Neighborhoods of Waco, Texas facts for kids
Waco is a city in Texas with about 120,000 people. It has many different areas, often called neighborhoods. These aren't official government areas, but they are names people use every day. You'll find them on city maps and in parks.
Waco is first split into three main "sides": the North Side, the South Side, and the East Side. Each of these sides is then divided into smaller parts, which are the neighborhoods.
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Exploring Waco's North Side
The North Side of Waco is actually more to the northwest on a map. It includes several interesting neighborhoods.
Some of the neighborhoods you'll find here are:
- Austin Avenue (also known as Castle Heights)
- Brook Oaks
- Brookview
- Cedar Ridge
- Dean Highland
- Heart O' Texas (also called Lake Air)
- Landon Branch
- Mountainview
- North Lake Waco
- North Waco
- Parkdale
- Richland Hills
- Sanger Heights
- Viking Hills
Discovering Waco's South Side
The South Side of Waco is located more to the southeast. This area is like the heart of the city! It's where Waco first began, and a lot of its history was made here. This part of the city was very busy and successful until 1953. That year, a powerful tornado caused a lot of damage.
Today, the South Side is a lively community, especially known for its Hispanic culture. You can find many great restaurants and shops here.
The South Side has six main neighborhoods:
- Alta Vista
- Baylor
- Brazos
- Kendrick
- Oakwood
- University
Waco's East Side Community
The East Side is located to the north, across the Brazos River. This area has a rich history, especially for the African-American community.
There are several neighborhoods on the East Side, including:
- Carver Park
- East Riverside
- Timbercrest
- Cherry Park
- Frog Town
- Sherman Manors
- Sharondale
- Gholsen Heights
- Hollywood
- River Oaks
- Pecan Gardens
- Trendwood
- Estella Maxey
Downtown Waco: The City's Center
Downtown Waco is smaller than the downtown areas of huge cities like Dallas or Houston. Still, about 17,000 people travel there for work every day! Downtown Waco grew up around the Waco Suspension Bridge. This bridge was super important for crossing the Brazos River a long time ago.
In May 1953, a tornado hit downtown Waco. It was a very sad day, as 114 people lost their lives and hundreds were hurt. The tornado caused millions of dollars in damage. It also made Waco's economy struggle for many years.
Downtown Waco is famous for the ALICO tower. This tall building was finished in 1910. For a while, it was the tallest building in the entire Southwest region! Today, downtown Waco is also home to the famous Dr Pepper Museum. This is where the popular soda Dr Pepper was invented! You can also find the McLennan County Courthouse here.
For a long time, Downtown Waco was becoming less important as the city grew towards the west. But recently, Waco's city leaders have been working hard to make downtown the main hub again. They have started new projects in an area called Heritage Square. This area covers two city blocks downtown. One project is a new, eco-friendly building for the Chamber of Commerce. Another project, which started in 2007, is building new shops and homes together.
Other Unique Areas in Waco
Besides the three main "sides," Waco also has other special areas that don't quite fit into those groups.
These include:
- Technology Village (located north of Lacy Lakeview)
- China Spring (found northwest of the Waco Regional Airport)
- Speegleville (west of Lake Waco)
- 84 Corridor (west of Woodway)
- West Waco / Hewitt (between Woodway and Hewitt)
Cities Near Waco
Even though these cities are not part of Waco, they often depend on Waco's economy for jobs and businesses.
Some of these nearby cities are:
- Woodway (southwest of the North Side)
- Hewitt (south of the North Side)
- Robinson (south of the South Side)
- Bellmead, Elm Mott, Lacy-Lakeview, and Northcrest (Uptown) (north of the East Side)
- Beverly Hills (a small city west of I-35 near Floyd Casey Stadium, often thought of as part of the South Side)
