Valley Spring is an unincorporated community

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 Llano County

Llano County, Texas

Llano County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 19, 301. Its county seat is Llano, and the county is named for the Llano River....

, 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...

. According to the Handbook of Texas

Handbook of Texas

The Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...

, the community had an estimated population of 50 in 2000.

Geography

Valley Spring is located at 30°51′34"N 98°49′02"W (30.8593408, -98.8172650). It is situated along State Highway 71 in northwestern Llano County, approximately 12 miles northwest of Llano

Llano, Texas

-History:Llano County was established in compliance with a February 1, 1856, state legislative act. The Llano River location was chosen in an election held on June 14, 1856, under a live oak on the south bank of the river, near the present site of Roy Inks Bridge in Llano...

.

History

The area was originally settled by the O.C.J. Phillips family in 1854 and was known as Phillips Ranch in the early years. Phillips son, W.O., established a cotton gin and sawmill on the ranch in 1860. Locals started referring to the community as Whistleville after the mill's summoning work whistle. Less than a mile from Whistleville, Davie Owen opened a competing mill and gin. The community surrounding Owen's mill was known as Bugscuffle. When a post office was established in 1878, it was located at the Bugscuffle establishment, which was renamed Valley Spring after the area's terrain and numerous springs. Four years later, the stage route from Llano

Llano, Texas

-History:Llano County was established in compliance with a February 1, 1856, state legislative act. The Llano River location was chosen in an election held on June 14, 1856, under a live oak on the south bank of the river, near the present site of Roy Inks Bridge in Llano...

 to Brady

Brady, Texas

Brady is a city in McCulloch County, Texas, United States. Brady refers to itself as "The Heart of Texas", as it is the closest city to the geographical center of the state. The population was 5,523 at the 2000 census...

 was changed in 1882 and Mr. Owen built a store on the new route at the present-day site of Valley Spring.

The population had reached 100 by the 1930s, but had declined to 50 by the late 1960s. It remained at level through 2000. Although it is unincorporated, Valley Spring has a post office, with the ZIP code of 76885..

Education

Public education in the community of Valley Spring is provided by the Llano Independent School District

Llano Independent School District

Llano Independent School District is a public school district based in Llano, Texas .In addition to Llano, the district serves the city of Sunrise Beach Village, the community of Kingsland, and a portion of Horseshoe Bay as well as most rural areas in Llano County.In 2009, the school district was...

. Zoned campuses include Llano Elementary School (grades PK-5), Llano Junior High School (grades 6-8), and Llano High School

Llano High School

Llano High School is a 3A high school located in Llano, Texas . It is part of the Llano Independent School District located in central Llano County...

http://www.llano.k12.tx.us/metadot/index.pl?id=2305&isa=Category&op=show (grades 9-12).