Buda, Texas
Encyclopedia
Buda is a city in Hays County
, Texas
, United States
. The population was 2,404 at the 2000 census. City leaders estimated the population exceeded 5,100 in 2008 and the official 2009 Census Bureau estimate showed the population had increased to 7,784 as of July 1, 2009. The 2010 US Census listed 7,295 residents, a growth rate of 103% from the 2000 Census. Buda is part of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area
.
and 60 miles (96.6 km) northeast of San Antonio
on Interstate 35
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), of which, 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²) of it is land and 0.41% is water.
, which was extended from Austin to San Antonio in 1880.
Buda bore the name of “Du Pre” from its birth in 1881 until the autumn of 1887, when postal officials became aware that another Texas town was also named Du Pre.
According to town lore, the name Du Pre came from the postmaster of the nearby Mountain City, W. W. Haupt, who pleaded with railroad officials, “Do, pray, give us a depot.”
Alternate unconfirmed legends suggest that Du Pre was the name of an Austin newspaper editor who may have been instrumental in bringing the depot to the future town site, or given local topography, could borrow from the French phrase “du pre,” meaning “of the meadow.”
Various news sources of the time also spelled the name as Dupre or Dupree.
Mrs. Cornelia A. Trimble platted the town of Du Pre on April 1, 1881, releasing streets and alleys and also establishing a 150 feet (45.7 m) wide “Reservation” between the lots and the railroad right of way.
Though the reservation was the property of town citizens, the plat allowed the railroad to place buildings on the parkland, including the depot that would become the lifeblood of the town over the next few decades.
The Du Pre plat followed the convention of the neighboring city of Austin, giving east-west streets the name of local trees: Ash, Elm, Live Oak and China Streets. The north-south streets were named after surrounding communities: Austin and San Marcos Streets.
Trimble inherited the 550 acres (2.2 km²) nestled between Onion Creek and the International and Great Northern Railroad from her second husband, A. N. Hopkins, who according to local newspaper accounts was murdered by his friend, Theodore D. Ormsby, on July 9, 1863.
On July 31, 1864 the widow married David Trimble, who at some point in the 1870s abandoned his wife. The 1881 plat includes the line, “The whereabouts of said D.A. Trimble being unknown.”
The lots of Du Pre were auctioned off the day after Cornelia Trimble filed the plat.
A notice appeared in the April 2, 1881 morning edition of the Austin Statesman: “Du Pre – Spend Saturday, April 2, at Du Pre, on International and Great Northern Railroad, fourteen and a half miles from Austin. Great sale of lots, for business or residence. Plenty of shade and water. Bring your families and don’t forget your lunch baskets. Round trip, morning train 9 A.M., back in the evening.”
On April 7, 1881, the San Marcos Free Press noted that “The sale of lots at DuPre last week went off right brisk, 17 having been sold at prices ranging from $60 to $100. Some farm lots across the tracks were auctioned off also.”
Several businesses quickly sprang up in the fledgling town, including the Carrington Hotel, which became known for serving good meals to hungry railroad travelers.
In 1883, the Chandler addition platted lots on the eastern side of the railroad tracks.
By the time Du Pre was forced to find a new name for itself, the Carrington hotel was already being referenced as “the Buda House.” In the “Dupre Notes” weekly column of the Sept. 25, 1886 edition of the Hays County Times and Farmer’s Journal, the author notes that “The Buda House is one of the best hotels in the state. The polite and entertaining hostess, Mrs. Carrington, meets all with a courteous welcome.”
According to the town’s oral tradition, the name of Buda is a corruption of the Spanish word “viuda,” or “widow,” referencing the widows who supposedly worked as cooks at the Carrington Hotel. Others suggest that, like the town of Buda, Illinois
, the name is a nod to the exiles of the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1848
who settled in the area.
