Buda ( )
is a city in
Hays County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,108 in
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
,
an increase over the figure of 7,295 tabulated in 2010.
Buda is part of the
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area and is one of
Austin's fastest growing suburbs.
History

The town of Buda sprang up along the route of the
International-Great Northern Railroad, which was extended from Austin to San Antonio in 1880. Buda bore the name of "Du Pre" from its birth in 1881 until the autumn of 1887, when postal officials became aware that another Texas town was also named Du Pre. Cornelia Trimble platted the town of Du Pre on April 1, 1881, establishing streets and a wide "Reservation" between the lots and the railroad right of way, which allowed the railroad to place buildings on the parkland, including the depot that would become the lifeblood of the town over the next few decades. Several businesses sprang up, including the Carrington Hotel, which served meals to railroad travelers. By the time Du Pre found a new name for itself, the Carrington hotel was known as the "Buda House". The "Dupre Notes" column of the Sept. 25, 1886, edition of the ''Hays County Times and Farmer's Journal'' notes that "The Buda House is one of the best hotels in the state. The polite and entertaining hostess, Mrs. Carrington, meets all with a courteous welcome." According to the town's oral tradition, "Buda" is a corruption of the Spanish word ''viuda'', or "widow", referencing the widows who supposedly worked as cooks at the Carrington Hotel. Others suggest that like the town of
Buda, Illinois, the town name is a nod to the exiles of the failed
Hungarian Revolution of 1848 who settled in the area.
Buda was incorporated in 1948. By the mid-1980s it had attracted a cement plant and some craft industry.
Geography
Buda is in northeastern Hays County. It is southwest of
downtown Austin
Downtown Austin is the central business district of Austin, Texas, United States. The area of the district is bound by Lamar Boulevard to the west, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (Austin), Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the north, Inte ...
and northeast of
San Antonio
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
on
Interstate 35. Just to the north of Buda is
Texas State Highway 45, a major toll loop of Austin. Almost immediately north of Buda is the county line bordering
Travis County and the Austin city limits.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, Buda has a total area of , of which , or 0.11%, are water.
Onion Creek flows through the northwest side of the city, a tributary of the
Colorado River
The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...
.
Demographics
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 15,108 people, 5,827 households, and 4,314 families residing in the city.
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 2,404 people, 866 households, and 685 families residing in the city. Based on utility hook-ups, the city estimated its 2008 population to be in excess of 5,000 residents. The population density was . There were 910 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.95%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.58%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.54%
Native American, 0.87%
Asian, 12.02% from
other races, and 3.04% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 26.83% of the population.
There were 866 households, out of which 44.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 36.7% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $54,135, and the median income for a family was $57,321. Males had a median income of $37,398 versus $30,064 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $22,167. About 3.3% of families and 3.7% 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 ...
, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2007, Buda recorded $384 million of assessed property value within city limits. Based on a February 2007 survey of 14 central Texas cities, Buda had the highest per capita assessed property value at $85,431 per resident. The city recorded more than $3 million in sales tax collection in 2006, for a per capita sales tax collection of $675.
Economy
Buda is home to numerous fast-growing small- to medium-sized businesses.
Arts and culture

Buda is a
commuter town
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
south of Austin. Commercial development along the
I-35 corridor, such as the
Cabela's sporting goods store, has increased city sales tax revenue, and city leaders hope that further revitalization of downtown Buda will attract tourists and residents to the Main Street area.
Buda attracts national attention for its lighthearted
wiener dog races, organized every April by the Buda
Lions Club
Lions Clubs International, is an international service organization, currently headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. , it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members (including the youth wing Leo clubs, Leo) in more than 200 ge ...
.
Rooster Teeth Productions, the creators of the
machinima
Machinima () is the use of Real-time computing, real-time computer graphics engines to create a cinematic production. The word "Machinima" is a portmanteau of the words ''machine'' and ''Film, cinema''. According to Guinness World Records, ma ...
series ''
Red vs. Blue'' and ''
The Strangerhood'', had its office in Buda until moving back to Austin.
Government
Buda is a
home rule
Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...
city with a
council-manager form of government. Other governmental entities include the Buda Planning and Zoning Commission, the Historical Commission, the Parks Commission, the Board of Adjustments and the Economic Development Corporation. Citizen Groups active in local politics include the Buda Area Chamber of Commerce and the Buda Downtown Merchants Association.
In November 2007, Buda citizens adopted a home rule charter by a margin of 77.85 percent, allowing the city to transition from general law to home rule.
Education
Buda is served by the
Hays Consolidated Independent School District. Buda Elementary, built in 1885, sits just outside Main Street and serves 500 students from the Buda area. Buda students attend
Carpenter Hill Elementary School,
Elm Grove Elementary School,
Dahlstrom Middle School,
Jack C. Hays High School, and
Moe and Gene Johnson High School.
Notable people
*
Gary Clarke, retired actor, co-starred on ''
The Virginian'', 1962–1964
*
Jen Hatmaker, author, blogger
*
Tex Hughson, Boston Red Sox pitcher
*
Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr., Texas state legislator and father of President
Lyndon Johnson
*
Donald K. Muchow, Rear Admiral and former U.S. Navy Chief of Chaplains (1994–1997)
2008-08-11. Retrieved 2010-3-23.
/ref>
* Tommy Shannon, musician and former bass player of Stevie Ray Vaughan Double Trouble.
See also
* Garlic Creek
Notes
References
External links
City of Buda official website
*
Buda Area Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control
Cities in Texas
Cities in Hays County, Texas
Cities in Greater Austin
Populated places established in 1881
1881 establishments in Texas