Cedar Park - The Sensation of Texas

Cedar Park isn't the biggest city in Texas, but it is one of the fastest growing in the United States, growing over 60% in just 6 years. This quickly changing little town only 16 miles away from Austin located in Williamson County is catching on as the sensation of Texas, and is a fascinating place to visit.

In Cedar Park you will find a mixture of both the old and the new. Its history from frontier cattle ranch to railroad stop to bristling suburb is well documented by the Cedar Park Heritage Society, where you can find out many fascinating facts about Cedar Park's frontier heritage.

The city, in fact, was not always called Cedar Park. In the early days it was known as Running Brushy, after the spring which formed the head of the creek. It began to come into prominence when land was bought here by George Cluck, a cattle rancher who first passed through on a cattle drive along the Chisolm Trail. This drive is also notable because he brought his wife Harriet along: Harriet Cluck was the first woman in Texas history to make the drive along the Chisolm Trail.

It was the Clucks' son, Emmett, who ultimately gave the city its name. There are many cedars in the area, and he named the town after the beautiful land which abounded on the Cluck property.

For a real taste of the old days, there is also the Austin Steam Train, which still runs the old rail road lines between Austin and Burnet, passing right through Cedar Park. Taking a step onto the Austin Steam Train is like taking a step into the past. Two specially themed cars are available: one which is modeled after the old 1920's passenger cars and one modeled after the old 1950's passenger cars. Both make for a special treat.

In between Cedar Park and Austin you will also find Lake Travis, a beautiful lake that offers up plenty of outdoor fun. Swimming, boating, biking, fishing, hiking: you name it you can find it in Lake Travis. Lake Travis even offers up a secluded nudist area for the adventurous known as Hippie Hollow.

As a modern city you can also expect to find some of the best in shopping here in Cedar Park. There are a number of shopping centers, the largest of which is the Lakeline Plaza/Lakeline Mall. And of course Austin is just a 15 minute drive away.

For sports you can drive just a few miles to the east to Round Rock, also a part of Williamson County. Here you will see some of the best in minor league baseball watching the Round Rock Express at Dell Diamond.

If you are on a trip to Texas and want to see something a little bit different, try Cedar Park in Williamson County: it truly is the Sensation of Texas.