Bryan is a city and the
seat of government of
Brazos County,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. It is located in the heart of the
Brazos Valley
Brazos Valley ( ) is a region of the U.S. state of Texas comprising the following 7 counties in Central Texas: Brazos, Burleson, and Robertson (which collectively comprise the Bryan–College Station metropolitan area), and the neighboring coun ...
(
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
and
Central Texas). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city of
College Station, which lies to its south. Together they are referred to as the
Bryan–College Station metropolitan area, which has a population of more than 250,069.
History
The area around Bryan was part of a land grant to
Moses Austin
Moses Austin (October 4, 1761 – June 10, 1821) was an American businessman and pioneer who played a large part in the development of the lead industry in the early United States. He was the father of Stephen F. Austin, one of the earliest ...
by
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. Austin's son,
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas,Hatch (1999), p. 43. he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization ...
, helped bring settlers to the area. Among the settlers was
William Joel Bryan
William Joel Bryan (December 14, 1815 – March 3, 1903) was a Texas soldier and planter.
Biography Early life
William Joel Bryan was born on December 14, 1815 at Hazel Run in Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri. His father was James Bryan and hi ...
, the nephew of Stephen Austin. In 1866 the county seat of
Brazos County was changed from
Boonville to Bryan, and a post office was opened. In 1867, after many delays caused by the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, which had only previously gotten as far as
Millican, finally reached Bryan. A short time later, in 1871, the city of Bryan became incorporated. Just south of Bryan,
Texas A&M College
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M Unive ...
opened in 1876 in what later would be known as
College Station. The following year, 1877 saw the establishment of the
Bryan Independent School District
Bryan Independent School District is a public school district based in Bryan, Texas ( USA). It also serves rural areas in northern Brazos County, and a small portion of Robertson County.
Within Brazos County it includes Bryan, Kurten, Lake ...
. Keeping up with progress in the rest of the country, Bryan added electric lighting and a waterworks to its community in 1889. The fifth Brazos County courthouse was built in 1892, and by the turn of the century, in 1900, the International-Great Northern Railroad stopped in Bryan.
Using a generous grant of $10,000 from
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...
, the
Carnegie Library of Bryan opened its doors in 1902. A bell, made in 1905 and rung in 1918 to signal the end of World War I is still located out front today. In 1910 the town built an interurban railroad to College Station. By 1923 the line was abandoned. The first Jewish place of worship, the Temple Freda synagogue, was opened in 1913. During the 1930s the town of North Oakwood merged with Bryan. Now Bryan and College Station are "twin" cities. In 1936
State Highway 6 was built, running right through town.
In 2006, the Texas A&M University System announced that the new Texas A&M Health Science Center campus would be built in Bryan near the new Traditions Golf Course development.
A fire at the El Dorado Chemical Co. in 2009 caused the evacuation of 70,000 residents due to the burning of
ammonium nitrate
Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a white crystalline salt consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. It is ...
, possibly causing minor respiratory problems. However, the city requested that only "anyone who can smell smoke or see smoke to evacuate their homes and businesses" and did not enforce an evacuation except for 500 homes in the nearby vicinity of the fire.
Less than 1,000 residents chose to evacuate, taking shelter at
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
, which closed its campus for the day to ease traffic problems. City fire officials chose to let the fire burn down before tackling it, since the chemicals were water reactive.
The evacuation, which started at 2:30 pm
CST ended at 7 pm, except for a small, defined area immediately around the fire, where approximately 100 Bryan residents lived.
In the end, only 500 residents were under a mandatory evacuation, and 35 people were treated for respiratory problems from the smoke. Officials from El Dorado said there was never any danger from the smoke or fire. The warehouse, valued at just under $1 million, was destroyed.
In 2010, the Brazos County District Attorney's Office started the enforcement of a "Gang Safety Zone" in response to an escalation in violence within Bryan. Major US papers and ABC News covered this move. Cities like
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
looked to the Bryan model of safety enforcement surrounding
gang violence. The injunction declared a area in Bryan as the Gang Safety Zone. This placed about half of downtown in the area.
In 2013 the
Planned Parenthood clinic in Bryan closed as a result of state budget cuts which impacted family-planning facilities. The facility began offering abortions in 1998; it was one of three in the state which ceased operations on August 31, 2013.
On April 8, 2021, a
workplace shooting
Workplace violence (WPV), violence in the workplace (VIW), or occupational violence refers to violence, usually in the form of physical abuse or threat, that creates a risk to the health and safety of an employee or multiple employees. The Nationa ...
occurred in Bryan. An employee of Kent Moore Cabinets, a local cabinet-making company, killed one person and injured five others, four of them critically. He then fled but was later taken into police custody, shooting and injuring a state trooper in the process. In June, 27-year-old suspect Larry Bollin was indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder and aggravated assault.