In the 1920s, Buda was known as the town hit by the "flapper bandit." On Dec. 11, 1926, a 22-year old University of Texas at Austin
student named Rebecca Bradley posed as a reporter from the Beaumont Enterprise
and convinced officials from the Farmers National Bank of Buda to let her use the typewriter
. As the bank was closing up for the lunch hour, Bradley pulled out a .32 automatic, aimed it on bookkeeper Wayman Howe and cashier B. E. Jamison, and herded the two bankers into the main vault. Bradley drove back to her home in Austin with $1,000 in five-dollar bills, but was apprehended that evening. In the ensuing media frenzy, it came to light that Miss Bradley was actually Mrs. Otis Rogers, having secretly wed the young law student more than a year prior. Prosecutors were unable to find a jury willing to convict a women. After multiple hung juries, Rebecca Bradley Rogers walked free.
Over the years, Buda was the center of an agricultural community that was dominated by cotton production, then dairy farming and beef cattle.
corridor, such as the Cabela's
sporting good store, is creating a spike in city sales tax revenue, while city leaders hope that revitalization of Old Town Buda will attract tourists and residents to the Main Street area.
Buda has attracted national attention for its light-hearted wiener dog races
, organized every April by the Buda Lions Club
. The City of Buda is served by the Hays Consolidated Independent School District
. Buda and the neighboring city of Kyle share the Jack C. Hays High School
, whose mascot is the Rebels; and Lehman High School
, whose mascot is the Lobos. A popular local pastime is watching high school football games at the Bob Shelton Stadium, named for the Hays High School coach. Rooster Teeth Productions
, the creators of the machinima
series Red vs. Blue
and The Strangerhood
, had its office in Buda until moving back to Austin.
On February 17, 2009, The Buda City Council approved the city to become a member of the Film Friendly Texas Program, one of only four cities in Texas. The city approved a zoning change to permit US Foodservice to build a regional headquarters in the city. Before local elections and in the face of widespread residents' opposition to the distribution center, the Buda City Council unanimously voted against the land change.
After the 2009 City elections, a majority of the Buda City Council Members changed their minds and voted for the zoning change. Almost 800 registered voters in Buda signed a petition asking for a referendum election. Led by opponents to the distribution center, the group asked the Buda City Council to allow citizens to vote on the zoning change. The signatures on the petition were more than double the number of people who voted in the last elections for city office, a sign of how people are affected by the issue. The Buda City Attorney stated that the zoning change was not an item that was subject to a referendum.
In November 2007, Buda citizens adopted a home rule charter by a margin of 77.85 percent, allowing the city to transition from general law to home rule.
As of 2009
of 2000, there were 2,404 people, 866 households, and 685 families residing in the city. Based on utility hook-ups, the city estimated its 2008 population to be in excess of 5,000 residents. The population density
was 998.5 people per square mile (385.1/km2). There were 910 housing units at an average density of 378.0 per square mile (145.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 81.95% White, 1.58% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 12.02% from other races
, and 3.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.83% of the population.
There were 866 households out of which 44.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples
living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 36.7% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $54,135, and the median income for a family was $57,321. Males had a median income of $37,398 versus $30,064 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $22,167. About 3.3% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2007, Buda recorded $384 million of assessed property value within city limits. Based on a February 2007 survey of 14 central Texas cities, Buda had the highest per capita assessed property value at $85,431 per resident. The city recorded more than $3 million in sales tax collection in 2006, for a per capita sales tax collection of $675.
The city's ad valorem property tax rate for the FY07-08 budget is 18.7 cents per $100 of home valuation.
Hays County, Texas
Hays County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its official population had reached 157,107. It is named for John Coffee Hays, a Texas Ranger and Mexican-American War officer. The seat of the county is San Marcos....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,404 at the 2000 census. City leaders estimated the population exceeded 5,100 in 2008 and the official 2009 Census Bureau estimate showed the population had increased to 7,784 as of July 1, 2009. The 2010 US Census listed 7,295 residents, a growth rate of 103% from the 2000 Census. Buda is part of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area
Greater Austin
Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos is a five-county metropolitan area in the US state of Texas, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. The metropolitan area straddles on the eastern edge of the and is situated in Central Texas....
