5,002 ft long runway and a hotel and diner.

Newspaper

The local newspaper is called the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post. Once two separate newspapers, the Fredericksburg Standard and Fredericksburg Radio Post, the Radio Post was bought by the Standard in October 1984 when the publication ceased publication because of the loss of advertising revenues.

Fredericksburg in culture

The song "Stoned" by Old 97's contains the instruction "Take a Greyhound to Fredericksburg."

Fredericksburg, has a sister city, Montabaur, Germany.

Fredericksburg in religion

Fredericksburg has large Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches, befitting the German immigrants who arrived prior to the Civil War. There are also churches of other Christian denominations.