Geography
Bryan is located northwest of the center of Brazos County. It is bordered to the southeast by the city of
College Station and to the northwest by the unincorporated community of
Lake Bryan. The
Brazos River flows past approximately nine miles to the southwest. According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.20%, is water.
Climate
The local climate is subtropical and temperate, and winters are mild with periods of low temperatures usually lasting less than two months. Snow and ice are extremely rare. Summers are warm and hot with occasional showers being the only real variation in weather.
Demographics
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 83,980 people, 30,647 households, and 18,659 families residing in the city.
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 65,660 people, 23,759 households, and 14,873 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 25,703 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 64.65%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 17%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.40%
Native American, 1.65%
Asian, 0.08%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 13.32% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.17% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any ethnicity/nationality were 17.83% of the population.
There were 23,759 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were
married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 18.1% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 15.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,672, and the median income for a family was $41,433. Males had a median income of $29,780 versus $22,428 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $15,770. About 15.5% of families and 22.3% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Parks and recreation
Sports complexes and recreation centers include:
Kyle Field
Kyle Field is the American football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, United States. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggies football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a permanent con ...
, Merrill Green Stadium,
Reed Arena
Reed Arena is a sports arena and entertainment venue located at the corner of Olsen Boulevard and Kimbrough Boulevard in College Station, Texas. This facility is used for Texas A&M University basketball games and commencement ceremonies, concerts, ...
,
Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park
Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park is a baseball stadium in College Station, Texas, that is home to the Texas A&M baseball program. The stadium was dedicated on March 21, 1978, and is named in honor of C. E. "Pat" Olsen, a 1923 graduate of Texas A ...
,
American Momentum Bank Ballpark
Edible Field is a ballpark located in Bryan, Texas and home to the TCL Brazos Valley Bombers and the USL2 Brazos Valley Cavalry soccer team. Renamed by a corporate sponsorship with Edible Arrangements in 2021, it was long known as Travis Field ...
,
G. Rollie White Coliseum, Anderson Track and Field Complex, Aggie Soccer Complex, Bryan Regional Athletic Complex, Aggie Softball Complex, George P. Mitchell Tennis Center, Spirit Ice Arena, The City Course at Phillips Event Center, and Bryan Aquatic Center.
Government
State
The
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...
(TDCJ) operates the
Hamilton Unit, a pre-release facility in Bryan. Hamilton opened as an adult prison facility. It was renovated for juveniles and, in mid-1997, re-opened as the
Texas Youth Commission
The Texas Youth Commission (TYC) was a Texas state agency which operated juvenile corrections facilities in the state. The commission was headquartered in the Brown-Heatly Building in Austin. As of 2007, it was the second largest juvenile corre ...
(TYC) J.W. Hamilton Jr. State School. On June 15, 2003, the facility was transferred back to the TDCJ.
[Secure TYC Facilities by Opening Date]
." Texas Youth Commission. Retrieved on May 6, 2010. The TDCJ also operates the Bryan District Parole Office in nearby
College Station.
Federal
The
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
operates the Bryan and Downtown Bryan post offices. The
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Justice that is responsible for the care, custody, and control of incarcerated individuals who have committed federal crimes; that i ...
operates the
Federal Prison Camp, Bryan, a women's prison located in Bryan.
Education
Colleges
*
Blinn College
Blinn College is a public junior college in Brenham, Texas, with additional campuses in Bryan, Schulenburg, and Sealy. Brenham is Blinn's main campus, with dormitories and apartments.
History
Blinn was established as Mission Institute in 188 ...
– Bryan Campus
*
Texas A&M Health Science Center
Texas A&M Health, also known as Texas A&M University Health, and Texas A&M University Health Science Center, is the medical education component of Texas A&M University, and offers health professions research, education and patient care in dentistr ...
Public schools
*
Bryan Independent School District
Bryan Independent School District is a public school district based in Bryan, Texas ( USA). It also serves rural areas in northern Brazos County, and a small portion of Robertson County.
Within Brazos County it includes Bryan, Kurten, Lake ...
Independent schools
* Allen Academy: PK–12 College Preparatory
*
St. Joseph Catholic School St. Joseph's School, St. Joseph's Catholic School, St Joseph's School, St Joseph's Catholic School, and variants are frequently used school names, and may refer to:
Africa
*St Joseph's School, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Asia
*St Joseph Higher Seconda ...
: PK–12 College Preparatory
* St. Michaels Academy: PK–12 College Preparatory
* Brazos Christian School: PK–12 College Preparatory
*
Still Creek Ranch
Still Creek is an accredited Christian school and horse ranch located in unincorporated Brazos County, Texas, from Bryan, on approximately of land. Danny and Margaret O'Quinn operated the school from 1988 to 2012, and Steve and Tracy Singleton ...
