Manchaca, Texas
Encyclopedia
Manchaca is a small unincorporated community
in Travis County
, Texas
, United States
. It is located 10 miles (16 km) southwest of downtown Austin
.
. The area began to grow when the International-Great Northern Railroad
opened in 1881; a third post office, called Manchaca, opened. By 1884 the 75-resident community was a shipping point for cotton, grain, lumber, and posts. In the 1890s a Methodist church, a hotel, and a school opened. The community had 200 people in the 1960s. In the 1970s the number of residents decreased to 36. Local development increased in the mid-1980s. The community had 4,700 people in 1990. In 2000 the community had 2,259 people.
FM 2304/Manchaca Road realigns along Austin's north-northeast-to-south-southwest axis as it goes into the city limits after crossing Slaughter Creek. FM 1626 connects to Interstate 35
two miles to the east, while it runs west until it reaches Bear Creek, which it winds along and crosses, then heads generally southward until it passes Buda
, where it generally curves back eastward until it reaches Interstate 35 once more, just north of Kyle
. Twin Creeks Road crosses Bear and Onion Creeks near their confluence just east of the road (from which its name is derived) then curves to run east until it ends at Old San Antonio Road
, a branch of the old Camino Real, which runs from Austin west of Interstate 35 and passes Manchaca Springs, an historic spot after which the community is named, just north of the Hays County line and Buda.
The Manchaca Volunteer Fire Department, headquartered in the community, provides Manchaca with fire protection. The Travis County Sheriff's Office provides police protection. The community is within Travis County Precinct 3.
Manchaca is located in District 47 of the Texas House of Representatives
. As of 2011 Paul Workman
represents the district. Manchaca is within District 25
of the Texas Senate
. As of 2011 Jeff Wentworth
represents the district.
Manchaca is in Texas's 25th congressional district
; as of 2011 Lloyd Doggett
is the representative. The designated United States Postal Service
office is the Manchaca Post Office at 780 West Farm to Market Road 1626
in Manchaca.
Manchaca is within the Austin Independent School District
. Residents are zoned to Menchaca Elementary School in the Manchaca community, Paredes Middle School in Austin, and Akins High School
in Austin. A K-12 private school, Austin Christian Academy, is in the Manchaca community.
The community's first school opened in the 1890s. The common school district serving Manchaca, which had two grade schools for White students and one grade school for Black students in the 1930s, became the focus of the community. The district joined forces with Oak Hill
to form a rural high school district in 1961. AISD annexed the entire high school district in 1967. Menchaca Elementary School was built in 1977. Paredes Middle School opened in January 2000. Akins High School opened in August 2000. Austin Christian Academy opened in September 2003.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Travis County
Travis County, Texas
As of 2009, the U.S. census estimates there were 1,026,158 people, 320,766 households, and 183,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 821 people per square mile . There were 335,881 housing units at an average density of 340 per square mile...
, 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...
. It is located 10 miles (16 km) southwest of downtown Austin
Austin, 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...
.
History
Manchaca was named after Manchaca Springs, which were named after José Antonio Menchaca, an early military and political leader in Texas. The Manchac House post office opened two miles south of the present-day location of Manchaca in 1857; the office closed the following year. A second post office, located at the present-day site of Manchaca, operated from June 1874 to May 1875. Afterwards area residents received mail in the unincorporated community of Onion CreekOnion Creek, Texas
Onion Creek is a former census-designated place in Travis County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,116 at the 2000 census. The area is now part of the city of Austin....
. The area began to grow when the International-Great Northern Railroad
International-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....
opened in 1881; a third post office, called Manchaca, opened. By 1884 the 75-resident community was a shipping point for cotton, grain, lumber, and posts. In the 1890s a Methodist church, a hotel, and a school opened. The community had 200 people in the 1960s. In the 1970s the number of residents decreased to 36. Local development increased in the mid-1980s. The community had 4,700 people in 1990. In 2000 the community had 2,259 people.
Main routes
The main roads through Manchaca are- Texas Farm-to-Market Road 1626Farm to Market Road 1626Farm to Market Road 1626, or FM 1626 is a farm to market road, a state maintained road which serves to connect rural and agricultural areas to market towns, in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located in Travis and Hays counties. The road is 13.4 miles long....
