Round Rock, Texas, with a population of 86,902, is located 15 miles north of Austin in the Central Texas hill country. Major employers include Dell, Farmers Insurance Group and Cypress Semiconductor. Its combined property tax and utility rates are the lowest in the region. It has an award-winning park system, school district and is the 8th Safest City in the United States.

Round Rock is one of the fastest growing and best managed cities in Texas. The city has maintained high quality of life while becoming a major center for economic development in Central Texas. The City of Round Rock is known for its award-winning master plan, park system and school district as well as for having some of the lowest crime, property tax and utility rates in Texas. 

Originally, Round Rock was not named Round Rock nor was it located where it is currently. Coincidence and fate combined to determine the location of Round Rock.  The initial settlement of Brushy (as the town was originally called) was located near the banks of Brushy Creek at the natural fording area by the round rock. 

The Brushy Creek Post Office was established in a section of Thomas C. Oatts' store on May 27, 1851. However in 1854, postal authorities asked Mr. Oatts to provide another name for the settlement (being that there was already a town in the State that called itself Brushy). Mr. Oatts decided to rename the town Round Rock in recognition of the large rock in the middle of Brushy Creek where he and Jacob Harrell spent much time sitting and fishing; thus on August 24, 1854, the name of Round Rock was officially given to the community (Scarbrough 310).

The coming of the International and Great Northern Railroad in 1876 forced the commercial area of Round Rock to move to the east, leaving the original settlement to be referred to as Old Town forever more. Today, the area has special historical interest and several businesses have restored and then located their shops in these buildings. The restoration of this area can be seen as being an attempt to emphasize the historic past of the City of Round Rock.

Chisholm Trail
Part of the history and lore of Round Rock involves the Chisholm Trail, one of the famed routes for transporting cattle to distribution points in the Midwest in the mid-nineteenth century. Jesse Chisholm laid out his trail in 1865: starting on the Canadian River near present day Yukon, Oklahoma, the trail proceeded north to Wichita, Kansas. The original purpose of the trail was to provide a way to freight goods north in order to trade with the Indians. In 1866, Jesse took a wagon train of goods plus 250 head of cattle over the same trail and the Chisholm Trail was born (Scarbrough 198). 

Since the actual Chisholm Trail began north of Round Rock and Williamson County, the branch of the trail that went through Round Rock was not actually part of the Chisholm Trail but merely a feeder.  However, over the years, by common practice, all trails that fed into the Chisholm Trail came to be called the Chisholm Trail and had as their objective the same purpose, the transportation of cattle from the grazing lands in the Southwest to the markets in the Midwest.

Planning: As the winner of the prestigious Comprehensive Planning Award from the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association in 1999, the City prides itself on its long-term vision.

Crime: Round Rock is ranked the 8th Safest City in the United States by a national survey, and has the fourth lowest crime rate among Texas cities with populations of 50,000 to 100,000. Round Rock has the lowest crime rate for cities in that size category – nearly half that of the city with the next lowest crime rate – in Central Texas. In a year 2006 survey of city residents, 89 percent of respondents said they felt safe walking alone in their neighborhood at night.

Cost of living: The City of Round Rock’s property tax rate is one of the lowest in the region (37.1 cents per $100 of valuation). Also, residents pay the lowest combined average monthly utility and tax costs in Central Texas, while achieving an 82 percent satisfaction rating from its customers. Round Rock has the lowest ACCRA composite cost of living index rating among the three largest cities in the metro area.

Public Utilities: Over the last three quarters, 89 percent of the city’s water customers have rated the city as good or excellent. Sewer customers gave an 87 percent rating (keep in mind the customers that respond to the survey have had a work order on their service recently). Round Rock has not had mandatory water rationing during the past 21 years.

Traffic: The Round Rock City Council approved a Transportation Master Plan in January 1999. The City’s Transportation Capital Improvement Plan contains $415 million worth of projects. The City’s half-cent sales tax levy for transportation will pay for $125 million of that total.

Dell Diamond: The City of Round Rock’s stadium and conference center has drawn record crowds since opening in 2000. The ballpark is home to the Round Rock Express, the Triple A affiliate of the Houston Astros. The Dell Diamond is the No. 1 ballpark in the country out of more than 200 parks according to the Fifth Annual Minor League News rankings. It was named top Double A stadium by Baseball America in 2004. (The Express moved to Triple A in the 2005 season.) Construction of the $25 million facility was financed by $8.4 million in revenue bonds backed by the City of Round Rock’s hotel-motel tax revenues and cash from RSR Sports, owner of the Express.

Parks:
With 300 days of sunshine per year, Round Rock citizens have plenty of time to enjoy the City's parks and outdoor events. Round Rock has 34 developed parks gracing over 1700 acres. Old Settlers Park is the crown jewel, offering a generous 570 acres of rolling countryside for local events and festivals such as the July 4 fireworks celebration, and the Easter Egg Hunt. 

Recreation:
Round Rock’s Clay Madsen Recreation Center is a $5.1 million, 55,000-square-foot facility with two basketball courts, weight room, aerobics classes, indoor swimming pool and more. It hosts our Kids' Clubhouse After School Program and many athletic programs.

The Allen R Baca Center for Senior and Community Activities offers an arts-and-crafts room, lunchroom, kitchen, movie room, computer lab, patio, workout room and dance room and hosts the annual Daffodil Festival.  

Athletics:
Round Rock provides numerous athletic leagues and programs. With leagues including flag football, volleyball, basketball and softball. Special programs include the SMART Parent Training, Punt Pass and Kick and Pitch Hit and Run. The city also offers athletic classes for persons wanting to learn a variety of sports from golf to racquetball.

Aquatics:
The City has three outdoor municipal swimming pools and during the summer host special events for children, swim lessons and other activities. 

Kids' Clubhouse and Camps: The Kids' Clubhouse is an afterschool program for children in grades K - 5, which runs through the regular school year and operates Monday - Friday from 2:45 to 6 p.m. Kids' Clubhouse also offers Holiday Camps and All Day Summer Camps.

Forestry: Round Rock's Forestry Division manages Round Rock's urban forest with a focus on education, tree planting, tree preservation, tree care and enforcement. In addition, the city's Brush Recycling Center is run through this division. The recycling center offers a service that allows residents to dispose of brush and used Christmas trees to be ground into mulch. The mulch is used in city parks and made available, free-of-charge, to Round Rock residents.

Rental Facilities: The Round Rock Parks and Recreation Department has several facilities that can be rented for a minimal fee.




City services:
City services that have a direct impact on the public include Police, Fire, Library, Parks and Recreation, Engineering and Development, Transportation, Utility, Planning and Community Development, Water (Utility) Billing, and Municipal Court. Other departments in the city include City Administration, Finance, Human Resources, and Purchasing. Code Enforcement is a division of the Planning Department. Animal Control is a division of the Police Department.