.
Geography
Buda is located at 30.084229°N 97.839081°W (30.084229, -97.839081). This is 13 miles (20.9 km) southwest of AustinAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
and 60 miles (96.6 km) northeast of San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
on Interstate 35
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), of which, 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²) of it is land and 0.41% is water.
History
The town of Buda sprang up along the route of the International-Great Northern RailroadInternational-Great Northern Railroad
The International – Great Northern Railroad was a railroad that operated in the U.S. state of Texas. It was created on September 30, 1873, when International Railroad and Houston and Great Northern Railroad merged....
, which was extended from Austin to San Antonio in 1880.
Buda bore the name of “Du Pre” from its birth in 1881 until the autumn of 1887, when postal officials became aware that another Texas town was also named Du Pre.
According to town lore, the name Du Pre came from the postmaster of the nearby Mountain City, W. W. Haupt, who pleaded with railroad officials, “Do, pray, give us a depot.”
Alternate unconfirmed legends suggest that Du Pre was the name of an Austin newspaper editor who may have been instrumental in bringing the depot to the future town site, or given local topography, could borrow from the French phrase “du pre,” meaning “of the meadow.”
Various news sources of the time also spelled the name as Dupre or Dupree.
Mrs. Cornelia A. Trimble platted the town of Du Pre on April 1, 1881, releasing streets and alleys and also establishing a 150 feet (45.7 m) wide “Reservation” between the lots and the railroad right of way.
Though the reservation was the property of town citizens, the plat allowed the railroad to place buildings on the parkland, including the depot that would become the lifeblood of the town over the next few decades.
The Du Pre plat followed the convention of the neighboring city of Austin, giving east-west streets the name of local trees: Ash, Elm, Live Oak and China Streets. The north-south streets were named after surrounding communities: Austin and San Marcos Streets.
Trimble inherited the 550 acres (2.2 km²) nestled between Onion Creek and the International and Great Northern Railroad from her second husband, A. N. Hopkins, who according to local newspaper accounts was murdered by his friend, Theodore D. Ormsby, on July 9, 1863.
On July 31, 1864 the widow married David Trimble, who at some point in the 1870s abandoned his wife. The 1881 plat includes the line, “The whereabouts of said D.A. Trimble being unknown.”
The lots of Du Pre were auctioned off the day after Cornelia Trimble filed the plat.
A notice appeared in the April 2, 1881 morning edition of the Austin Statesman: “Du Pre – Spend Saturday, April 2, at Du Pre, on International and Great Northern Railroad, fourteen and a half miles from Austin. Great sale of lots, for business or residence. Plenty of shade and water. Bring your families and don’t forget your lunch baskets. Round trip, morning train 9 A.M., back in the evening.”
On April 7, 1881, the San Marcos Free Press noted that “The sale of lots at DuPre last week went off right brisk, 17 having been sold at prices ranging from $60 to $100. Some farm lots across the tracks were auctioned off also.”
Several businesses quickly sprang up in the fledgling town, including the Carrington Hotel, which became known for serving good meals to hungry railroad travelers.
In 1883, the Chandler addition platted lots on the eastern side of the railroad tracks.
By the time Du Pre was forced to find a new name for itself, the Carrington hotel was already being referenced as “the Buda House.” In the “Dupre Notes” weekly column of the Sept. 25, 1886 edition of the Hays County Times and Farmer’s Journal, the author notes that “The Buda House is one of the best hotels in the state. The polite and entertaining hostess, Mrs. Carrington, meets all with a courteous welcome.”
According to the town’s oral tradition, the name of Buda is a corruption of the Spanish word “viuda,” or “widow,” referencing the widows who supposedly worked as cooks at the Carrington Hotel. Others suggest that, like the town of Buda, Illinois
Buda, Illinois
Buda is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 592 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Buda is located at ....
, the name is a nod to the exiles of the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1848
Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
who settled in the area.
