Hutto, Texas

Hutto is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. The population was 1,250 at the 2000 census; it had grown to 7,401 in the 2005 census estimate[1] and had reached 17,120 by January 2008^[3].

Geography

Hutto is located at 30°32′40″N 97°32′43″W / 30.544517°N 97.545198°W (30.544517, -97.545198),^[4] about seven miles (11 km) east of Round Rock and 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Austin.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.5 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,250 people, 398 households, and 318 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,297.8 people per square mile (502.7/km²). There were 424 housing units at an average density of 440.2/sq mi (170.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.48% White, 5.36% African American, 0.72% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 15.52% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.72% of the population.

There were 398 households out of which 52.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.1% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14 and the average family size was 3.48.

In the city the population was spread out with 35.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 37.0% from 25 to 44, 13.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $53,295, and the median income for a family was $55,769. Males had a median income of $33,125 versus $28,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,113. About 3.8% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.

Hutto is one of the fastest growing small cities in America. Recent City information has it as the second fastest growing small city in Texas, at a rate of approximately 880% for a span of 5 years (2000-2005.) In 1980 the City of Hutto was 545 people within its limits; in 1990 that number was only 630, in 2000 Hutto was 1250 people, and in August 2004 the population was calculated at 5,568 to allow the City of Hutto to go to a home rule charter type of government.

In 2006, the City of Hutto population was approximately 14,000. This is just the population within the city limits; within the school district there are approximately 17,000 people. As of 2009 the population is 17,120. Within the general metro area there are many additional people that live closer to Hutto than their own communities of Pflugerville, Round Rock and Taylor.

Highway 130 is pushing growth at an aggressive level. This SH130 toll road project, is intended to be an alternate route to IH-35. With a healthy continuing economy estimated by the census in 2010, the population of the City of Hutto should far exceed 30,000; by 2020 that number should be 75,000 and by 2030 the population and growth area should be built out at approximately 125,000 people.

History

Historically, Hutto Texas was not really established until 1876 when the International-Great Northern Railroad passed through land owned by one James Emory Hutto and the fledgling town was named for him. The railroad officials designated the stop Hutto Station and the town of Hutto was born. James Hutto was born in Alabama on June 8, 1824; he came to Texas in 1847 and moved his family into Williamson County in 1855. A slave, Adam Orgain, was actually the first person to live in the immediate Hutto vicinity having been placed out on the black land prairie by his owner to watch after the cattle and livestock holdings. It was in 1876 that James Hutto sold 50 acres (200,000 m²) to the Texas Land Company of New York for a town site and railroad right of way. Hutto had become a wealthy cattleman in Williamson County; however, in 1885 he left Hutto and moved to Waco and entered the hardware business. Other early settlers in the area were the Carpenter, Davis, Evans, Farley, Goodwin, Highsmith, Johnson, Magle, Payne, Saul, Weight, Womack, and Wright families. Other people living in Hutto during the 1890s included the Armstrong’s, the Ahlberg’s, M.B. Kennedy, the Hugh Kimbro family, William McCutcheon, Green Randolph, J.B. Ross, and the Tisdale's. Soon a great many more people, primarily Swedish and German immigrants came to this area to farm and ranch and begin their new lives in America.

According to local legend, it was in 1915 that a circus train stopped in Hutto Texas at the depot to take on passengers, pick up and deliver mail and possibly take on water and fuel for the steam locomotive. The circus train workers also would have taken this opportunity to care for their animals. At some point during this historic layover, a hippopotamus got out of the railcar and made its way to the nearby Cottonwood Creek which is next to the rail line. This caused much consternation for the circus workers. Local farmers and merchants watched the commotion in amusement and with interest as unsuccessful efforts were made to extricate the hippopotamus from the muddy waters of Cottonwood Creek. It is said that the Depot Agent, who at that time would have been Hal Farley, Jr., telegraphed the communities of Taylor and Round Rock that were eight miles (13 km) to the east and west of Hutto to the effect of: “STOP TRAINS, HIPPO LOOSE IN HUTTO”. After much effort the hippo was prodded from the mud and water that resembled its natural habitat and was reloaded back onto the train car. Soon afterward the Hutto School adopted the hippopotamus as its mascot and as early as 1923 the hippo appeared on official Hutto High School graduation announcements.

There are several alternate stories about the beginnings of the unique Hutto mascot. According to one, the big Swedish and German boys of Hutto were playing their smaller foes in football, and the visiting coach exclaimed “We can’t beat those boys, they’re big as hippos!” Another story, also based on gridiron lore, is that the Hutto football team in the early twenties had no real jerseys and used feed sacks as their uniforms. The opposing coach allegedly said that the football team looked like a bunch of hippos in their makeshift outfits.^[5]

Hutto High School Football

The Hutto Hippos (of Hutto High School) reached the Class 3A Division II state championship in 2005, where the Hippos lost 38-34 to Tatum. ^[6] The Hippos' orange and white uniforms and fight song are adapted from the nearby University of Texas Longhorns. ^{[citation needed]}

Schools

Cottonwood Creek Elementary, Veteran's Hill Elementary, Hutto Elementary, Ray Elementary, Nadine Johnson Elementary, Hutto Middle School, Farley Middle School, and Hutto High School

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. ^ http://www.thehuttonews.com/articles/2009/02/12/news/news05.txt Signs of the times: Hutto city limit markers updated
4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
5. ^ http://www.williamson-county-historical-commission.org/Hutto/how_the_hippo_came_to_hutto_texas.html How the Hippo came to Hutto Texas
6. ^ http://www.statesman.com/search/content/sports/stories/highschool/08/30/30hs_kerley.html

External links

• Official website
• Chamber of commerce
• Hutto Independent School District
• Hutto Heritage Foundation
• Williamson County Historical Commission page on Hutto
• The Hutto News, a local newspaper
• Hutto Business Update, a local newsletter
• Hutto Economic Development Corporation
• Hutto from the Handbook of Texas Online

Categories: Cities in Texas | Williamson County, Texas | Austin • Round Rock metropolitan area