Texas Hill Country | |
|---|---|
 Hill Country State Natural Area in Bandera County | |
 Map of Texas Hill Country | |
| Coordinates:30°10′27″N99°03′55″W / 30.17417°N 99.06528°W /30.17417; -99.06528 | |
| Location | Central Texas, United States |
| Elevation | 980–2,460 ft (300–750 m) |
TheTexas Hill Country is a geographic region ofCentral andSouth Texas, forming the southeast part of theEdwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered one of the borders between the AmericanSouth andSouthwest.[1] The region represents the very remote rural countryside of Central Texas, but also is home to growing suburban neighborhoods and affluent retirement developments.[2]
The region is notable for itskarst topography and tall rugged hills oflimestone orgranite.[1] Many of the hills rise to a height of 400–500 ft (120–150 m) above the surrounding plains and valleys, withPacksaddle Mountain rising to a height of 800 ft (240 m) above the Llano River inKingsland.[3] The Hill Country also includes theLlano Uplift and the second-largestgranite dome in the United States,Enchanted Rock. The terrain throughout the region is characterized by a thin layer of topsoil and many exposedrocks and boulders, making the region very dry and prone toflash flooding. Native vegetation in the region includes variousyucca,prickly pear cactus,desert spoon, and wildflowers in the Llano Uplift. The predominant trees in the region areAshe juniper andTexas live oak.[4]
Bound on the east by theBalcones Escarpment, the Hill Country reaches into the far northern portions ofSan Antonio and western portions ofTravis County including the cities ofAustin andLago Vista. As a result ofsprings discharging water stored in theEdwards Aquifer, several cities such as Austin,San Marcos, andNew Braunfels were settled at the base of the escarpment. As of 2016[update], the region's economy was one of the fastest growing in theUnited States.[5][6]
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During theAmerican Civil War, due to its large, pro-Union,German immigrant population, the Hill Country opposed Texas seceding fromthe Union.[7] In the three quarters of a century followingReconstruction, the core of the Hill Country generally provided the solitary support base for the Republican Party in what became a one-party Democratic state.
Even when no Republicans were in theTexas Legislature during the 1930s and 1940s,Gillespie andKendall Counties backed every Republican presidential nominee exceptHerbert Hoover in 1932, and Republicans continued to control local government.Guadalupe andComal Counties were less Republican, but still did not vote for Democratic nominees except in the 1912, 1932, 1936, and 1964 landslides. The region was also the only one inantebellum slave states to back the insurgent candidacy ofRobert La Follettein 1924. In fact, Comal was La Follette's top county in the nation with 73.96% of the vote, and Gillespie and Comal were the only counties south of theMason–Dixon line to give a plurality to his "Progressive" ticket.
Because of its karst topography, the area has a number of caverns, such asInner Space Caverns,Natural Bridge Caverns,Bracken Cave,Longhorn Cavern State Park,Cascade Caverns,Caverns of Sonora andCave Without a Name. The area's deeper caverns form severalaquifers, which serve as a source ofdrinking water for its residents.Wonder Cave inSan Marcos was formed by anearthquake along the Balcones Fault. From east to west, Texas Hill Country is where theSouthern United States ends and theSouthwestern United States begins.[1]
Several tributaries of theColorado River in Texas—including theLlano andPedernales Rivers, which cross the region west to east and join the Colorado as it cuts across the region to the southeast—drain a large portion of the Hill Country. TheGuadalupe,San Antonio,Frio,Medina, andNueces Rivers originate in the Hill Country.
TheGuadalupe River is prone to flash flooding due to a combination of topography, geology, and climate; Texas Hill Country is often calledFlash Flood Alley.[8][9] Significant floods occurred in 1978, 1987, 1998, 2002, and2025.