In the 1920s, Buda was known as the town hit by the "flapper bandit." On Dec. 11, 1926, a 22-year old University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
student named Rebecca Bradley posed as a reporter from the Beaumont Enterprise
Beaumont Enterprise
The Beaumont Enterprise is a newspaper of the Hearst Corporation, headquartered in Beaumont. It has been in operation since 1880.In addition to BeaumontEnterprise.com and the daily newspaper, The Enterprise produces several weeklies—the Jasper Newsboy, the Hardin County News, the Mid County...
and convinced officials from the Farmers National Bank of Buda to let her use the typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
. As the bank was closing up for the lunch hour, Bradley pulled out a .32 automatic, aimed it on bookkeeper Wayman Howe and cashier B. E. Jamison, and herded the two bankers into the main vault. Bradley drove back to her home in Austin with $1,000 in five-dollar bills, but was apprehended that evening. In the ensuing media frenzy, it came to light that Miss Bradley was actually Mrs. Otis Rogers, having secretly wed the young law student more than a year prior. Prosecutors were unable to find a jury willing to convict a women. After multiple hung juries, Rebecca Bradley Rogers walked free.
Over the years, Buda was the center of an agricultural community that was dominated by cotton production, then dairy farming and beef cattle.
Current events
Because of its close proximity to Austin, Texas, Buda is rapidly becoming a bedroom community for commuters to Austin. Commercial development along the I-35Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
corridor, such as the Cabela's
Cabela's
Cabela's is a direct marketer and specialty retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise, based in Sidney, Nebraska. It also has "Trophy Properties LLC , "Outdoor Adventures" , and the "Gun Library"...
sporting good store, is creating a spike in city sales tax revenue, while city leaders hope that revitalization of Old Town Buda will attract tourists and residents to the Main Street area.
Buda has attracted national attention for its light-hearted wiener dog races
Dachshund racing
Dachshund racing, or wiener dog racing, is a popular, yet controversial sporting event, primarily found in North America. Typical Dachshund races are either 25 or 50 yards in length, and are run on various surfaces...
, organized every April by the Buda Lions Club
Lions Clubs International
Lions Clubs International is a secular service organization with over 44,500 clubs and more than 1,368,683 members in 191 countries around the world founded by Melvin Jones Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States, the organization aims to meet the needs of communities on a local and...
. The City of Buda is served by the Hays Consolidated Independent School District
Hays Consolidated Independent School District
Hays Consolidated Independent School District is a public school district based in Kyle, Texas . In addition to Kyle, the district serves the cities of Buda, Hays, Mountain City, Uhland, and part of Niederwald. Located mostly in Hays County, small portions of the district extend into Travis and...
. Buda and the neighboring city of Kyle share the Jack C. Hays High School
Jack C. Hays High School
Jack C. Hays High School is located in the Hays Consolidated Independent School District in Buda, Texas. Hays High School is the oldest existing high school in Hays CISD, but was thoroughly renovated in the 2000s. The school is named for John Coffee Hays, a frontier defender, Texas Ranger, and hero...
, whose mascot is the Rebels; and Lehman High School
Lehman High School (Texas)
Lehman High School is a high school in Kyle, Texas. It was established in 2004 and is named after the family of Ted Lehman, a former Hays CISD School Board President, who also donated a parcel of land where the school is located. Lehman's sister school are the Rebels from Jack C. Hays High School...
, whose mascot is the Lobos. A popular local pastime is watching high school football games at the Bob Shelton Stadium, named for the Hays High School coach. Rooster Teeth Productions
Rooster Teeth Productions
Rooster Teeth Productions is a production group from Austin, Texas that specializes in the creation of live action shorts, animated peices and machinima, or films created using real-time, interactive engines from computer and video games. The name Rooster Teeth is a euphemism for Cockbite, an...