: Private K-12 Boarding and Day School
* Arrow Academy: K-6
Media
Publications
* ''
The Bryan-College Station Eagle
''The Eagle'', officially known as ''The Bryan-College Station Eagle'', is a daily newspaper based in Bryan, Texas, United States. Centered in Brazos County, the paper covers an eight-county area around Bryan-College Station that includes Texas ...
'' (main newspaper)
* ''La Voz Hispana'' (Spanish language weekly)
* ''The Battalion'' (Texas A&M)
* ''The Press''
* ''Insite Magazine'' (local magazine – monthly publication)
* ''Bryan Broadcasting Publications''
* ''The Jail Times'' (Locally owned and operated independent newspaper, Bryan/College Station)
Radio
*
KAMU-FM NPR 90.9 (National Public Radio)
*
KBXT
KBXT (101.9 FM, "The Beat") is a radio station broadcasting an Urban Contemporary music format. Licensed to Wixon Valley, Texas, United States, the station is currently owned by Brazos Valley Communications, Ltd. and features programming from Amer ...
101.9 THE BEAT
*
KVLX 103.9 K-LOVE (Contemporary Christian)
*
KKYS
KKYS (104.7 FM, "Mix 104.7") is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format. Licensed to Bryan, Texas, United States, the station serves the Brazos Valley. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. Its studios and transmitter a ...
Mix 104.7 (Hot A/C)
*
KNDE
KNDE (95.1 FM) is a radio station with a Top 40 (CHR) format licensed to College Station, Texas.
Candy 95's current line-up features the show "Morning Candy" with Frito and Katy (6-10am), Mid-Days with Audrey Rose (10am-2pm), and Afternoons wit ...
95.1 Candy 95 (Top 40)
*
KNFX-FM
KNFX-FM (99.5 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a Classic rock format. Licensed to Bryan, Texas, United States, the station serves the Bryan/College Station area. The station is currently owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.
iHeartMedia, Inc., form ...
99.5 The Fox (Classic Rock)
*
KVJM
KVJM (103.1 FM; ''103-1 KISS-FM'') is a radio station playing Top 40 (CHR) music broadcasting from Bryan/College Station, Texas, and licensed to Hearne, Texas. Under the branding "103-1 Kiss FM", it is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The station's ...
103.1 La Preciosa (Regional Mexican)(Formerly V103.1 Hip Hop/Power 94)
*
KZNE 1150 The Zone (ESPN Sports Radio)
*
WTAW 1620 (Talk Radio)
*
KEOS
Kea ( el, Κέα), also known as Tzia ( el, Τζια) and in ancient history, antiquity Keos ( el, Κέως, la, Ceos), is a Greece, Greek island in the Cyclades archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Kea is part of the Kea-Kythnos regional unit.
Geog ...
89.1 Community Radio For The Brazos Valley
*
KORA-FM 98.3 The Texas Country Original
* KPWJ 107.7 Peace
Television
*
KAGS-LD
KAGS-LD (channel 23) is a low-power television station licensed to Bryan, Texas, United States, serving the Brazos Valley as an affiliate of NBC. The station is owned by Tegna Inc., and maintains studios on South Texas Avenue in Bryan and a tra ...
23 (
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
) – Daily, live newscasts from studio on Texas Avenue in Bryan
*
KBTX-TV
KBTX-TV (channel 3) is a television station licensed in Bryan, Texas, United States, serving the Brazos Valley as an affiliate of CBS. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on East 29th Street in Bryan, and its transmitter is ...
3 (
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, with
CW on DT2) – Daily, live newscasts from studio on 29th Street in Bryan
*
KAMU-TV 12 (
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
)
*
KYLE-TV
KYLE-TV (channel 28) is a television station licensed to Bryan, Texas, United States, serving the Brazos Valley and Central Texas as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Waco-licensed Fox affiliate KWKT-TV ...
28 (
MNTV, with
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
ia_KWKT-TV_in_Waco,_Texas.html" "title="KWKT-TV.html" ;"title="ia KWKT-TV">ia KWKT-TV in Waco, Texas">Waco
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...
in the Bryan-College Station in 1974. It offers fixed bus routes throughout Bryan-College Station. Operating on weekdays on an hourly basis, the seven routes converge at a central location for transferring between routes. It also offers
riders and an on-demand shared ride service.
, operates student-driven free buses on weekdays for use by the general public that includes coverage around several apartment complexes in Bryan near campus and along a route that culminates at the campus of
.
operated by Texas A&M University in College Station.
services, hangar space, and runways for private flights.
: William J. Bryan Parkway / Boonville Road
*
, dentist in Bryan; former member of the Texas State Board of Education known for his
from 1949 to 1981, known as "the Bull of the Brazos" and "the father of the modern
, Republican former member of both houses of the state legislature; a Bryan oil and gas businessman
*
, member of the Texas House of Representatives from Brazos County since 2011; reared in Bryan, businessman and resident of College Station