Fredericksburg

Sister cities

• Montabaur

Geography

Fredericksburg is located east of the center of Gillespie County north of San Antonio and west of Austin. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.55%, is covered by water. Enchanted Rock is a geographical landmark north of Fredericksburg in Llano County. The rock is a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome that rises above the surrounding land, has a summit elevation of above sea level, and covers . Enchanted Rock offers 8.4 mi of hiking trails, camping, picnicking, rock climbing, and other outdoor activities. It is one of the largest batholiths (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States, and was declared a National Natural Landmark in 1970. In 1994, the State of Texas opened it as Enchanted Rock State Natural Area after adding facilities. The same year, Enchanted Rock was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Balanced Rock was a famous local landmark that perched atop Bear Mountain north of Fredericksburg. The natural wonder stone pillar, precariously balanced on its small tip. It fell prey to vandals, who dynamited it off its base in April 1986. The first known record of Cross Mountain (elevation ) was in 1847 by Ferdinand von Roemer. Native Americans used the location to signal each other about intrusions into their territory. The area was part of settler John Christian Durst's allotment. Durst found a timber cross on the mountain, indicating that Spanish missionaries had once used the site. Durst named the place "Kreuzberg" or Cross Mountain. In 1849, Father George Menzel erected a new cross. In 1946, St. Mary's Catholic Church erected a metal and concrete cross. The mountain has been used both for the Easter Fires pageant and for Easter sunrise…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,238
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,126
• White-winged Dove

  Zenaida asiatica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  826
• Black-crested Titmouse

  Baeolophus atricristatus (Cassin, 1850) · Aves
  713
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  690
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  626
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  610
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  572