, the creators of the machinima
Machinima
Machinima is the use of real-time 3D computer graphics rendering engines to create a cinematic production. Most often, video games are used to generate the computer animation...
series Red vs. Blue
Red vs. Blue
Red vs. Blue, often abbreviated as RvB, is a set of related comic science fiction video series created by Rooster Teeth Productions and distributed through the Internet and on DVD...
and The Strangerhood
The Strangerhood
The Strangerhood is a comedy series created by Rooster Teeth Productions. The series is produced primarily by using the machinima technique of synchronizing video footage from computer and video games to pre-recorded dialogue and other audio. The animation is created using the computer game The...
, had its office in Buda until moving back to Austin.
On February 17, 2009, The Buda City Council approved the city to become a member of the Film Friendly Texas Program, one of only four cities in Texas. The city approved a zoning change to permit US Foodservice to build a regional headquarters in the city. Before local elections and in the face of widespread residents' opposition to the distribution center, the Buda City Council unanimously voted against the land change.
After the 2009 City elections, a majority of the Buda City Council Members changed their minds and voted for the zoning change. Almost 800 registered voters in Buda signed a petition asking for a referendum election. Led by opponents to the distribution center, the group asked the Buda City Council to allow citizens to vote on the zoning change. The signatures on the petition were more than double the number of people who voted in the last elections for city office, a sign of how people are affected by the issue. The Buda City Attorney stated that the zoning change was not an item that was subject to a referendum.
Government
Buda is a home rule city with a council-manager form of government. Other governmental entities include the Buda Planning and Zoning Commission, the Historical Commission, the Parks Commission, the Board of Adjustments and the Economic Development Corporation. Citizen Groups active in local politics include the Buda Area Chamber of Commerce and the Buda Downtown Merchants Association.In November 2007, Buda citizens adopted a home rule charter by a margin of 77.85 percent, allowing the city to transition from general law to home rule.
As of 2009
City Council
- Bobby Lane, Mayor
- Ron Fletcher, Council Member Place 1
- Todd Ruge, Council Member Place 2
- Sandra Tenorio, Council Member Place 3
- Cathy Chilcote, Council Member Place 4 Mayor Pro-Tem
- Thomas Crouse, Council Member Place 5,
- Scott Dodd, Council Member Place 6
City Employees
- Kenneth Williams, City Manager
- Beth Hanna Smith, Municipal Presiding Judge
- Ross Fischer, City Attorney
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,404 people, 866 households, and 685 families residing in the city. Based on utility hook-ups, the city estimated its 2008 population to be in excess of 5,000 residents. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 998.5 people per square mile (385.1/km2). There were 910 housing units at an average density of 378.0 per square mile (145.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 81.95% White, 1.58% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 12.02% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.83% of the population.
There were 866 households out of which 44.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 36.7% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $54,135, and the median income for a family was $57,321. Males had a median income of $37,398 versus $30,064 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $22,167. About 3.3% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2007, Buda recorded $384 million of assessed property value within city limits. Based on a February 2007 survey of 14 central Texas cities, Buda had the highest per capita assessed property value at $85,431 per resident. The city recorded more than $3 million in sales tax collection in 2006, for a per capita sales tax collection of $675.
The city's ad valorem property tax rate for the FY07-08 budget is 18.7 cents per $100 of home valuation.
Notable residents
- Rear Admiral Donald K. Muchow, former U.S. Navy Chief of Chaplains (1994–1997).
- Dr. Donald S. Inbody, Director, Center for Research, Public Policy, and Training at Texas State University (Department of Political Science). Retired Navy Captain, former Professor of Naval Science at the University of Texas at Austin. Conducted first survey of political attitudes and voting behavior of enlisted personnel in the American military.
- Ms. Tabitha B. Padilla, voice of Santa's Little Helper on the television show The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. - Garibaldi ROUS, the late Caplin ROUS (Rodent of Unusual Size), and owner Melanie Typaldos. The two most famous capybaras in the world. People come from all over the world to meet them. They have made many TV appearances, have a large fan base in Japan amongst other countries, and a devoted following on Youtube, and on their beautifully written website www.gianthamster.com where they blog intelligently and amusingly.