Central Texas is a region in the
U.S. state of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
surrounding
Austin and roughly bordered by
San Saba to
Bryan and
San Marcos to
Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part of the
Texas Hill Country and corresponds to a
physiographic section designation within the
Edwards Plateau
The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region at the crossroads of Central, South, and West Texas. It is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east, the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north, and the Pecos River and Chihua ...
, in a geographic context.
Central Texas includes the
Austin–Round Rock,
Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood,
Bryan–College Station, and
Waco metropolitan areas. The Austin–Round Rock and Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood areas are among the fastest-growing
metropolitan areas in the state. The
Greater Austin and
Greater San Antonio areas are separated from each other by approximately along
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican borde ...
. It is anticipated that both regions may form a new metroplex similar to
Dallas and Fort Worth. Some of the largest cities in the region are
Austin,
College Station,
Killeen,
Round Rock
Round Rock is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Williamson County (with a small part in Travis County), which is a part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 as of the 2020 census.
The city straddles the Bal ...
, and
Waco
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the s ...
. The largest U.S. Army installation in the country,
Fort Hood, is located near
Killeen.
Composition
The
counties (in red) that are almost always included in the Central Texas region are:
(in pink) that are sometimes included in the Central Texas region are:
Gallery
See also
*
Edwards Plateau
The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region at the crossroads of Central, South, and West Texas. It is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east, the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north, and the Pecos River and Chihua ...
*
List of geographical regions in Texas
*
Llano Estacado
The Llano Estacado (), sometimes translated into English as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. One of the largest mesas or tablelands on the Nort ...
*
Texas Hill Country
References
Further reading
*
External links
Fredericksburg, Texas Chamber of Commerce*
Celebrate Diversity in Central Texas" ''
Austin American-Statesman''.
{{Texas
Great Plains
Physiographic sections
Regions of Texas