Leander, Texas

Leander ( ) is a city in Williamson and Travis Counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 59,202 at the 2020 census and 87,511 at the 2024 census estimate. A suburb just north of Austin, and part of the metropolitan area, it was the fastest-growing city in the United States between 2018 and 2019.

History

Leander was established in 1882 on land sold by the Austin and Northwestern Railroad Co. to prospective citizens. The town was named in honor of Leander "Catfish" Brown, one of the railroad officials responsible for the completion of the line.

Tumlinson Fort, the first Anglo-American settlement in Williamson County, was established in early January 1836 at the headwaters of Brushy Creek, four miles south of present-day Leander. With the purpose of protecting settlers from attacks by theComanche, a company of Texas Rangers occupied the post until late February, when the invasion of Santa Anna made abandoning the post necessary, soon after which it was burned by the Comanche.

The Webster Massacre occurred near present-day Leander in August 1839, when a party of about 30 settlers traveling westward through the area were attacked by a band of Comanche, and all but three were killed.

Near Leander, the Leanderthal Lady, a skeleton dating back 10,000 to 13,000 years, was discovered; the site was one of the earliest intact burials found in the United States.

In August and September 2011, destructive wildfires swept through two central Leander neighborhoods, burning a total of and destroying 26 homes.

Geography

Leander is located at the intersection of Ranch to Market Road 2243 and U.S. Route 183, about 22 miles northwest of downtown Austin. Georgetown lies five miles to the east on Route 2243.

According to the City of Leander, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, 59,202 people, 18,505 households, and 15,118 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 2,612 housing units had an average density of . About 51.7% of households had children under 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.0% were not families. About 14.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the city, the age distribution was 33.5% under 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 38.6% from 25 to 44, 15.7% from 45 to 64, and 4.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.

As of 2019, median household income (in 2019 dollars) from 2015 to 2019 was $101,872. Per capita income in first 12 months of 2021 (in 2019 dollars), 2015–2019 was $36,893, and persons in poverty, was 4.2%.

Education

Leander is the center of the Leander Independent School District. Schools in the district include Leander High School, Vista Ridge High School, Cedar Park High School, Charles Rouse High School, Vandegrift High School, Tom Glenn High School, Wiley Middle School (Bernice Knox Wiley Middle School), Stiles Middle School (Florence W. Stiles Middle School), Leander Middle School, Danielson Middle School, Henry Middle School, Running Brushy Middle School, Cedar Park Middle School, Canyon Ridge Middle school, Parkside Elementary School, Pleasant Hill Elementary School, Rutledge Elementary School, Whitestone Elementary School, Jim Plain Elementary School, and Block House Creek Elementary School, Winkley Elementary School, Reed Elementary School, Camacho Elementary (STEM) school, Bagdad Elementary School, and Monta Akin Elementary School.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Leander is a jurisdiction member of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro). The northern terminus for the Capital MetroRail Red Line is located at Leander Station and Park and Ride designed by McKinney York Architects, located on U.S. Highway 183 north of Ranch to Market Road 2243. Leander Station also has access to several express bus lines, and includes a park and ride facility with 600 parking spaces.

Notable people

* Logan Bearden, racing driver
* Nate Champion, notable in the Johnson County War
* Dan Janjigian, Olympian, author and management consultant
* Khiry Shelton, professional soccer player
* Ramesh Srivastava, lead singer of the band Voxtrot
* Paul Thompson, football player

References

External links

City of Leander

Leander Chamber of Commerce
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Cities in Texas
Cities in Williamson County, Texas
Cities in Travis County, Texas
Cities in Greater Austin
1882 establishments in Texas