Smetana is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Brazos County Brazos County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 233,849. The county seat is Bryan. Along with Brazoria County, the county is named for the Brazos River, which forms its western border. The c ...

, in the U.S. state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. According to the

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

, the community had a population of 80 in 2000. It is located within the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area.

History

The area in what is known as Smetana today was first settled by

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

n families in the early 1880s. A small store was in operation in 1885. A post office was established at Smetana in 1896 and remained in operation until 1906. There were four businesses, several scattered homes, and two separate cemeteries for Black and White people in 1941. Its population was 50 from the 1930s to the 1940s, shrank to 20 in 1962, but then grew to 80 in 1990 and remained there through 2000. This was due to the growth of the Bryan-College Station area and

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 ...

. There were three businesses, two cemeteries, and two community centers in Smetana in 1980 and by the end of that decade, it had two restaurants and a grocery store.

Geography

Smetana is located on Texas State Highway 21 and

U.S. Route 190 U.S. Route 190 (US 190) is an east–west United States Highway in Louisiana and Texas. Segments of US 190 will be upgraded to Interstate 14 (I-14); the first segment was opened on January 26, 2017. Route description , - , TX , , - , ...

, west of

Bryan Bryan may refer to: Places United States * Bryan, Arkansas * Bryan, Kentucky * Bryan, Ohio * Bryan, Texas * Bryan, Wyoming, a ghost town in Sweetwater County in the U.S. state of Wyoming * Bryan Township (disambiguation) Facilities and structur ...

in Brazos County.

Education

Smetana had its own school in 1885 and gained another one in 1941. The Texas A&M Research and Extension Center, also known as the Old Bryan Army Airfield, is located one mile west of Smetana. Today, the community is served by the Bryan Independent School District.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Brazos County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas