Pflugerville

History

The area was initially settled by German immigrant Henry Pfluger Sr. (1803–1867) and members of his family from late 1849 into early 1850. Pfluger had been a wealthy farmer in Germany, but lost all of his property during the revolutions of 1848. He arrived in the country with $1,600 and purchased of land east of Austin from John Liese, a brother-in-law who had immigrated before him. In 1853, Pfluger paid Liese $960 for a tract of land in an area known as Brushy Knob. There, the family lived in a five-room log cabin and raised corn, wheat, rye, beans, sweet potatoes, and sugar cane. The Pfluger family also owned several slaves, some of whom were fluent in German. The beginnings of the community did not develop until after the Civil War. During the 1870s, a school and Lutheran church were established at the settlement. The first commercial business in the community was a general store built by Louis Bohls in 1890. Two local organizations, the German-American Mutual Assistance Foundation, to insure residents against natural disasters; and "Pflugerville Schützen und Kegel Verein," a shooting and bowling club, were started. Pflugerville's post office opened in 1893, with Louis Bohls serving as its first postmaster. The population reached approximately 250 during the mid-1890s, and a small downtown developed, although most residents did their banking and shipping in Round Rock, to the northwest. The population fell slightly to 500 in 1940. In the years immediately after World War II, the community lost around a quarter of its population as citizens moved to Austin and other larger cities with greater employment opportunities. Efforts to incorporate Pflugerville culminated in an election on July 24, 1965. A total of 102 votes were cast, with 60 (58.8%) supporting the…

Geography

Pflugerville is northeast of downtown Austin along FM 1825 (Pecan Street) in northern Travis County. It is northeast of the Colorado River. According to the 2010 United States Census Bureau, the city has a total land area of 22.32 square miles. It has 40.39 square miles in the extraterritorial jurisdiction. The city has one body of water, Lake Pflugerville, created in 2005 to serve as a water reservoir and recreation area, and two creeks, Gilleland Creek and Wilbarger Creek. A local school group, Wilbarger Water Watchers, in association with the LCRA, monitors the waters of Wilbarger Creek to ensure it meets the United States Environmental Protection Agency's national standard.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  35,216
• White-winged Dove

  Zenaida asiatica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  33,039
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  29,476
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  26,889
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  24,884
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  23,937
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  19,265
• Great-tailed Grackle

  Quiscalus mexicanus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  18,394

Largest nearby schools

• MCNEIL H S
  High · AUSTIN · 2,515 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• WEISS H S
  High · PFLUGERVILLE · 2,342 students · 17.1:1 ratio
• MANOR H S
  High · MANOR · 2,280 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• HENDRICKSON H S
  High · PFLUGERVILLE · 2,175 students · 17:1 ratio
• PFLUGERVILLE H S
  High · PFLUGERVILLE · 1,814 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• JOHN B CONNALLY H S
  High · AUSTIN · 1,663 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• NAVARRO EARLY COLLEGE H S
  High · AUSTIN · 1,649 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• NYOS - MAGNOLIA MCCULLOUGH CAMPUS
  Elementary · AUSTIN · 1,331 students · 14:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2024-04-02
  4 km SSW of Round Top, Texas
• M 2.9 — 2017-10-20
  5 km W of Flatonia, Texas
• M 2.9 — 2015-09-03
  7 km NNE of Leander, Texas
• M 2.7 — 2007-09-15
  11 km ENE of Milano, Texas