This region is a dividing line for certain species occurrence. For example, the California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera) is the only species ofpalm tree native to the continental United States west of the Hill Country's Balcones Fault.[10]
The area experiences a fusion ofEnglish,Spanish, andGerman influences in food, beer, architecture, and music that form a distinctively Texan culture separate from the state'sSouthern andSouthwestern influences.[1] For example, theaccordion was popularized inTejano music in the 19th century due to cultural exposure to German settlers.
Devil's Backbone is an elevated, winding stretch ofRanch to Market Road 12 between San Marcos andWimberley, thenRanch to Market Road 32 continuing through toBlanco. It has long been the subject of ghost stories.[11] Folklore about it appeared in a 1996 episode ofNBC'sRobert Stack anthology seriesUnsolved Mysteries, featuring apparitionalSpanish monks,Comanche, andLipan Apachetribes,Confederate soldiers on their horses, and a spirit of a wolf.
The region has emerged as the center of theTexas wine industry.[12] ThreeAmerican Viticultural Areas are in the area:Texas Hill Country AVA,Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country AVA, andBell Mountain AVA.[13]
According to theTexas Parks and Wildlife Department, these 26 counties are included in the Hill Country Wildlife District:[14]
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lance Armstrong | 1971 | — | Professional cyclist renowned for seven consecutiveTour de France wins after surviving cancer. He was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles over a doping controversy. He was born inPlano, but is a long-time resident ofAustin. |
| Drew Brees | 1979 | — | Super Bowl winning quarterback for theNew Orleans Saints. AttendedWestlake High School in Austin. |
| Buffalo Hump | c 1800 | 1870 | War chief of the Penateka band of the Comanche |
| Liz Carpenter | 1920 | 2010 | A journalist, author, political speech writer, humorist, public speaker, and the first female vice president ofUniversity of Texas student body, she is one of the founders ofNational Women's Political Caucus and co-chair ofERAmerica, traveling the country to push for passage of theEqual Rights Amendment. She drafted President Johnson's November 22, 1963, speech to the American public after the assassination ofJohn F. Kennedy. |
| Jody Conradt | 1941 | — | A retired women's basketball head coach, she was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998, Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Texas Women's Hall of Fame 1986. She was born inGoldthwaite and resides in Austin. She is the first women's basketball collegiate coach to reach 700 career victories, yet she achieved a 99% graduation rate for the students on her teams. |
| Michael Dell | 1965 | — | Founder ofDell computers, he started the company in Austin and still resides there. |
| Shelley Duvall | 1949 | 2024 | Actress, includingThe Shining,Popeye.Fort Worth-born, retired toBlanco, in Hill Country, from her long time base in California.[15] |
| John Henry Faulk | 1913 | 1990 | Austin-based radio personality, author, playwright, folklorist, actor, lecturer, blacklisted during the 1950s |
| Kinky Friedman | 1944 | 2024 | American singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and columnist. Born in Chicago but grew up inAustin. Resided atEcho Hill Ranch nearKerrville. Founded Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, also located near Kerrville. |
| Fred Gipson | 1908 | 1973 | Novelist who authoredOld Yeller,Savage Sam, andHound Dog Man, lived inMason |
| Trey Hardee | 1984 | — | World ChampionDecathlete and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin |
| Harvey Hilderbran | 1960 | — | State Representative from the western Hill Country since 1989, aRepublican fromKerrville |
| Max Hirsch | 1880 | 1969 | National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame thoroughbred horse trainer |
| Betty Holekamp | 1826 | 1902 | German Texas pioneer, also called the "Betsy Ross of Texas" |
| Carl Hoppe | 1897 | 1981 | San Antonio artist who painted scenes of the Texas Hill Country |