, running generally west-east; - Texas Farm-to-Market Road 2304, also known as Manchaca Road, running northward from FM 1626 and starting at Menchaca Elementary School;
- Twin Creeks Road, running south from FM 1626 and starting just east of a railroad crossing; and
- Old San Antonio Road, running south from Austin to Buda just west of Interstate 35.
FM 2304/Manchaca Road realigns along Austin's north-northeast-to-south-southwest axis as it goes into the city limits after crossing Slaughter Creek. FM 1626 connects to 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...
two miles to the east, while it runs west until it reaches Bear Creek, which it winds along and crosses, then heads generally southward until it passes Buda
Buda, Texas
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...
, where it generally curves back eastward until it reaches Interstate 35 once more, just north of Kyle
Kyle, Texas
Kyle is a town in Hays County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,314 at the 2000 census; it was 26,103 in the 2008 census estimate, making Kyle one of the fastest growing cities in Texas.-Geography:...
. Twin Creeks Road crosses Bear and Onion Creeks near their confluence just east of the road (from which its name is derived) then curves to run east until it ends at Old San Antonio Road
Old San Antonio Road
The Old San Antonio Road was a historic roadway located in the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana. Parts of it were based on traditional Native American trails. Its Texas terminus was about southeast of Eagle Pass at the Rio Grande in Maverick County, and its northern terminus was at...
, a branch of the old Camino Real, which runs from Austin west of Interstate 35 and passes Manchaca Springs, an historic spot after which the community is named, just north of the Hays County line and Buda.
Government and infrastructure
Manchaca is located in District 47 of the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
. As of 2011 Paul Workman
Paul Workman
Paul Workman is a Canadian journalist. He is currently the CTV News Washington Bureau Chief, filing his first report on February 3, 2009. Workman was formerly the South Asia Bureau Chief based in New Delhi, India. Prior to joining CTV News on July 13, 2006, he was a journalist for CBC News for over...
represents the district. Manchaca is within District 25
Texas Senate, District 25
District 25 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves all of Comal, Guadalupe, Hays and Kendall counties, and portions of Bexar and Travis counties in the U.S. state of Texas...
of the Texas Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
. As of 2011 Jeff Wentworth
Jeff Wentworth
Earl Jeffrey "Jeff" Wentworth is a Republican member of the Texas Senate since 1993. He succeeded Republican Cyndi Taylor Krier , who instead became the Bexar County judge...
represents the district.
Manchaca is in Texas's 25th congressional district
Texas's 25th congressional district
-2006 election:On June 28, 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that the Texas legislature's 2003 redistricting plan violated the Voting Rights Act in the case of District 23...
; as of 2011 Lloyd Doggett
Lloyd Doggett
Lloyd Alton Doggett II is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He previously represented from 1995 to 2005. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
is the representative. The designated United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
office is the Manchaca Post Office at 780 West Farm to Market Road 1626
Farm to Market Road 1626
Farm to Market Road 1626, or FM 1626 is a farm to market road, a state maintained road which serves to connect rural and agricultural areas to market towns, in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located in Travis and Hays counties. The road is 13.4 miles long....
in Manchaca.
Education
Austin Independent School District
Austin Independent School District is a school district that is based in the city of Austin, Texas, United States. It was established in 1881. Its current superintendent is...
. Residents are zoned to Menchaca Elementary School in the Manchaca community, Paredes Middle School in Austin, and Akins High School
Akins High School
Akins High School is located in South Austin, Texas, United States. It was named after Dr. William Charles Akins, an Austin resident and founded in 2000. It is one of the newest high schools in the Austin Independent School District. Its current attendance exceeds 2,700 students, with the majority...
in Austin. A K-12 private school, Austin Christian Academy, is in the Manchaca community.
The community's first school opened in the 1890s. The common school district serving Manchaca, which had two grade schools for White students and one grade school for Black students in the 1930s, became the focus of the community. The district joined forces with Oak Hill
Oak Hill, Texas
Oak Hill is a community in southwest Austin, Texas, United States that was formerly a distinct unincorporated area in southwestern Travis County. Originally called Live Oak Springs, Oak Hill is located on U.S. Highway 290 and Williamson Creek, eight miles south of Downtown Austin.-History:An 1865...
to form a rural high school district in 1961. AISD annexed the entire high school district in 1967. Menchaca Elementary School was built in 1977. Paredes Middle School opened in January 2000. Akins High School opened in August 2000. Austin Christian Academy opened in September 2003.