The Little City Of San Marcos

San Marcos, Texas, which is 29 miles south of Austin and 47 miles northwest of San Antonio, is a beautiful, small city with a rich history. The San Marcos area is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited site in the Northern Hemisphere, although the descendants of today's residents settled the area in the 1800s.
 
In 1689, the San Marcos River was named for St. Mark after Alonso de Leon's men discovered the river on the celebration of St. Mark's Day, and named the river in his honor. Later, in April of 1808, a group of Mexican families settled in the area, and an agricultural community was established shortly thereafter.

In 1812, after numerous floods and raids by local Indians, the settlement was disbanded, but in November of 1848 a group of Anglo settlers tried to establish a community on the site again, and in 1851, the town center was laid out. The county of Hays was established in 1848 by the Texas Legislature, and the city of San Marcos was named county seat a short time later.

The small city was primarily a gin milling and agricultural community until the early 1880s, when the railroad arrived and the cattle and cotton industries flourished, which caused the city to become a commercial center with easy access to transportation for businessmen and travelers.

In 1899, a college for school teachers opened, and was called the Southwest Texas State Normal School, which is known today as Texas State University. In 1907, another school was established in the area, the San Marcos Baptist Academy, which was a private institution, and which is still open today. In the following years, Texas State University, which was known as Southwest Texas State at the time, became an important regional school, and after other educational facilities opened over the years, including the Gary Job Corps Training Center in the 1960s, education became the largest industry in San Marcos.

Today, San Marcos has a population of just over 50,000 inhabitants, and there are many other exciting establishments and facilities in the city, including Aquarena Springs and Wonder World, both of which were established in the 1960s. The spring-fed San Marcos River meanders through the University campus and the city itself, and San Marcos is proud of the beautiful and historic town square, which was recently renovated. Both Wonder World and Aquarena Springs are popular tourist attractions, and visitors to Aquarena Springs can charter glass bottom boats for rides through the city on the San Marcos River.

The tourist trade has become an important industry in San Marcos as well as education, and downtown visitors can stroll through the Belvin Street Historic District and view 18th century homes, or walk along the San Marcos River Walkway, which unites three city parks along the river, and is graced with scenic and lush landscaping. Wonder World, which is an earthquake-formed cavern and wildlife park with an observation tower and petting zoo, is open daily for visitors, with longer hours in the summer.

Another well known attraction in San Marcos is the San Marcos Outlet Mall, which is on Interstate 35, and includes hotels, restaurants, spas, movie theaters, and clubs along with discount stores and factory outlet stores, such as Tanger Outlet Store and Prime Outlet, along with many well known specialty stores.

San Marcos is a very scenic town, and the San Marcos River is bordered by green belts and hiking trails, as well as parks and stately homes. With so many amenities, including the University, San Marcos is a great place to visit, earn a living, or settle down and raise a family, or even retire, so head south on Interstate 35 and come to San Marcos!