Taylor, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Taylor, Texas
City
Downtown Taylor, Texas
Nickname(s):  Taylor Made Texas
Location of Taylor, Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Williamson
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
Area
• Total	20.62 sq mi (53.40 km2)
• Land	20.50 sq mi (53.10 km2)
• Water	0.11 sq mi (0.29 km2)
Elevation	564 ft (172 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	16,267
• Density	847.79/sq mi (327.34/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	76574
Area code(s)	512 & 737
FIPS code	48-71948
GNIS feature ID	1369631
Website	Taylor, Texas

Heritage Square Park is in downtown Taylor.

Pierce Park is a skate park at 200 East 4th Street.

The historic Howard Theatre in Taylor, Texas.

Taylor is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. In 2020, about 16,267 people lived there. This was an increase from 15,191 people in 2010.

Taylor's History: How the City Began

In 1876, Taylor was founded when the Texas Land Company sold land lots. This happened just before the International-Great Northern Railroad arrived. The city was named after Edward Moses Taylor, a railroad official. It was first called Taylorsville, but the name officially became Taylor in 1892.

People from places like Moravia and Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic), as well as from Germany and Austria, helped build the town. Taylor quickly became a busy place for shipping cattle, grain, and cotton.

Early Growth and Development

By 1878, Taylor had 1,000 residents and 32 businesses. A fire destroyed 29 of these businesses in 1879. But the town recovered fast, and stronger buildings were constructed. In 1882, the Taylor, Bastrop and Houston Railway came to the community. This railway later became part of the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad.

Machine shops and a roundhouse were built to serve both rail lines. In 1882, Taylor became an official city with a mayor and city council. A public school system started in 1883, replacing many private schools.

Taylor in the 1890s and Beyond

By 1890, Taylor had two banks and the first savings and loan in Texas. New businesses included an electric company, a cotton press, and several newspapers. By 1900, the city had a water line from the San Gabriel River. It also had a volunteer fire department with 100 members.

Since 1900, Taylor's population has grown steadily. Between 2000 and 2010, the population grew by 11.9%.

Where is Taylor, Texas?

Taylor is located at 30°34′21″N 97°25′00″W / 30.572371°N 97.416546°W / 30.572371; -97.416546. It is about 9 miles east of Hutto and 8 miles south of Granger. Taylor is also about 29 miles northeast of Austin.

City Size and Water

The United States Census Bureau says the city covers about 13.6 square miles (35.1 km²). Most of this area is land (13.5 square miles or 35.0 km²). A small part, about 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²), is water.

Taylor's Climate

The climate in Taylor has hot, humid summers. Winters are generally mild to cool. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Taylor has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has warm temperatures and plenty of rain throughout the year.

Who Lives in Taylor? (Demographics)

In 2020, there were 16,267 people living in Taylor. There were 6,436 households and 3,888 families.

Population Details from 2010

As of the 2010 census, there were 15,191 people and about 5,300 households. The population grew by 11.9% between 2000 and 2010.

The racial makeup of the city included:

• 71.7% White
• 10.2% African American
• 1.2% Native American
• 0.7% Asian
• 3.1% from other or two or more races.
• 42.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

About 7.7% of the population was under 5 years old. About 27.5% were under 18 years old. And 11.9% were 65 years old or older.

Education and Income Levels

Between 2005 and 2009, 75.9% of people aged 25 or more had graduated from high school. During the same period, 17.6% of people aged 25 or more had a bachelor's degree or higher. This was a bit lower than the 25.4% average for all of Texas.

The average income per person was $18,859. This was lower than the state average of $24,318. The average household income was $41,814, also lower than the state average of $48,199. In 2009, 15.4% of people lived at or below the poverty level.

Learning in Taylor: Education System

In 2011, the Taylor Independent School District (ISD) was called an "emerging gem" by the Texas Education Agency. This was because of improvements in its school programs. Taylor ISD also won six "Gold" performance awards for academic success in 2011.

Taylor is home to the Taylor High School Ducks. In 2011, Taylor ISD was ranked 634th out of 953 school districts in Texas. Taylor High School was ranked 850th out of 1517 Texas public high schools. This means both the district and the high school are in the middle third of Texas schools.

Modern Learning at Taylor High School

In 2011, Taylor ISD opened a new high school. All students there receive a Mac Book for their education. The new high school can hold 900 students in its 207,000-square-foot campus. Its main facilities can serve up to 1,200 students.

Students also use a Wi-Fi network, two gyms, and a library on the second floor. There are 58 classrooms, including a culinary arts academy and a modern welding lab.

Student Achievements

In the 2011–2012 school year, students from Taylor ISD were invited to the World Odyssey of the Mind competitions for the fifth time. The high school academic team won second place at the state's top academic competition, the Academic Decathlon. The school district also earned six achievement awards from the Texas Education Agency in 2011–2012.

One of the most advanced education programs is the Legacy Early College High School. Here, students can earn an associate degree before they even graduate from high school. The district currently has over 3,000 students enrolled.

Taylor's Economy: Jobs and Businesses

Taylor's biggest employers include the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), Durcon Inc., Burrows Cabinets, and the T. Don Hutto Residential Center.

The City of Taylor, along with the Taylor Economic Development Corporation and the Taylor Chamber of Commerce, works to bring new businesses to the area. This helps improve the local economy.

In November 2021, Samsung announced plans to build a huge semiconductor plant near Taylor. This facility will cost about US$17 billion and create 2,000 jobs.

Taylor in the Media

The local newspaper in Taylor is the Taylor Press.

Many movies have been filmed in and around Taylor, including:

• Heartbreak Hotel
• The Hot Spot
• The War at Home
• The Big Green
• Michael
• SubUrbia
• Home Fries
• Little Boy Blue
• Varsity Blues
• The Rookie
• Where the Heart Is
• The Life of David Gale
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• Secondhand Lions
• The Wendell Baker Story
• Friday Night Lights
• Infamous
• The Hitcher
• Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach
• Joe
• Transformers: Age of Extinction

Getting Around Taylor: Transportation

The Amtrak station connects Taylor to other parts of the U.S. through the Texas Eagle rail line. You can also connect to the Capital Area Rural Transportation System and Greyhound buses there. It is a platform only, without a full station building.

Famous People from Taylor

Many notable people have connections to Taylor, Texas:

• Tex Avery, a famous animator
• Greg Ginn, from the band Black Flag, moved his company SST records to Taylor in 2007
• K. C. Jones, an NBA player and coach, who is in the Hall of Fame
• Fred Kerley, an Olympic Athlete
• Dicky Moegle, an athlete
• Dan Moody, a former governor of Texas
• Hank Patterson, an actor
• Guy Penrod, a southern gospel singer, formerly with the Gaither Vocal Band
• Bill Pickett, an African-American cowboy, rodeo performer, and actor
• Melinda Plowman, an actress
• Rip Torn, an actor

Images for kids

• 

  Downtown Taylor, Texas

• 

  Location of Taylor, Texas

See also

In Spanish: Taylor (Texas) para niños