| Molly Ivins | 1944 | 2007 | Political author, journalist, humorist from Austin |
| Lady Bird Johnson | 1912 | 2007 | FormerFirst Lady of the United States, Graduate ofUniversity of Texas in Austin. Business woman and one-time owner of KTBC radio and television stations turned $17,500 investment into more than $150 million. She bankrolled her husband's initial political career. Buried inStonewall next to husbandLyndon B. Johnson.Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is named for her decades-long project to beautify America's landscapes |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | 1908 | 1973 | Former President of the United States, born and raised inStonewall. |
| Tommy Lee Jones | 1946 | — | Actor, born inSan Saba. |
| Robert Earl Keen | 1956 | — | Country singer-songwriter, former resident ofBandera, Texas and current resident ofKerrville, Texas |
| Ben Kweller | 1981 | — | Recording artist, singer-songwriter, and actor. Originally fromGreenville; now resides inDripping Springs. |
| Janis Joplin | 1943 | 1970 | Singer and songwriter, born inPort Arthur |
| Herman Lehmann | 1859 | 1932 | Apache captive and then Comanche adoptee (adopted son of ChiefQuanah Parker), native of Loyal Valley, 1927 autobiography,Nine Years Among the Indians |
| Hermann Lungkwitz | 1813 | 1891 | Romantic landscape artist and photographer, noted for first pictorial records of the Texas Hill Country |
| Gerald Lyda | 1923 | 2005 | General contractor and cattle rancher, born and raised in the Hill Country community ofMarble Falls |
| Johnny Manziel | 1992 | — | The first freshman to win Heisman trophy and quarterback for the Texas A&M University Aggies, from Kerrville |
| Samuel Maverick | 1803 | 1870 | Texas lawyer, politician, land baron and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. His name is the source of the term "maverick", first cited in 1867, which means "independently minded". |
| Matthew McConaughey | 1969 | — | Model/Actor, raised inUvalde; attendedThe University of Texas atAustin |
| Ben McKenzie | 1978 | — | Actor (The O.C.,Southland,Gotham), attendedStephen F. Austin High School in Austin |
| John O. Meusebach | 1812 | 1897 | Founder ofFredericksburg negotiated 1847Meusebach-Comanche Treaty (unbroken to this date) withComanche chiefsBuffalo Hump,Santa Anna,Old Owl. Oversaw development ofNew Braunfels. Elected Texas State Senator for Bexar, Comal and Medina Counties. Buried Marschall-Meusebach Cemetery in Loyal Valley |
| Willie Nelson | 1933 | — | American country singer-songwriter, author, poet, actor and activist. Austin resident |
| Elisabet Ney | 1833 | 1907 | Sculptor, art pioneer, works can be found in theSmithsonian American Art Museum,Texas State Capitol,U.S. Capitol |
| Chester W. Nimitz | 1885 | 1966 | Commander ofU.S. Naval forces in thePacific duringWorld War II was fromFredericksburg andKerrville |
| Old Owl | c 1795 | 1849 | Civil Chief of the Penateka band of theComanche Indians |
| Alfred P.C. Petsch | 1887 | 1981 | Lawyer, legislator, civic leader, and philanthropist. Served in theTexas House of Representatives 1925–1941. Veteran of both World War I and World War II.[16] |
| Ann Richards | 1933 | 2006 | Governor of Texas (1991–1995). Resided in Austin. |
| Andy Roddick | 1982 | — | Former professional tennis player who resides in Austin. |
| Santa Anna | c 1795 | 1849 | War Chief of the Penateka band of the Comanche Indians |
| Juan Nepomuceno Seguín | 1806 | 1890 | Served on both sides during theTexas Revolution. Fought withSam Houston and organized aTejano rear guard. 1834 Territorial Governor of Texas, 1841 Mayor ofSan Antonio. Suspicions of his loyalty caused him to flee to Mexico in 1842. Served with Mexico'sGeneral Adrian Woll and participated in Woll's 1842 invasion of Texas.Seguin, Texas, is named in his honor.[17][18][19] |
| Sixpence None the Richer | 1992 | — | An alternative rock band prominent in the late 1990s with their song "Kiss Me" |
| Frank Van der Stucken | 1858 | 1929 | Music composer, conductor[20] |
| Stevie Ray Vaughan | 1954 | 1990 | Virtuoso Blues guitar player and singer who resided in Austin. |
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