Cedar Park, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cedar Park, Texas
City
H-E-B Center at Cedar Park
Logo
Location of Cedar Park, Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
Counties	Williamson, Travis
Established	1887
Incorporated	February 24, 1973
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
Area
• Total	25.70 sq mi (66.56 km2)
• Land	25.50 sq mi (66.05 km2)
• Water	0.20 sq mi (0.51 km2)
Elevation	935 ft (285 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	77,595
• Density	3,115.67/sq mi (1,202.97/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	78613, 78630
Area code(s)	512 & 737
FIPS code	48-13552
GNIS feature ID	2409418
Website	Cedar Park, Texas

Cedar Park Depot, Texas

Cedar Park is a growing city in Texas, located about 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Austin. It's a popular suburb known for its community feel. In 2020, the city's population was 77,595 people.

History of Cedar Park

Early Inhabitants and First Settlers

Before European settlers arrived, the Cedar Park area was home to Native American tribes. These included the Tonkawa, Lipan Apache, and Comanche. An ancient site called the Wilson-Leonard site was found in 1983. It showed that people lived here continuously since about 5000 BC.

In the mid-1800s, the community was called Running Brushy. This name came from a spring that was the start of a creek. In 1873, George and Harriet Cluck bought land around this spring. Their ranch became the center of what would become Cedar Park.

The Railroad Arrives

The railroad came through in 1882. The Austin and Northwestern Railroad connected Austin with cities to the north. It passed right through Running Brushy and the Cluck ranch. The community was then renamed Bruggerhoff, after a railroad official. However, people didn't like this name because it was hard to spell and say.

In 1887, Emmett Cluck, George and Harriet's son, changed the name to Cedar Park. By 1892, a small park was built near the train station. People from Austin would ride the train to Cedar Park for fun day trips to the park.

Growth and Incorporation

Cedar Park didn't change much until the 1950s and 1960s. Then, new neighborhoods started to be built because nearby Austin was growing. On February 24, 1973, the people of Cedar Park voted to become an official city. At that time, about 1,765 people lived there. A public library opened in 1978.

In May 1997, a strong tornado hit the city. It caused a lot of damage in the downtown area. In December 2007, the Cedar Park Regional Medical Center opened. This was the first major hospital in the city. In 2013, the U.S. Census Bureau said Cedar Park was the 4th fastest-growing city in the United States.

People and Population

Population Growth

Cedar Park has grown a lot over the years. Here's how the population has changed:

Diversity in Cedar Park

Cedar Park is a diverse city. The table below shows the different groups of people living there in 2020.

In 2020, there were 77,595 people living in Cedar Park. This included 25,061 households and 18,589 families. Many households had children under 18 living with them. The average household had about 2.74 people.

Geography and Location

Cedar Park is mostly in Williamson County. A small part of the city extends into Travis County. The city covers about 25.6 square miles (66.3 km2) of land and water.

U.S. Route 183 runs through Cedar Park from north to south. There's also a bypass road, the 183A toll road, which opened in 2007. Major roads that go from east to west include RM-1431/Whitestone Boulevard and Cypress Creek/Brushy Creek Road.

Sports and Recreation

Cedar Park is a great place for sports fans! It's home to two professional sports teams:

• The Texas Stars, who play hockey.
• The Austin Spurs, who play basketball.

Both teams play their home games at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. In July 2010, a public skate park opened in Cedar Park. It's a large facility with a big bowl, a mini bowl, and a modern street course for skateboarding.

Schools and Colleges

Most of Cedar Park is served by the Leander Independent School District. The city has two high schools:

• Cedar Park High School (home of the Timberwolves)
• Vista Ridge High School (home of the Rangers)

Cedar Park High School won its first state football championship in 2012. In 2015, the Timberwolves won state titles in both Band and Football. This made Cedar Park High School the only Texas high school to win both UIL state titles in the same year.

Some neighborhoods in the southern and eastern parts of the city are served by the Round Rock Independent School District. Cedar Park is also home to the Cypress Creek campus of Austin Community College. This college campus was expanded in 2008 to serve the growing number of students.

H-E-B Center at Cedar Park

The H-E-B Center at Cedar Park is a large indoor arena. It was finished in 2009 and hosts many different live events. Famous country singer George Strait was the first to perform there in September 2009.

The H-E-B Center is also the home arena for the Texas Stars hockey team. They are linked with the Dallas Stars of the NHL. The Austin Spurs basketball team also plays here. They are linked with the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA. The center is located at the corner of New Hope Drive and the 183A Toll Road.

See also

In Spanish: Cedar Park (Texas) para niños