Fredericksburg (Texas)

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Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg Memorial Library, listed in the NRHP with the number 71000935 [1]
Fredericksburg Memorial Library , listed on the NRHP with the number 71000935
Location of Fredericksburg in Texas
Gillespie County Fredericksburg.svg
Basic data
Foundation : 1846
State : United States
State : Texas
County : Gillespie County
Coordinates : 30 ° 16 ′  N , 98 ° 52 ′  W Coordinates: 30 ° 16 ′  N , 98 ° 52 ′  W
Time zone : Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 )
Residents : 10,530 (as of 2010)
Population density : 612.2 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 17.2 km 2  (about 7 mi 2 ) of
which 17.2 km 2  (about 7 mi 2 ) is land
Height : 516 m
Postal code : 78624
Area code : +1 830
FIPS : 48-27348
GNIS ID : 1336174
Website : www.fbgtx.org
Mayor : Linda Langerhans
Fredericksburg, Texas Mainstreet.jpg
Main street in Fredericksburg
St. Mary's Catholic Church, listed on the NRHP with number 83003143

Fredericksburg is located in Gillespie County in the US state of Texas . A 2010 census showed a population of 10,530. In addition, Fredericksburg is the county seat of Gillespie County and the capital of the Fredericksburg wine-growing region in the Texas Hill Country AVA .

geography

Fredericksburg has a total area of ​​17.2 km², which is completely covered with land.

history

Map of the city of Friedrichsburg, 1851

Fredericksburg (Friedrichsburg) was founded in 1846 by Otfried Hans Freiherr von Meusebach from Dillenburg ( Lahn-Dill district ) and named in honor of Prince Friedrich of Prussia (1794–1863). Meusebach, who had left New Braunfels in August 1845, was the new general commissioner of the "Association for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas", also known as the " Mainzer Adelsverein ", Prince Friedrich was a member here. Baron von Meusebach was the successor to Carl Prince zu Solms-Braunfels , the founder of New Braunfels (1845) in Comal County . Meusebach renounced his title of nobility and was known simply as John O. Meusebach in Texas . Over the next few years, the city was settled by mostly liberal and educated Germans from the Westerwald , who fled the oppression in Germany before and after the 1848 revolution and the aftermath of the industrial revolution . The first settler trek of 120 people reached Fredericksburg after a 16-day journey on May 8, 1846.

The German citizens of Fredericksburg signed the only treaty that has been kept and never broken with Indians from the Comanche tribe of this area. Since Founder's Day in May 1996, on the 2nd weekend in May, the signing of the peace treaty on May 9, 1847 between the descendants of the German settlers and the Comanches was celebrated with a powwow .

Unlike the state of Texas, they refused to keep slaves. As a result, many residents refused to serve in the Southern Army during the Civil War . They had to hide in the surrounding area or flee to neutral Mexico . The Texas authorities (Texas Rangers ) hunted them down, locked them in prisons or killed them while fleeing. In 1877 the German-language newspaper Fredericksburg Wochenblatt was published for the first time. On November 17, 1913, the first train of the San Antonio, Fredericksburg and Northern Railway arrived in Fredericksburg. The population has grown steadily since 1930, with 3,544 inhabitants in 1940, 3,847 in 1950, 4,629 in 1960, 5,326 in 1970 and 6,412 in 1980.

Fredericksburg is also the birthplace of Chester W. Nimitz , who, later promoted to Admiral , played a role as Commandant in World War II - Pacific . The hotel, which belonged to his German grandfather, has been converted into the National Museum of the Pacific War .

The city's residents are remarkably proud of their German ancestry. Many streets, restaurants, hotels and shops have German names and offer typical German food, and Oktoberfest is celebrated every year .

Some of the German-Americans still living there speak Texas German .

Demographic data

growth of population
Census Residents ± in%
1930 2416 -
1940 3544 46.7%
1950 3854 8.7%
1960 4629 20.1%
1970 5326 15.1%
1980 6412 20.4%
1990 6934 8.1%
2000 8911 28.5%
2010 10,530 18.2%
1930-2000, 2010

Fredericksburg has 8,911 residents, spread across 3,784 households and 2,433 families. The population density is 518.2 / km². 93.08% of the population are white, of which 17% are Hispanic or Latinos. 0.27% are African American, 0.27% Native, 0.19% Asian, 0.04% Pacific, 5.09% are from another population, and 1.05% are from two or more populations. Children who have not yet reached the age of 18 live in 23.9% of the 3,784 households. 53.2% are married. The average household size is 2.24 and the average family size is 2.82. 20.3% of the population are under 18 years old, 6.0% are between 18 and 24, 20.8% between 25 and 44, 22.6% between 45 and 64 and 30.3% are older than 65. That Average age is 47 years. For every 100 women (including those under 18) there are 81.4 men. For every 100 women over 18 there are 78.2 men over 18. The median income per household is US $ 32,276 and that per family is $ 43,670. Males have a median income of $ 25,878 - females $ 22,171. 11.9% of residents and 7.5% of families live below the poverty line.

The Gillespie County with municipalities Fredericksburg, Harper, Stonewall and Luckenbach has a German share of 2,270 inhabitants or 11.51% of the total population of the county.

Bilingual street sign in Fredricksburg Texas.png

Municipal partnerships

Personalities

Movies

  • "The Freedom Prize" (Documentation in the series "Germans in America", director Fritz Baumann, 2006)
  • "In einer wilden Land" (action film about the development of the settlement, Germany 2013)

Luckenbach, Texas

Just 6 miles south of Fredericksburg is Luckenbach (three residents), best known for Waylon Jennings country song Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) from April 1977. The place was founded in 1849 by Jakob Luckenbach, the former general store is still there today.

See also

Web links

Commons : Fredericksburg, Texas  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b excerpt from the National Register of Historic Places; Retrieved March 13, 2011
  2. ↑ Texas Almanac (PDF; 1.2 MB). Retrieved October 4, 2012
  3. ↑ US Census ( Memento of the original from May 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved October 16, 2012 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / quickfacts.census.gov