Buda

History

The town of Buda sprang up along the route of the International-Great Northern Railroad, which was extended from Austin to San Antonio in 1880. Buda bore the name of "Du Pre" from its birth in 1881 until the autumn of 1887, when postal officials became aware that another Texas town was also named Du Pre. Cornelia Trimble platted the town of Du Pre on April 1, 1881, establishing streets and a wide "Reservation" between the lots and the railroad right of way, which allowed the railroad to place buildings on the parkland, including the depot that would become the lifeblood of the town over the next few decades. Several businesses sprang up, including the Carrington Hotel, which served meals to railroad travelers. By the time Du Pre found a new name for itself, the Carrington hotel was known as the "Buda House". The "Dupre Notes" column of the Sept. 25, 1886, edition of the Hays County Times and Farmer's Journal notes that "The Buda House is one of the best hotels in the state. The polite and entertaining hostess, Mrs. Carrington, meets all with a courteous welcome." According to the town's oral tradition, "Buda" is a corruption of the Spanish word viuda, or "widow", referencing the widows who supposedly worked as cooks at the Carrington Hotel. Others suggest that like the town of Buda, Illinois, the town name is a nod to the exiles of the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1848 who settled in the area. Buda was incorporated in 1948. By the mid-1980s it had attracted a cement plant and some craft industry.

Geography

Buda is in northeastern Hays County. It is southwest of downtown Austin and northeast of San Antonio on Interstate 35. Just to the north of Buda is Texas State Highway 45, a major toll loop of Austin. Almost immediately north of Buda is the county line bordering Travis County and the Austin city limits. According to the United States Census Bureau, Buda has a total area of , of which , or 0.11%, are water. Onion Creek flows through the northwest side of the city, a tributary of the Colorado River.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• MOE AND GENE JOHNSON H S
  High · BUDA · 2,692 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• LEHMAN H S
  High · KYLE · 2,120 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• JACK C HAYS H S
  High · BUDA · 2,062 students · 16:1 ratio
• DR T C MCCORMICK JR MIDDLE
  Middle · BUDA · 1,047 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• LAURA B NEGLEY EL
  Elementary · KYLE · 1,007 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• ERIC DAHLSTROM MIDDLE
  Middle · BUDA · 902 students · 17:1 ratio
• R C BARTON MIDDLE
  Middle · BUDA · 816 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• LAURA B WALLACE MIDDLE
  Middle · KYLE · 789 students · 14.9:1 ratio