State Highway 21 (SH 21) runs from the

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 ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

boundary east of

San Augustine San Augustine is the county seat city of San Augustine County, Texas, in East Texas, United States. The population was at the 2020 census. History The first European settlement in the area began in 1717 with the establishment of Mission Nuestra ...

to San Marcos in east and central Texas. SH 21 mostly follows the alignment of the

Old San Antonio Road The Old San Antonio Road was a historic roadway located in the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana. Parts of it were based on traditional Native American trails. Its Texas terminus was about southeast of Eagle Pass at the Rio Grande in Maverick ...

and the El Camino Real, except for the portion between Midway and

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 ...

, where the Old San Antonio Road took a more northerly route, and SH 21 follows a more direct route. That section of the Old San Antonio Road is served by Texas State Highway OSR.

History

SH 21 was one of the original 25 routes proposed in Texas on June 21, 1917 along a route from the

border east of St. Augustine to Gonzales, overlaid on top of the Gonzales-St. Augustine Highway. There was proposed extension southward to Karnes City on February 18, 1918. On July 16, 1923, the terminus was shortened to Giddings, with the section south of there being cancelled. A spur, SH 21 Spur, was designated on March 19, 1930 from Milam to Hemphill. On August 1, 1930, this spur became part of SH 87. On September 29, 1933, SH 21 was extended to Lockhart. On July 15, 1935, the section from Giddings to Lockhart was cancelled, and SH 21 was rerouted though Lincoln, replacing part of SH OSR, and followed SH 44 to Giddings. On October 21, 1936, SH 21 Spur to Chireno was added. On May 18, 1937, the spur in Chireno became a loop, SH 21 Loop. On February 21, 1938, another SH 21 Spur to McMahan's Chapel was added. On April 19, 1938, the section of SH 21 from Lincoln to Giddings was cancelled, and SH 21 was extended to Bastrop, replacing part of SH OSR. On September 26, 1939, the section from Paige to Bastrop was cancelled, as it was already part of US 290. The spur and loop became Loop 34 (Chireno) and Spur 35 (McMahan's Chapel). On August 2, 1943, the western terminus had been extended to end in San Marcos, along its current route, replacing part of SH OSR. Lost pines hwy 21

On June 24, 2010, the SH 21 designation was extended along SH 80 and SH 142 to end at

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

Major intersections

Business routes

SH 21 has two

business route A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route connected to a ''parent'' numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city or ...

Kurten business route

Business State Highway 21-H (Bus. SH 21-H) is a long

that runs through Kurten in central Texas. The route was formed from an old section of SH 21 on February 28, 2002, when SH 21 proper was moved onto a new bypass around Kurten.

Nacogdoches business route

Business State Highway 21-P (Bus. SH 21-P) is a long business route that runs through

Nacogdoches Nacogdoches ( ) is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller, similarly named Natchito ...

in eastern Texas. The route was formed from an old section of SH 21, when the main highway was re-routed onto Loop 224 and US 59 on October 25, 2018. ;Major intersections

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Texas State Highway 21

021 021 is: * in Brazil, the telephone area code for the city of Rio de Janeiro and surrounding cities (Greater Rio de Janeiro) * in China, the telephone area code for the city of Shanghai. * in Indonesia, the area code for the city of Jakarta and su ...

Transportation in Sabine County, Texas Transportation in San Augustine County, Texas Transportation in Nacogdoches County, Texas Transportation in Cherokee County, Texas Transportation in Houston County, Texas Transportation in Madison County, Texas Transportation in Brazos County, Texas Transportation in Burleson County, Texas Transportation in Lee County, Texas Transportation in Bastrop County, Texas Transportation in Caldwell County, Texas Transportation in Hays County, Texas Bryan, Texas