Weir, Texas

Weir is a small town of roughly 450 residents located north of Austin and west of Georgetown in central Texas. Although seemingly a suburb, this little community actually dates back to before the Civil War over 150 years ago.

While small in size, Weir is rich in history and was once a larger, thriving town at the turn of the 20^th century. Today, the charms of Weir are now starting to attract those who want to live in a small town atmosphere, yet have the convenience of a nearby larger city for their needs.

The History of Weir, Texas

The history of this small community begins in 1856 as Thomas Calvin Weir, a native of Tennessee, moves to the area and buys up a considerable amount of land. It was not long before he became quite prosperous which began to attract others to the region and a small community began to form. Most notably, the brothers James and Robert Towns who came from Alabama to open up a gin and blacksmith shop which in turn created the small community of Towns Mill.

Close to the turn of the 20^th century, the communities of Weir and Towns Mill continued to grow thanks to the influx of new residents including African-Americans who formed their own church in Mankins Crossing. The daughter of Thomas Weir served as postmaster of Towns Mill or Townsville as it was being called and ran a small store.

However, a turning point happened in 1893. The Georgetown and Granger Railroad went through Weir and was subsequently purchased by the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad. The establishment of a station in the community helped officially establish the town. By the turn of the 20^th century, Weir began to grow as tourist flocked to the area thanks in large part to the Katy Lake Resort that was built near the river at Towns Mill Dam. The post office moved to Weir from Townsville and it seemed that the future looked very bright for this small town.

Unfortunately, in 1913 a flood devastated the resort as well as several local businesses in the region as well. Afterwards, the combination of World War I which depopulated the area, a severe drought and the subsequent Great Depression all caused a severe decline in the population that took decades to overcome.

By 1987, the town of Weir became officially incorporated thanks to growing interest in the area and today it is thriving thanks to its location and can-do spirit.

The City Government

While the town itself is quite small, it does have a mayor and town council like most communities of its size in Texas. The council meets on a regular basis to discuss new laws, rules and regulations as well as responding to its residents while the mayor enforces the laws. The educational system in Weir is served by the nearby Georgetown school district.

The Environment & the Attractions

Weir enjoys a climate typical of towns in central Texas. For most of the year, Weir enjoys warm weather with hot, humid summers and occasional cold blasts of winter. The town itself is located south enough to avoid the brunt of winter conditions during that time of the year. However, the summer months can be very hot.

Weir offers little in the way of attractions apart from the many outdoor activities that are enjoyed by residents and tourists during the summer months at the nearby river. Otherwise, Weir is generally the place that people stay or pass through when visiting other locations.

While small in size, Weir does offer many of the typical characteristics of small central Texas communities and makes for a great place to live for those who live independently or will commute to nearby Georgetown or Austin.